Children’s Books Guide

When people think of Corduroy they might think one of two things.  It’s a fabric.  It’s the name of a timeless story about teddy bear in overall.  Written by Don Freeman, this loveable bear sits in a department store window, hoping each day that someone might pick him and take him home.  That day finally [...]

The image of a little white mouse in red cowboy boots and carrying a purple plastic purse is hard to forget.  That’s just what Kevin Henkes has done in creating Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Lilly the mouse loves her school and her teacher, Mr. Slinger.  She loves her possessions, including her purse, which happens to [...]

Eric Carle and The Very Hungry Caterpillar have been going strong for 40 years now.  The premise is a very simple one, and yet one all children love to read and see how it progresses.  A caterpillar is very hungry, so throughout the book, he eats his way through increasing numbers of foods; on Monday [...]

The Giving Tree is a timeless tale of the love between a tree and a boy.  Created by Shel Silverstein, this simple story is heartfelt and makes for a warm parable about the endless capacity of love and how giving is an act of love that does not need anything in return.  A beautiful book [...]

Originally published in 1930, The Little Engine That Could remains a staple of classic children’s books today.  Now it is published with various artists creating the illustrations, but parents can still buy the book with the original artwork.  Watty Piper is the name attributed to this famous story, one of positive thinking and motivation to [...]

For children of ages 4 through 8, taking a big step can take some time.  Carin Berger’s story about The Little Yellow Leaf is exactly that.  As the seasons change and summer turns to fall, all the leaves on a tree and those around it change color and drift to the ground.  But there is [...]

While the events Laura Numeroff describes aren’t likely to happen, it’s a ton of fun to imagine that they could.  Though the mouse on the cover of the book looks absolutely delighted to have his cookie, the requests don’t stop there.  Giving a mouse a cookie means he’ll want milk to drink it with.  And [...]

Jan Brett’s The Mitten is a favorite among families during the Christmas season.  Published as both picture books for children 4-8 and as a board book for infants and preschoolers, it is the story of a Ukrainian boy named Nicki who asks his grandmother Baba to knit a pair of white mittens for him.  She [...]

Children may sometimes wonder – is there another side to a story?  What if the wolf had a chance to let everyone know what really happened between him and the three little pigs?  John Scieszka is the author who brings that side to light with The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Known for [...]

Margaret Wise Brown is a skilled children’s author who has made books lasting the test of time.  Despite the fact that it was originally published in 1942, The Runaway Bunny has become such a favorite among parents and children that is has never been out of print.  Now, the book comes in the form of [...]