OT: Children's books that adults enjoy too

Submitted by SpazCarpenter on

Reading with my daughter is one of the most enjoyable parts of parenthood. We have been working hard together reading the classics like Winnie the Pooh, The Wizard of Oz and Dr. Seuss. I have now relived a lot of childhood memories and created new memories for the kiddo to share in the future. 

But I'm running out of friggin' material. Going on a beer book run soon!

What are some of your books from your childhood that you would read or have read to your children?

I ask you guys and gals because we share common interests and humor. Also, there are just so many different people on the blog. I'm sure there are tons of books out there that you have read and enjoyed as a child that I haven't. Kid's love books and I have been a happier person since I have been reading children's literature again. Thanks for any recommendations!

Some carpenters can read, but only if the words are short enough and there are pictures.

M-Dog

August 2nd, 2015 at 12:12 PM ^

Jungle Book (kids version).

My favorite as a kid.  It had a record that you played along as a soundtrack as you read.  It was awesome.

"I wanna be like you-ooo-ooo . . . "

 

Jevy

August 2nd, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^

I still love everything Dr. Seuss. I was ecstatic to see Chicago has a museum/store in the water tower last month. Really cool paintings there.

LSAClassOf2000

August 2nd, 2015 at 12:28 PM ^

Silverstein is always an excellent choice - for many months at a stretch, all my kids wanted to hear was stuff out of "Where The Sidewalk Ends", "Falling Up", "A Light In The Attic" and his other works. I had not even touched them in years, but those poems have not lost a beat in my mind and I found that, at nearly 40, I was still enjoying them and laughing at them.

Brewers Yost

August 2nd, 2015 at 12:09 PM ^

Has an adventure story line that adults will enjoy but the main characters are rabbits.



Also, the author spent a lot of time reviewing research on rabbit ecology/behavior so it's educational as well.

rob f

August 2nd, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^

like "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" that much that you've read it to them some 3652 nights in a row, maybe surprise them with this "new" Dr. Seuss book:

Previously unpublished Dr. Seuss book coming this year 

which reportedly was actually written a couple years before your favorite:

dr-seuss-books.

I think you and the kids (?) will like "what Pet Should I Get" , as it stars the same siblings as the "Fish" book. 

I've already read it a few times this past week (bought it 7/28, first day on the shelves) to my 6-year-old granddaughter.  She absolutely LOVES the book and can already read nearly all of it herself, only needing help with a small handful of words.

  

Papa Perk

August 2nd, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^

This one is maybe for kids a little older than you're daughter, but it's a super fun book that really piqued my interest in math and literature when I was younger. Reading it together would be a great way to do it because you could talk through some of the concepts you'd be (subconsciously) learning, in a fun way!

LBSS

August 2nd, 2015 at 7:35 PM ^

+10000000 for the His Dark Materials trilogy. I just read The Golden Compass for the fourth or fifth time. My dad read it out loud to my brothers and I 15+ years ago and it's just as great now as it was then. (I'm now 28, so my youngest brother would have been about 9 during the reading aloud, for what it's worth.)

Pullman also wrote a series of books about a young woman who investigates mysteries in Victorian-era London. The first one is called The Ruby in the Smoke.

ruthmahner

August 2nd, 2015 at 5:20 PM ^

Narnia just because it's awesome.  And for older elementary kids, Kate Seredy authored some really wonderful stories (The Good Master and The Chestry Oak are family favorites).  For younger tots, my kids like "The King's Wish" and "The King, The Mice, and the Cheese".  Don't know the authors offhand.

As infatuated as my kids seemed to be with royalty, they ought to be pretty happy with the new commit (Sir)!