These are a few of our current favorites that a) I haven’t written about before (or at least I don’t think I have) and b) are available new, so you can still buy them and have them shipped to whatever little kids you need to gift in time for Christmas. If you act right now.
May I Bring A Friend? won a Caldecott in 1965 and continues to be totally charming today. A kid keeps bringing his sometimes badly behaved animal friends along when invited to dine with royalty, and the King and Queen keep inviting him back.
Free to be You and Me. Because all little girls and boys should be allowed to be whatever they want to be, free of gender based stereotypes and full of great stories and songs (sung by the likes of Alan Alda and Rosie Greir if you get the CD)
Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote. This charming book successfully tackles the issue of migrant workers from the point of view of a Mexican rabbit.
Magic Tree House Books. I have yet to meet a kid who doesn’t love Jack and Annie, the heroes of this seemingly endless series of adventure stories. They get to learn about various periods and figures in history in that sneaky this-is-not-homework kind of way that makes the parents love them too.
Planting The Trees of Kenya. The inspirational story of Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan woman who singlehandedly inspired the planting of 30 million trees in her native Kenya. One woman really can change the world.
Mr Wuffles. The story, told all in pictures, of a finicky cat who finally finds a toy he’s interested in playing with. Only it’s not really a toy…
The Cats of Copenhagen. This whimsical and humorous tale was originally written by James Joyce (yep, that James Joyce) for his 5 year old grandson, who must have had quite an imagination and clearly loved cats.
Little Women. A classic. And any book about a bunch of sisters who happily do tons of chores and are devoted to their mother is a favorite in my book.
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