Children's Books discussion

The best picture books for children must surely be those enjoyed so much by the adults who read them to little ones that they're more than happy to respond with enthusiasm to repeat cries of Again... again.

So I feel that there has to be something in a children's picture book for us too - either with humor (even if some of it it goes over the heads of the little ones), wonderful and/or unusual illustrations, or verses/story with great rhythm and originality.

And what of those books received as presents that we're not too sure of? I have to admit to being slightly uncomfortable reading books like The Enormous Crocodile to fairly young children, but they seem to love it and turn back to the beginning immediately on reaching the last page. Do we have to compromise and trust that multiple readings of books we have doubts about will not cause any long or short term concerns? Traditional fairy stories are more often than not pretty dark before the happily ever after, yet they're still widely read to children in their original form, even though wolves and wicked stepmothers have undergone something of a transformation.

I'd love to know of picture books both members and the children they read to enjoy together again and again...

As I do not have children and my family moved from Germany to Canada when I was ten years old, almost ALL of the picture books that I, personally, asked to be read "again and again" were German language offerings.

I repeatedly asked for Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are (but of course, the German translation, Wo die Wilden Kerle wohnen and that version is still, my favourite, as it has a nostalgic hold that the English original simply does not and will never possess for me).

Another sweet, poetic and onomatopoeic picture book of my childhood (and the demands of repetition actually kind of made my parents etc. cringe because it is so simple and repetitive) is James Krüss' Henriette Bimmelbahn, a poem about an anthropomorphic train that takes children on a fun-filled romp through the countryside (do not know if there even exists an English language translation thereof).

Mein Esel Benjamin (which I still love and actually have a copy that I still reread on occasion), both story and accompanying photographs are enchanting (and the story is actually based on the author's family who did move to Greece and adopt a baby donkey). There is actually an English language version, My Donkey Benjamin but it is long out of print and almost impossible to locate (I do kind of remember that my parents were much more keen on my demands of again and again, nochmal, nochmal with this Donkey story than with both Maurice Sendak and the Henriette Bimmelbahn story, I think because they themselves found both story and photographs so evocative and sweet, and while for children, not really child-like).

Sibylle von Olfers' Etwas von den Wurzelkindern, I totally loved this as a child and yes, asked for it probably even more than Where the Wild Things Are (Wo die wilden Kerle wohnen). There are quite a number of English language versions available, but please note that the one by Floris Books of Edinburgh is a longer prose adaptation, capturing none of the poetry of the original, and thus, if you do desire an English translation that captures the poetic spirit of the original text, I would strongly suggest Mother Earth and Her Children: A Quilted Fairy Tale, with Jack Zipes' brilliant translation (and the quilt, while not the actual original illustrations, is magical, and the story behind the genesis of said quilt, heartbreaking but also inspiring).

I actually did repeatedly ask for reads and rereads of Grimms' fairy tales (in German), but these were NOT from illustrated picture books but from an unillustrated German language edition of the tales (and my parents, grandparents etc. just read these to us on demand, sometimes at bedtime). Interestingly enough, I was NEVER creeped out or frightened by these unillustrated tales while the illustrations of another German language classic that was read to me as a child, Der Struwwelpeter did repeatedly give me nightmares (as a child, I more often than not was frightened by illustrations and not so much an accompanying text, although I did embarrass my parents when I asked a family friend who had just remarried whether his new wife would be an evil stepmother now, oops and again oops). And even now as an adult, while I do appreciate the illustrations of many fairy tale illustrated offerings (both the Brothers Grimm retellings and others), I still have much more of a tendency to be creeped out by illustrations than by any amount of frightening or potentially frightening narratives, texts.

Penny wrote: "The best picture books for children must surely be those enjoyed so much by the adults who read them to little ones that they're more than happy to respond with enthusiasm to repeat cries of Again...."

I really do think that we should trust children, even young children more than we do, both as to what they want and what they do not want. If a child is NOT comfortable with a picture book that is being read (especially if he or she says "no") then that needs to be respected whether parents think the child is overreacting or not, but conversely, if a parent is unsure of a picture book and the child to whom it is being read seems unperturbed and keeps wanting this book read, it should also be respected, to a certain degree at least, as parents might and rightfully baulk at having to read a given picture book ten or more times in a row.

One thing that I do not think enough parents do is preread a given picture book to see if there are illustrations etc. that could be problematic (my parents started pre-reading picture books simply to check if the illustrations were weird and creepy after I had had nightmares from the illustrations in Der Struwwelpeter and kept dreaming about the tailor cutting off my thumb sucking brother's digits and little Pauline setting herself afire with matches).

