Inspired Books to Share with Children

As a parent, one of my favorite memories is of reading truly beautiful books with my children at bedtime. As a teacher, the moments I feel most in-the-flow are when I am sharing wonderful literature with my students. I was like a kid in a candy store when I worked as a shelver at our local public library and was able to discover so many unknown treasures. I love books and have a passion for children's literature - picture books, in particular. There is something incredibly compelling about the pairing of beautiful art with an inspired story. I love how certain children's picture books can express such depth in the space of only 30 or so pages with limited text. 

Giving books as gifts has been my biggest exception to homemade gifts, and I thought I'd create a list of what I consider the best of the best in children's literature for anyone looking for some ideas for children, grandchildren, or other special children. The books on my list truly honor and are worthy of children through their aesthetic value and inspired content. Rather than describe them myself, I created an online list that makes it easy to click and find any information you would want about a particular title:

Click here for my list of The Best, Most Inspired Children's Books

My original list was twice as long, but it seemed too overwhelming with so many choices, so I forced myself to narrow it down.

A few of the books on my list are more like prayers or meditations than stories. These include:

• All I See is Part of Me
• The Circle of Days
• The Secret of Saying Thanks
• The Wonderful Happens

I asked my teenagers what books they remember most fondly from their childhoods. For my daughter, it was Grandmothers' Stories retold by Burleigh Muten. Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey and Grandfather Twilight by Barbara Berger were the ones my son remembered. However, I also recall all the times I read The Country Noisy Book when he was little, and I remember him laughing like I'd never heard him laugh before as we read David Wiesner's version of The Three Pigs. I also remember how much my daughter loved the rhymes in Catch Me and Kiss Me and Say It Again by Clyde Watson when she became a big sister, and snuggling with her for repeated readings of Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse, The Big, Big Sea by Martin Waddell, and The Tomten adapted by Astrid Lindgren.

So many wonderful books. So many wonderful memories of time well spent with my children! 

What are some of your favorites? 

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