15 is too little a number to label as our favourite books. Between the three of us – my 7 yo daughter, 4 yo son and me – we have many many favourite books that we keep reading over and over again, especially at night. And of course during the lockdown period. But for the sake of the #kbcKeepCalmAndReadOn Campaign, we’ll share these 15 which fall in the 2-5 years and 6-8 years age bracket!
Our first Duckbill Hole book; this chapter book tells the story of a clever and highly imaginative girl called Timmi. What has her in tangles is her creativity, her wild imagination – wanting to dress up as a Raja to school, an imaginary friend called Idli amma, and so on. Her life is different from ‘normal’; her questions about the meaning of a ‘good girl’ and having a ‘perfect family’ are very endearing. It’s a lovely read for children to introduce the concept of single parenting. And that there is no set definition to be happy. Age 6+
An awesome book of short rhymes with amazing colorful pictures and pages. Written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Nick Sharratt, it’s a smash out hit! It has some gems like ‘How does your garden grow, Handy Work, Animal Voices’ to name a few which are funny, informative and entertaining. The kids will start acting out the poems and it is just a whole new level of fun! Age- 2+
One of the set of books by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker on transportation. This is a superb book with rhyming text, which describes everything from getting to the airport and checking in luggage to what happens inside a plane and how a plane works. There is a wonderful explanation for things like a planes ‘hold’ and ‘control tower’ etc. There are many new words introduced in these books, which will help increase vocabulary. The illustrations are very colorful with cute animal crew and passengers. Age 3+
An egg hatches. Baby chick cannot see mummy around in the nest. So off the chick goes, hunting for her mummy not knowing what mummy looks like! It’s a super adorable story about a newly hatched baby’s adventures. I absolutely love the baby’s confidence and determination. It has simple, but big pictures, which younger kids can look at and narrate the story. Age -3+
This is a book about a boy and a tree who loves the boy so dearly that she keeps giving and giving to fulfil the boys’ needs as he grows. The story introduces human emotions and qualities – good and bad – greed, selflessness, love, etc. It is a highly recommended book, and as an adult one should encourage your child to discuss what they think is a takeaway from the story. Age- 6+
This is one of the six chapter books by Kate DiCamillo, about a couple and their dear pet pig who they treat like a human princess! Every Sunday they take their ‘porcine wonder’ for a drive in the car and the story tells us about the hilarious twists and turns that happen on the way! It is accompanied by big pictures which make reading the book an absolute delight. We have all six (gifted by a dear friend) and they are real fun to read again and again. Age- 4+
A simple story about a dog that wants to be good, but can’t resist the things that make him happy! It’s a fun book by an award winning author-illustrator which will have your kid shout Oh No George! with every page. The illustrations, colors and fonts are very atypical and outstanding. Age- 3+
Maisy is a little mouse, and the books in these series tell delightful stories about Maisy and his friends doing things like shopping, going to the library, cleaning up and even going to bed!
The book size is perfect for little hands and stories are short simple and perfect for re-reading. Age- 2+
A must have in every child’s library; these books by Mo Willems are super fun and make excellent read aloud books. They revolve around a cocky little pigeon that demands, reasons, begs and pleads for (in this book) a puppy! It is really hilarious and says things like ‘I’ll water it and keep it in the sun to grow’! It ends on a surprising and funny note. Age- 3+
The first question I was asked when we read the title was- how can a supergirl be shy?
When heroes are portrayed as usually male, outspoken and physically strong, this book tells a story of a shy frail looking supergirl- which shatters all stereotypes. It has a mystery plot that will not let you put down the book until you get to the end!
It also introduces the concept that external appearances can be deceptive- which I believe is very important for kids to know about.
Also the idea of an internal and external side to a person, invited many questions, after we finished the story. This chapter book is for keeps! Age- 6+
All lovers of Cat in the Hat will love this one as well. It’s full of amusing rhymes, absurdity and nice big illustrations. The story is about a spotted animal that visits the zoo and loves it so much that he wants to be put in as well. When two little children ask him what is so special about him, that people should come to see him in the zoo, he begins his marvellous tricks – with his spots!!
“They would put me in the zoo, if they could see what I could do”!
It’s a crazy, creative and magical story that kids will surely enjoy! Age- 3+
With chapters like – looking up from Earth, Earth’s neighbourhood… this book with beautiful illustrations is a perfect introduction to space for early readers. It has pop up facts, fact boxes and questions to encourage thinking. There is a whole series of such books. Age – 4+
Pete is a cool cat with lot of swag and always teaches a moral lesson or two in a fun way. This book is about a hungry Pete building a big sandwich – with cheese, pickles, an apple, fish, three scoops of ice-cream and what not!! After building a mountain of a sandwich he calls his friends to share it with him. Pete the Cat books are excellent for children beginning to read and they cover regular topics in a very fun, unconventional way. Age- 2+
Papa Bear is tired, but cannot fall asleep – the tap is going drip drip, the clock is going tick-tock and so on. It leaves Mr. Bear saying – No I can’t stand this!! Oh what will Mr. Bear do?
A lovely bed-time book, which will have you fall in love with poor Mr. Bear. It is written very well for kids to make them aware of their surroundings, and appreciate and understand the value of silence. Age- 2+
- Follow the Ants by Amruta Satish/ translated by Maneesha Taneja
A little girl, big on curiosity, follows a line of ants to see where are they going? Big illustrations and an amusing ending make this English-Hindi bilingual book an exciting and entertaining read. The sentences are short, with simple words in both languages. Studying or following ants and such insects must have been a memorable part of almost everyone’s childhood – this book will surely make you remember yours! Age- 3+
[Note from Team Kids Book Café: For your convenience, affiliate links (MARKED IN PINK) to some of the books have been added to enable you to buy the books from AMAZON, should you wish to! A very small amount of money comes to kidsbookcafe.com when you purchase a book via the amazon affiliate link provided (at no extra cost to you!). Do let us know if you need information about other children’s books by writing to asha@kidsbookcafe.com.]
