A Year in Books

C.S. Lewis once said, "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond."

This is one of the real treats of parenthood for me: introducing my kids to beautiful books and also experiencing them myself.

This has been the year of the chapter book. We have read many, many picture books this year, but my three oldest have all come to love longer stories (so much so that they make Daniel tell them stories in chapters at night). The books below were some of our favorites. Daniel and I have enjoyed them just as much the kids have, if not more.

Charlotte's Web--This was the first chapter book we read together as a family, and also the book that made me realize they were all ready for a steady diet of chapter books. They didn't want me to put it down!

Winnie-the-Pooh & The House at Pooh Corner- These are charming, funny, oh so cleverly written. We all loved them, but Timmy and Genevieve named them their favorite books we read together. The stories work independently of one another, so we often go back and re-read our favorites them when the mood strikes.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle--A series of books about a woman with cures for all kinds of ills that strike children, from not wanting to make their beds to refusing to take a bath. Laugh-out-loud funny, and also good for kids who might suffer from these conditions too.

Peter Pan--Daniel's favorite read of the year. This one is also extremely clever and laugh-out-loud funny. A classic for a reason! I do, however, prefer this as a read aloud because there is a bit of language (Tinkerbell has a foul mouth!).

A Little Princess--A beautiful book about a girl left at a boarding school after her mother dies. When her father dies, she is left destitute. A beautiful story of redemption, it had me crying (sad and happy tears) with each chapter. This one was my favorite (I think...so hard to choose!). 

Homer Price--This book is old fashioned in the best way! The stories are humorous and McCloskey's illustrations can't be beat!

The Moffatts--A collection of stories about a poor family who have lots of adventures in the small town where they live. This one gave us warm fuzzies and a lot of laughs.

My Father's Dragon (series)--An adventure story about a boy who sets out to rescue a baby dragon. Highly imaginative. I read these to Tim before naptime, and he loved them. I think we read the whole series in a week. He still asks to read them often.

A Bear Called Paddington--These are sort of a cross between the Winnie-the-Pooh stories and Curious George. Paddington is a charming bear who gets himself into lots of trouble. Very funny.

Just So Stories--These stories were on our reading list for school. They had the kids (and me) in stitches. The language is a little thick, so I would recommend for older children.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe--C.S. Lewis is incomparable. Every time I read about Aslan, I fall more in love with Jesus. The kids were spell-bound.

The Night Fairy-A beautifully written adventure about a fairy who must learn to survive without her wings. Everyone loved this one.

Blue Fairy Book-This book was also a part of our curriculum for this past year. It is a collection of fairy tales, many of them the original tellings (Perrault's Cinderella, for instance). Ava loves fairy tales, so she picked this as her favorite. We have also loved this volume from Usborne. Also beautifully told and illustrated, but the tales are shorter and at a more accessible reading level.

This has been such a fun new adventure for me as a parent. I have so enjoyed experiencing these stories together as a family. I'm looking forward to reading aloud with them as long as they'll let me!

What books have you enjoyed reading with your kids?