BHB’s Favorite Childhood Books

Hi there! I write over at Blair’s Head Band and I am so excited to be guest posting while we all wait for cute little Annabelle to come into this world.

I come from a big family of book lovers. One of my tried and true gifts for babies and children is a good old storybook. I’m sharing some of my all-time favorites today!

1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See by Bill Martin Jr.

I have vivid memories of my little sister “reading” this book to me — our mother read it so many times that she’d memorized it and just recited it aloud while flipping pages. It’s a book about colors and animals with a singsongy structure as well.

2. Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McClosky

I grew up in a suburb of Boston and this book is a quintessential Boston tale. The little duckies have matching names and their mama takes good care of them as they walk the streets of Boston. There are even statues of them in the Public Garden!

3. Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg

Most people know CVA because of The Polar Express, another wonderful book (and decent movie). I love the illustrations in Two Bad Ants – they sneak into a house to steal sugar crystals and everything is drawn from their proportion. I remember being in total awe of this book – a cup of coffee has never looked scarier.

4. The Tub People by Pam Conrad

This is a family/community of tub toys who all rally together to save one of them when the tub is drained too soon. I have such wonderful memories of reading this with my dad and sister and know this will 100% be on the shelf of my someday babies.

5. Strega Nona by Tomie de Paolo

Strega Nona’s magical pasta pot is always full… until Big Anthony sneaks in and messes with the spell and the pasta overflows. Imagine a countryside covered in spaghetti – sounds like a dream, right?