My 5 Favorite Read-Aloud Picture Books

Here are five of my favorite picture books to read aloud to, or with, my kids.  

(This post contains affiliate links through which I can earn commission.)

 

1.  Stellaluna


My oldest son had most of this book memorized at 3 years old - we read it that much!  In it a bat gets adopted by a family of birds, but eventually finds his mother.   The story is so touching, the characters so vivid, and the dialog is just wonderfully fun to read. 

The rhythm of the dialogue even seem to fit the characters...the lines spoken by the birds are full of short words that sound chirpy when you read them aloud, while the bat's dialogue has a smoother sound.  And, the illustrations are nothing short of beautiful.






 2.  Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type

We got four fun farm animal stories by Doreen Cronin in various Chick File kids meals (the others are Dooby Dooby Moo, Giggle, Giggle, Quack, Duck for President), and there has never been a kids meal toy we liked better! We have read these over and over and over again and it's always a joy.  They are hilarious.  Click Clack Moo is the one I loved reading aloud the most because I always made the "moo" deep and loud (although after a while the kids usually wanted say this part...which of course is even better!)











3.    We Are In A Book

I love ALL the Piggie and Elephant books.  These are the books that moved my youngest son from hating reading, to wanting to do reading first thing.  Most of the books just have two main characters, Piggie and Elephant, and the book is a dialogue between them, shown in speech bubbles in a large, easy to read font.  I would read one character's part and my son would read the other, which was a fun way to encourage him to read.

I had a hard time choosing just one to feature, but picked this one because I think it's the best one to read first, and because it has a lot of fun features especially for reading aloud.   In it Piggie and Elephant discover that they are in a book, and the way they interact with the reader is super charming and fun.  Plus, you get to say banana...many times, and who doesn't like that?  

I do want to mention my second pick though, also.   I Am A Frog is about pretending, and is super fun to read.  It is fun narrating Elephant as he worries about turning into a frog, lets you do some great animal noises, has a cute, insightful nod to parents mid way through, and a really funny twist at the end.








4.  Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm


My mom grew up in New England and I think she bought this book wanting to share a little of home with us.   I really enjoy reading this with my kids.  It's so matter of fact and down to earth.   The way they describe the personalities and quirks of the different animals on this farm make me think of the animals we've had in our life. 

It's not squeamish about things like cats catching mice and hens being carried away by foxes...but it's not brutal about those things either either.    There's a frank gentleness to it.   One of the last pages is a remembering of beloved animals on the farm that had been buried in a little secluded wooded patch on the corner of a field...it's a touching moment, and I think would be comforting to a child who had lost a pet.  

I have read this book so many times, and never get tired of it.

NOTE:   It is pretty long to read in one setting, so I usually would read a several pages from it over several days (and its easy to split up that way).










5.  A Quiet Night In


This is a charming story about a dad who is too tired for the birthday celebration his family was planning for him, and asks in stead if they can do "a quiet night in."   The humor is really directed at parents, but my children loved these books.   I love how tender the family members are to each other, even when they are mad or annoyed.   I The dialogue is fun to read, and if you have a large family you will really relate. 

(I can't find this story for sale by itself anymore though, which is why I linked to the set.   The only other one of these I've read is All in One Piece which was also a fun read, though I liked A Quiet Night In better). 

What are your favorite read-alouds?