I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say I hate Goodnight, Moon. I realize it’s an unpopular stance. I know it’s a classic. It’s gotta be the top-gifted childrens book of all time (we got at least five copies in the first year of our daughter’s life). But, why?! It’s so weird. And creepy. Who is that old lady whispering, “hush” anyhow? This post about the book completely slayed me.

Here are two similar books that I prefer: Buenas Noches, California & Time for Bed

I am always looking for children’s books with a diversity of characters (you know, not just white male leads) both because they better reflect the world we live in and because I have a daughter and I don’t want her reading books where the hero is always a boy.

That said, there are a lot of great books out there (not all of which meet the aforementioned criteria) but that have beautiful illustrations, important social/moral lessons and/or are fun and hilarious:

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus & Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

Hilarious, great characters, fun pictures. The author lives in our neighborhood so it is particularly fun to walk around and find the various places pictured in the books.

Eloise by Kay Thompson

Excellent voice, wonderful vocabulary, silly. My daughter demands to stand on her head, like Eloise, after every read.

It’s Okay to be Different & The Peace Book by Todd Parr

Important messages about moral and ethical responsibility and acceptance of all people.

Iggy Peck, Architect & Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

Kids being intelligent and creative in ways that are not typically written about. It’s fun, it’s witty and it rhymes. Iggy Peck has a slightly better story arc but Rosie has better rhymes and a girl lead to boot.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go & The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

There are a ton of Seuss books that my daughter loves to read. The Foot book, Oh, the Thinks you can Think, Hop on Pop, Oh, Say can you Say. But, these two have great messages. One about adventuring and exploration. The other about sustainability and the importance of respecting our environment.

Sheila Rae the Brave & Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Great female leads. One is about a girl who learns that bravery can mean many things and that fear can find it’s way into one’s life no matter how brave we feel. The other is about a girl dealing with bullying and learning to be proud of who she is regardless of what others think.

Swimmy be Leo Lionni

This one’s all about a fish who doesn’t fit in. He shows that being different is okay, great even.  He also proves that when communities unite they can face any enemy.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Beautiful, lyrical. It’s got great imagery, fantastic illustrations and Peter, the lead character shows up in a ton of other fabulous books by the same author.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See by Eric Carle

These ones are for young kids. Although, truthfully, I think we read both aloud when I taught first grade in Harlem. They’re great for pattern recognition and prediction. I love Eric Carle’s illustrations. The books are fun too but the illustrations are the real draw for me.

Thunder Cake & Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

These are great books. They’re a bit more advanced than any of the other recommendations but they’re really wonderful and worth getting and putting in your library for future use if your kid is still young. Polaco is a truly beautiful writer. And, these books have wonderful lessons about bravery and love and about gratitude.

Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox

Another incredibly beautifully written book. And, one that is also a bit more advanced than the others on the list. It’s a gorgeous story about friendship with some incredible descriptions of memory.

And, many more. But, these are some of my top faves.