Growing up my parents made sure to instill in me a love of reading, so much so that a trip to the bookstore became a treasured outing. As the birth of my son approached one of the many things I looked forward to was being able to pass that same of love of reading on to him. From the day Ethan was born, my wife and I began reading to him every night. Even though he was very young when we began reading to him, it was apparent which of the countless books we read to him became his favorites as he grew and learned more. At about 10 months he would pick out his favorite books from the shelves and bring them to us; hidden amongst a few dozen he would consistently choose the same ones and get very excited when he handed them over. We wanted to share with you the top 10 books both our son, and really we as a family, loved during year one of his life; below is the list of the those books in no particular order.
Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast Written By: Josh Funk
Illustrated By: Brendan Kearney
This book made an instant impression on us and Ethan with its bright, well done illustrations and the fun story of a pancake and french toast racing to get the last bit of syrup before it is gone. We follow these two characters through the wonderful world of the refrigerator as they learn the importance of teamwork and friendship.
The Legend of Rock, Paper, & Scissors Written By: Drew Daywalt Illustrated By: Adam Rex
This is without a doubt my wife and I’s favorite book to read to our son. When we saw this book at a store the title quickly caught our eye and when we looked inside to read the story we had no choice but to purchase this hilarious book. The story is so imaginative and filled with humor that it entertains the parents as much as the kids. This book may be a little advanced for a child under one, but we hope that by reading it to our son, as he gets older he learns to love the humor as much as we do.
The Monster Mash Illustrated By: Maria Sarria
This book quickly became a favorite of Ethan’s. While the story is simply the song “Monster Mash”, the illustrations really popped and the interactive quality of several buttons playing a portion of the song with each new page really made this a hit. Ethan became giddy when his mom or I pushed the music buttons so much that it did not take long for us to have replace the battery. I absolutely would recommend this book for any parent who wants to have a fun book to read with their children around Halloween time.
Quantum Physics For Babies Written & Illustrated By: Chris Ferrie
This book doesn’t have a traditional story but does deliver a very well done, simplified lesson on quantum physics to younger children. While our son is still too young to understand what he is listening to, this did become one of his favorite books and he now points to certain images while we read it like he’s understanding it more every day- to what extent remains to be seen. While your kid may also not comprehend what they are hearing we believe it never hurts to start teaching your kids as early as possible, because it will definitely be beneficial for their future.
Baby’s Big World Chemistry Written By: Veronica L. Murphy Illustrated By: Hilli Kushnir
Like the Quantum Physics book I already discussed this too became one of Ethan’s favorites. I’m at a loss to explain why two science books connected with him so early on, but his mother and I are super glad that he seems to be into learning!
Mustache Baby Written By: Bridget Heos Illustration By: Joy Ang
My wife bought this book on a whim at the grocery store because she thought the title was amusing. We began reading this to Ethan when he was less than a month old, because we enjoyed the delightful and clever story. As he got older he really fell in love with the book the same way we did and now he wants to hear it every day at least twice, if not more.
Where’s My Hug Written By: Sally Clark Illustrated By: Estelle Corke
This is a book that was given to us by my mother in law, and one that really became a favorite of Ethan’s as he gained more control over his hands. The story is a simple one, a mother looking for her child who is playing hide and seek, but what makes this so enjoyable to our son is the interactive flaps he gets to open on every page. There is nothing more exciting to me than watching Ethan’s excitement and pride as he flips over each peek-a-boo flap.
The Pout-Pout Fish Written By: Deborah Diesen Illustrated By: Dan Hanna
If you have a kid you’ve probably heard of this very popular book, so not much more needs to be said other than our son loves the world of the Pout-Pout fish just like the countless other children around the world. When Ethan is being pouty I find myself asking him is he’s being a pout-pout fish… so clearly it sticks! This is a smart story with a fun twist ending, and delightful illustrations.
Llama Llama Red Pajama Written & Illustrated By: Anna Dewdney
I heard about this book when a friend of mine was talking about the author, who sadly passed away a couple of years ago, and how her daughter was such a big fan. When Ethan was born I made sure to get this book and just like with my friend, my son also became a huge fan of it. Anna Dewdney really was one of the greats in the children’s book genre, and Llama Llama is a must own for any family; the stories are fun and all have a great lesson for your kids to learn.
Hand, Hand, Fingers Thumb Written By: Al Perkins Illustrated By: Eric Gurney
This book didn’t really catch on for Ethan until about 10 months old. Its another one that doesn’t really have a story but is simply a progression of monkey’s playing with drums. That being said, as Ethan got older he really got into the beat of the book and now he loves to listen to the book and dance along!
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