Great Books For Young Children

I've done my share of babysitting and I've spent a lot of time with young children. As I got older, I have found kid books that I like and enjoy reading and many more that are torture to read. I know everyone will have their own preferences but today I want to give you a selection of books that kids love and won't drive adults completely crazy!

Don't Let The Pigeon books by Mo Willems
This little pigeon wants to do all kinds of things that he's really not supposed to do (because he's a pigeon). He can come off as kind of whinny but if you play it right, it is really funny. There is one book involving a duckling and a cookie that teaches sharing and kindness.

If You Give series by Laura Numeroff
The first and most iconic of them being "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie". I don't know what lessons kids pick up from these books but I see a lot of the old "give a man a fish vs teach a man to fish" principle. When adults can see a point, I think it makes the experience more enjoyable for us.

Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock by Eric Kimmel
This might be our favorite childhood book. We checked out the book on tape (yes, tape) dozens of times. You have to hear it read aloud. We would roll on the floor laughing. Even my dad loves this book. We are trying to get a copy with the audio. It is humorous and teaches a great lesson.

Henry & Mudge series by Cynthia Rylant
Of all the books in this list, these might be the most trying for adults to read but you can just omit a bunch of the "he saids" and it gets much better. I have fond memories of these books and they are great for animal loving kids. Henry and his faithful dog, Mudge, go on many adventures together. It's a classic "boy and his dog" for early readers.

Jan Brett books
I'm talking about any books by Jan Brett. They are wonderful stories and the illustrations are phenomenal!!!! These would be especially great for very visual kids due to the many and varied illustrations.

What books do you love to read to your kids? The more "adult friendly" children's books we can compile, the better we all will be :)