10. 13 Words written by Lemony Snicket and illustrated by Maira Kalman
This is such a strange, bizarre book but that is why it is so awesome. The story itself is silly and absurd and the illustrations match this story's world. The words, such as despondent and haberdashery, were new for Jasper. This book is a must for your home library!
9. The Gingerbread Man written by Nancy Nolte and illustrated by Richard Scarry
Our family loves the gingerbread man story as much as eating gingerbread cookies. I have read a lot of gingerbread man books and this one illustrated by Richard Scarry is my favorite. You really can't go wrong with a Scarry book but these illustrations are some of his finest.
8. Pomelo Begins to Grow written by Ramona Badescu and illustrated by Benjamin Chaud
I just love this book. Pomelo is a garden elephant and his world is tiny. This book is about what happens when he begins to grow. The story is cute but the illustrator is what puts this book over the top for me. He is so imaginative and original. I just love Benjamin Chaud's work. We own all the Pomelo books.
7. Clifford the Big Red Dog written and illustrated by Norman Bridwell
It seems all children enjoy this book. It's a quick read which is perfect for short attention spans. It's simple, colorful and filled with warm humor.
6. Go, Dog. Go! written and illustrated by P.D. Eastman
A classic book that every child should read. Jasper loves this silly book about dogs going everywhere. He especially enjoys the repeated question of "Do you like my hat?"
5. Gaston written by Kelly Dipucchio and illustrated by Christian Robinson
What a super cute book about love, family, and where we belong. The doggies are so adorably illustrated and I like the visible painterly strokes. We have read this book many, many times.
4. Peter & the Wolf written and illustrated by Ian Beck (adapter), Sergei Prokofiev (author)
This book is uniquely one of Jasper's favorite books. The other books on his list have also been some of Noelle's favorites but I would say this is a true Jasper pick. This book makes it fun and easy to teach children about classical music and instruments. I think Jasper also likes the idea of a boy taking down a scary wolf on his own.
3. Gumby Goes to the Sun written and illustrated by Holly Harman
This book is so ridiculous and hilarious! Our family loves Gumby and Pokey and we have watched all their claymation shows. But this book... oh my! The illustrations are painted through most all of the book but then at the end Gumby uses his magic ice-ode and the illustrations turn to photographs with the exception of the characters who are still painted. The story is equally bizarre. When I read this to Noelle and Jasper they are so fully enthralled their eyes are practically bulging.
2. Where the Wild Things Are written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak
Jasper loves all things scary and ferocious and Where the Wild Things Are fits this perfectly. It doesn't hurt that this is a Caldecott medal-winner. It's easy to see why this is one of the most beloved children's book. But I also have a special place in my heart for this book and for Sendak's book Higglety Pigglety Pop!: Or There Must Be More to Life. This is because both of these books have Sealyham Terriers in them. Sendak owned a Sealyham, Jennie. Higglety Pigglety was a tribute to Jennie. Our family also owns a Sealyham, Parry, as well. Clearly Sendak was a gifted children's author and illustrator but he also had excellent taste in dogs.
1. Mister Dog written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Garth Williams
Apparently Jasper loves books about dogs as this is his fourth dog book on the list! Jasper's Great Aunt gifted us this book. Jasper has had me read it every night since. Margaret Wise Brown is a genius children's author. Two classics, Good Night Moon and Runaway Bunny, were written by her in addition to her authoring well over a hundred others. Brown worked hard at ensuring her stories had a rhythm but she also wrote from a child's perspective. She did not follow traditional "adult" style plot development. She wrote the way a child wanted to hear a story. Perhaps this is why Mister Dog seems so strange to adult readers yet children are enthralled by it. This story is about a funny dog, Crispin's Crispian, who belonged to himself and a boy he meets who also belongs to himself. The illustrations are wonderful too. Garth Williams was a prolific illustrator and illustrated a number of Brown's books as well as classics such as Stuart Little and Charlotte's Web.
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