If you could only have 1 book to read to your child(baby) what would it be???

[Jen D]

Since "Goodnight Moon" and "Goodnight Gorilla" have already been taken, I'm gonna go with "Hippos Go Berserk" by Sandra Boynton.

But "Good Dog Carl" by Alexandra Day is a close second. We love Carl.

I'm also not a "Love You Forever" fan.

 

[bigmerle1966]

Here is a link to the authors web site, very sad.

http://www.robertmunsch.com/books.cfm?bookid=40

 

[bananiem]

I never said the story behind the story wasn't heart-breaking, just that the mother crawling in his window when he's grown up and married is a bit odd.
Robert Munsch has many other books that he has authored and they're hilarious!

 

[liamsaunt]

It's already been mentioned, but I have to say Goodnight Gorilla too. It is just so charming.

I don't know if they make them anymore, but for a newborn child, I bought my niece and nephew books called "Farm Faces" and "Zoo Faces". They were stuffed cloth, very soft, with embroidered animals, one to a page. They can read the book and also take it to bed with them.

Other favorites:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See
The Snowy Day
Make Way for Ducklings
Sheep in a Jeep

 

[debster812]

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Goodnight Moon (agree with the PP who mentioned the cadence and the rhythem are just soothing, it's certainly not the most captivating story , but something about it is just delightful.).

And for when they're a bit older; If you give a Mouse a Cookie and that whole series.

What a wonderful gift!! I really like that idea

 

[Annette_VA]

Guess How Much I Love You

This one gets my vote.

 

[Bob Slydell]

And although I didn't understand the fascination either (as previous posters mentioned) my DD's loved "Goodnight Moon".

Same here -- I don't get it, but my boys still that book.

Another vote for the Boyton books -- I just can't pick one, though.

 

[robinb]

'Guess How Much I Love You'

I love this book. I can't make it through without tearing up. I am such a wuss sometimes!

 

[leighe]

I just bought DD3months Fancy Nancy. It's really written for probably 3-5 year olds but the pictures are just adorable and the story is really sweet. I couldn't resist since I'm such a girly-girl myself.

I also love the Eloise books but they are for older children.

 

[elismom]

another vote for Goodnight moon

But here is a list of some that I read to my kids and at the daycare

The Runaway Bunny
Blueberriers for Sal
Caps for sale
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Chicken Soup with Rice...Maurice Sendak
Big Red Barn...Margaret Wise Brown
Color Kittens...Margaret Wise Brown
Where the Wild Things Are...Maurice Sendak
Brown Bear,Brown Bear...Eric Carle
Piggies..Don Wood
2 of my favorites are
any of the Garth pig books by Mary Rayner
(About a family of pigs)
From the book

"quick," said William."stand around in a circle everyone,"(talking to pig siblings)
and he began to count:
Ham,bacon,pork chop,
out you must hop.
Mrs Pig held up her trotters in horror and turned away her eyes.Goodness me,where do they pick up such words? I am sure they have never heard them in this house."

And my other favorite called
The Wild Baby

Mama loved her baby Ben,
her small and precious child
but he always disobyed her,
he was reckless,loud and wild.

He disappeared one morning
when he should have been in bed.
She found him sleeping soundly
in the wooden clock instead


I have many more but I need to run I'll post again later.

 

[NMAmy]

Another vote for Goodnight Moon. DD had it memorized when she was little--I think she and I can both still repeat it even now that she's 15. It's really my favorite for getting a child to settle down to sleep--as others have said, it's very soothing.

Other favorites that we couldn't get by without:

Where the Wild Things Are and Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak
All of Dr. Seuss
and Madeline when she was older. Another one we can both recite.

 

[luvflorida]

Where the Wild Things Are and Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak

These were both favorites with my two oldest kids, but not my younger one. My two oldest are now 25 and 22, and they can still quote these books!! They would love repeating the verses in Chicken Soup with Rice that went along with their birth months.

Blowing Once
Blowing Twice
Blowing Chicken Soup with Rice!!

 

[txgirl]

"You Are My I Love You" - Maryann K. Cusimano (very hard for me to read out loud without crying )

I am your parent;
you are my child.
I am your quiet place;
you are my wild.

I am your calm face;
you are my giggle.
I am your wait;
you are my wiggle. ( i love this one!)
I am your carriage ride;
you are my king.
I am your push;
you are my swing.

I am your audience;
you are my clown.
I am your London Bridge;
you are my falling down.

I am your water wings;
you are my deep.
I am your open arms
you are my running leap.

I am your way home;
you are my new path.
I am your dry towel;
you are my wet bath.

I am your finish line;
you are my race.
I am your praying hands;
you are my saying grace.

I am your favorite book;
you are my new lines.
I am your night-light;
you are my starshine.

I am your lullaby;
you are my peekaboo.
I am your good-night kiss;
you are my I Love You.

 

[Kristi1357]

When my kids were younger I brought up at a playdate that my dh thought Love you Forever was a creepy book, with the Mom crawling in his windows after he's married and all... Anyway, the moms' at the playdate all agreed and said they always said what a good book it was because everybody else did, but they thought it was creepy too. Just a thought.

I could not agree more! I bought the book a couple months ago since everyone here raved about it. That mom in that book has some serious issues! We read it once and it has never been picked out to read again. Too weird for me!

Books my 2 year old loves:

The Eric Carle books (Hungry Catepillar, etc.)

The Belly Button Book by Boynton

Once Upon A Potty by Frankel

Goodnight Moon

Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed by Eileen Christelow
(we both love this one and I don't think it's been mentioned yet)

 

[Grammyof2]

Promise not to laugh. My DGD (5) loves this book and has since she got it as a gift for her 1st birthday. Still read it at least once a week, except now she reads it to me. "Everybody Poops"

I have given this book as a gift many times because no one ever heard of it and DGD quotes it all the time

 

[dngrmys]

I would also say "The Giving Tree".

 

[mickeyboat]

I could not agree more! I bought the book a couple months ago since everyone here raved about it. That mom in that book has some serious issues! We read it once and it has never been picked out to read again. Too weird for me!

I thought about the creepy aspect last time there was a thread on this book. I think many of us cannot understand what that mother was feeling because we aren't the mothers of adult children, yet.

Let's talk about this again 20 years from now!

Denae

 

[HayGan]

Here are a few of our favorites:

I Love You As Much

There's A Wocket in My Pocket

In A People House

Are You My Mother?

 

[AnaheimGirl]

Lots of good suggestions already. My kids loved The Runaway Bunny, Guess How Much I Love you, Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Gorilla, The Kissing Hand (this one is especially fun because it turns into a ritual you can do with your own kids -- give them a kissing hand when you have to leave them).

But probably the most worn-out book in our house not already mentioned is Time for Bed, by Mem Fox. It's rhythm is so soothing, it's the perfect bedtime story for little ones.

 

[bananiem]

I thought about the creepy aspect last time there was a thread on this book. I think many of us cannot understand what that mother was feeling because we aren't the mothers of adult children, yet.

Let's talk about this again 20 years from now!

Denae

I assure you that 20 years from now I will not want to crawl in my son's window while he's sleeping and get into bed with him and his wife.