Parents’ Talk: Beyond Dr. Seuss

“Oh, the places you’ll go!”

Can you ever have too much Dr. Seuss?

At this time of the year, with all the graduations and award ceremonies, not to mention politicians reading to kids, I think the answer is simply, “Yes.”

I realize that this position may not be popular but there are many, many books in the world and sometimes we can get tunnel vision about what we read.

My family loves to read. We read voraciously and are not picky about what we read, whether it be the back of a cereal box, a comic or classic literature.

But some children’s books continue to be favorites, earning their places of honor on my teenager’s and pre-teens bookshelves to be read again and again – when a young niece or nephew comes to visit or a wave of nostalgia propels a someone to pick-up a well-loved book.

Most of our favorite books were found by luck browsing the children's area at the Waukesha Public Library when I would bring my two young sons for story time. Thank you, Waukesha, for the wonderful library – it saved my sanity while I was raising the energetic and sometimes fractious young boys.

We also love the library’s summer reading program, the kick-off of which is just a few weeks away. So get ready and read!

Here are some of my family’s favorite books, according to different ages.

Please comment below with some of your favorites – I know that this list is incomplete and is somewhat boy-centric. I also chose some books that are less common, leaving plenty of opportunity for people to add their own favorites.

For toddlers and preschoolers

• Cat is Sleepy and Duck is Dirty by Satoshi Kitamura – the boys loved these books for their read-aloud rhythm and the toddler-sized quests.
• Any book about Spot the Dog, a British classic. There is sometime so gentle and calming about Spot. Watching the videos were a favorite, too.
• White Rabbit’s Color Book, a story about an adventurous bunny who falls into some paint and turns different colors.
• Richard Scarry: A Day at the Fire Station, …Police Station, etc. or anything by Richard Scarry. Those animals do some funny things!

Kindergarten and first grade

• Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak – one of my personal favorites as a child. I was appalled by the idea of being sent to my room without dinner – the horror of it all!
• Catherine and the Lion, by Clare Jarrett – a girl takes her pet lion to school. Luminous pictures and a sweet, compelling story.
• Dogtrain, Barnyard Dance, and Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton -- good for getting the wiggles out. Pajama Time is famous at my house for the pajama song, Na-Na-Na – Pajama Time! (Kind of rhymes with Hammer Time.)

Second/third grades

• I, Freddy – a hilarious and suspenseful series about a talking hamster and his friends. I’m not sure who likes Freddy more, me or the kids.
• Encyclopedia Brown – an oldie but a goodie about a brilliant boy whose dad is a police chief, giving Encyclopedia Brown the opportunity to help solve mysteries
• The Magic Schoolbus – Mrs. Frizzle and her science tricks fascinated my sons.
• The Magic Treehouse series – Jack and Annie star in these books exploring history and science with quests to be fulfilled

Third/fourth grades

• Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet
• Harry Potter, books one through three.
• The BFG and other books by Roald Dahl
• Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byne
• Classics to read-aloud like the Wind on the Willows or Alice in Wonderland

Fifth grade and beyond  (Parental pre-reading is suggested, you know your kids and values best)

• Artemis Fowl stories by Eoin Colfer
• The Lightening Thief and other books in this Greek-mythology based series by Rick Riordan
• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams