February is “I Love to Read” month. As a family who loves to read, I thought I would share my family’s top 12 children's books. Are some of these new to you? I’d love to hear if one of these becomes a favourite for your family, too!
When I asked my 3 kids (now aged 15, 11 and 8) what their favourite books were, there were some clear favourites for them all. And if you know anything about our family, it will come as no surprise that many of our favourite books have a farm theme!
In no particular order:
- Milo’s Pet Egg – Rebecca Elliott
In this beautifully illustrated story, Milo finds an abandoned egg and becomes friends with it. They have many fun adventures together. Until one morning, Milo finds the egg has a crack. Milo is in for a fun surprise!
- The Best Nest – P.D. Eastman
Mr. Bird loves his nest. But Mrs. Bird has her heart set on finding a new one. The Birds travel far and wide to find a new nest that Mrs. Bird will love. But a storm separates them and Mr. Bird fears he’s lost Mrs. Bird. He’s surprised and thrilled when he finds her! This was even a favourite of mine when I was younger.
- The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room – Stan & Jan Berenstain
This is a classic! This Berenstain Bear book was written in 1983, but it is still a fun story about how much chaos a messy room can create. A little organizing can go a long way.
- Pigs – Robert Munsch
Robert Munsch is a well-loved author in our home. We have so many of his books! The repetition in these books always make them fun to read and for kids to join in on the repeating lines. Pigs is a story about a girl named Megan who learns that animals can have a mind of their own.
- The Cow Loves Cookies – Karma Wilson
On a tour of the farm yard, most of the animals eat the feed you would expect. But for some reason, the cow loves a special treat! This rhyming book is fun to read, even on its hundredth time.
- The Fabulous Friend Machine – Nick Bland
This book reminds us just how important kindness and friendship are! And that online friends may not always be who they appear to be.
- A Fish Out of Water – Helen Palmer
A young boy gets his first pet. And he learns just how important it is to take care of his pet every day.
- Pumpkin Town – Katie McKy
This fun tale is perfect for fall. What happens if a town has an abundance of pumpkins? Jose and his brothers soon find out!
- The Paper Bag Princess – Robert Munsch
A classic Robert Munsch book. And a fairy tale with a twist. This book turns the standard fairy tale around and empowers girls to be their true selves.
- Baa! Moo! What Will We Do? – A.H. Benjamin
When a new kangaroo is added to the farm yard, each animal starts to worry that they will no longer be needed by the farmer. This heart warming story reminds us that we are all special and needed.
- My Truck is Stuck – Kevin Lewis & Daniel Kirk
This lyrical read aloud will take you on an adventure of towing and tugging, repairing and hauling! The book is full of fun actions and noise words that little ones love to join in for.
- The Dragon Masters series – Tracey West
And last, but far from least, is the only series on our list. The Dragon Masters series has been my favourite of all the series my children have read. Dragon Masters has it all! Dragons, a Dragon Stone, a king, a wizard, and magic. It is an early reading series with beautiful illustrations on every page. Short chapters filled with adventure keep the pages turning rapidly. And this book series is well written with real words and spelling! No nonsense or puns that kids can’t understand. It has been so well loved that we always preorder the next book in the series as soon as it’s ready – we are impatiently waiting for book number 23 to arrive in March.
I hope you have a cozy month and enjoy reading some new books!
Janine & family