Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, by Peter Brown
The dapper Mr. Tiger is over being proper, and wants to have more fun. He decides to go wild (including removing his fancy clothing, walking on all fours, and leaving his uptight friends to run off to the jungle). And while it's fun for awhile, he soon gets lonely. So he heads back home, ready to be a little less wild, and is happily surprised to find that his friends have become a little less proper. It's an original take on being yourself, while compromising and influencing change. We recommend it for every preschooler's bookshelf.
Those Darn Squirrels by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri
The only thing that makes cranky Old Man Fookwire happy is painting pictures of the birds in his backyard. To keep them from migrating south in the winter, he puts up extravagant bird feeders, which pesky squirrels find and ravage. The story takes you through this rising conflict, which ends in a pretty hilarious solution by the clever squirrels. This is one of our 3-year-olds' favorites – they love shaking their fists and saying in an exasperated old-man voice: "Those darn squirrels." Fun!
Crabtree by Jon & Tucker Nichols
Amazing illustrations tell the tale of Alfred Crabtree, who has lost his false teeth. Surrounded by so much stuff – fancy hats, broken things, spicy mustard, an armadillo shell – he needs to get organized to find them! For our preschoolers who are into "sorting," it's a treasure trove of categorization and search and find. A modern take on Richard Scarry, we giggle together – and discover something new – every time we read it. Not surprisingly, it's published by the witty folks at McSweeneys.
Little Bird by German Zullo and Albertine
As we kick off the new year, we're drawn to uplifting books – ones that help us teach our kids kindness and compassion. In Little Bird, the beautiful illustrations tell a heartwarming story. A man drives his truck to the edge of a cliff, opens the back door, and watches birds fly out. One timid little bird is left behind. The man befriends the little guy and encourages him to take flight. The bird goes, only to return later with his friends, who pick up the man to fly along with them. The accompanying text reads like a poem, suggesting that the tiny things – the things that often go unnoticed – are life's greatest treasures.
Stick Man by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
This has become a new holiday favorite that's not overly Christmas-y. "Stick Man lives in the family tree with his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three." When Stick Man heads out on a jog one morning, he gets into all kinds of unintended trouble. The story follows him on the journey, with Santa appearing toward the end, and (spoiler alert) getting him safely back home. Our kids love the rhyme and repetition. Like The Gruffalo, by the same authors, it's fun to read aloud. (Extra points for inventing a distinctive Stick Man voice.)
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry
When Mr. Willowby gets a Christmas tree, it's the biggest tree he's ever seen. Too tall for his mansion, his butler chops off the top. And the story takes you through what happens to that treetop, bringing holiday cheer to seven different families along the way. If you were a child of the late 70s or early 80s, you might remember that Captain Kangaroo read this book on his show each year. (Or the '90s Muppets TV special with Robert Downey Jr.) It's a sweet, classic story that we love sharing with our kids.
Richard Scarry's The Animals' Merry Christmas by Kathryn Jackson
We loved reading this book each December when we were kids. The simplicity and spirit of the stories are perfect for the season. (See, kids? The Hedgehog family is thrilled with getting an apple for Christmas.)
What better holiday tradition than discovering the same special stories together each year?
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
If we had to pick just one book that's a favorite with our almost-three-year-old bibliophiles, it would be really, really hard. But here's the winner – silly, imaginative and brilliantly hilarious. Dragons love tacos. But if a dragon eats spicy salsa, LOOK OUT. (Unfortunately, the book uses the work "hate;" we replace it with "loathe" or "REALLY don't like.") Our kids love to re-tell the story – and as a side benefit, now they love eating tacos.