Hi Manybooks, thanks for the very rapid reply to my post. I'll see if I can find English translations of some of your other suggestions but Mother Earth and Her Children: A Quilted Fairy Tale looks especially appealing, both in subject and illustration.

I have an original copy of the dreaded Struwwelpeter: Fearful Stories and Vile Pictures to Instruct Good Little Folks - Fearful Stories and Vile Pictures...!? What a subtitle! I think it's a relic from a family member's childhood. It's enough to give children nightmares, although most children these days are probably far more resilient than I imagine.

Your comment about the new stepmother is pretty revealing - you accepted the existence of evil fairy story ones as fact, which makes me wonder if the rest of the story resonates with children in the same way...

Penny wrote: "Hi Manybooks, thanks for the very rapid reply to my post. I'll see if I can find English translations of some of your other suggestions but [book:Mother Earth and Her Children: A Quilted Fairy Tale..."

I also remember a beautiful fairy story about a stepmother who is constantly being harangued by her stepchildren and the tears she cried became pansies (which in German translation is Stiefmüftterchen little stepmother), I wish I could remember the actual name of the tale, but it was interesting as it showed the reverse (and the tears did soften the hearts of the stepchildren, as did the flowers).

Penny wrote: "Hi Manybooks, thanks for the very rapid reply to my post. I'll see if I can find English translations of some of your other suggestions but [book:Mother Earth and Her Children: A Quilted Fairy Tale..."

Yes, that quilted fairy tale is wonderful in every way!

Maybe you will have more luck with My Donkey Benjamin than I have had, but I have not been looking all that hard either.

Manybooks, I did not mind Struwwelpeter illustrations at all. I thought they were funny when I was five. But now I really don't like horror movies at all.
One of the big hits when my girls were toddlers is The Monster at the End of this Bookwith Grover from Sesame Street. I liked reading it too, in the Grover voice. It was fun.
My younger daughter liked Me Too! by Mercer Mayer, for obvious reasons. The story was about her-and she did manage to get to eat treats at a much younger age than her 2 years 9 months older sister. We had a tiny version of the book, so it was fun.
Another book they both liked was a picture book called Kate the Cat, with verses describing the pictures. I still have the book and have memorized most of it. The English Version was published by Brimax books in the late 70's/early 80's. It was originally written in German. We all love the illustrations. Kate is a ginger cat who lives on a German farm.

Rosemarie wrote: "Manybooks, I did not mind Struwwelpeter illustrations at all. I thought they were funny when I was five. But now I really don't like horror movies at all.
One of the big hits when my girls were tod..."

I think it depends on the child with regard to Struwwelpeter. I was both highly imaginative and tended to take especially illustrations rather seriously, so I really did believe that the tailor would come and cut my brother's thumbs off because he was rather fanatic about sucking them and that if I even touched a match, I would burn up like Pauline (the fact that I was clumsy did not help either). I did massively LOVE the image of Saint Nicholas dumping the bigoted boys who were taunting and harassing the African man into the vat of ink and them coming out permanently stained with ink from head to toe (my parents did not appreciate how much I laughed at that and that I claimed that everyone who is bigoted deserves such a fate, ha, ha, ha).

My daughter will go through phases with certain books, but one she always seems to come back to is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. She has the entire book memorized so she recites it as I read. :)

Hi Erica, it has lots of 5 star reviews on Amazon and even a song on YouTube...! Very simple illustrations but a clever idea and a catchy rhyme.

Penny wrote: "Hi Erica, it has lots of 5 star reviews on Amazon and even a song on YouTube...! Very simple illustrations but a clever idea and a catchy rhyme."

I haven't seen the YouTube song. I will have to check that out!

Erica wrote: "Penny wrote: "Hi Erica, it has lots of 5 star reviews on Amazon and even a song on YouTube...! Very simple illustrations but a clever idea and a catchy rhyme."

I haven't seen the YouTube song. I w..."

Just watched it with my daughter and she loved it!

I have read dozens of times. I used to take it with me when I subbed, since it can be used with a wide age range of children, who appreciate different aspects of the story.

Other favorites, for my children: , , , and pretty much any book about animals.

Hi Laura, the last three are all new to me - thanks!

When my children were younger, they loved Eric Carle books such as The Very Quiet Cricket and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I also remember reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? over and over again. I can't say I never tired of them, because I did. But I am not much of a rereader and prefer to read new books rather than read any book over and over. As for me reading with students, (I teach 3rd grade...have taught 2nd, 5th and 6th as well), I tend to read different chapter books each year. But I can read and reread Patricia Polacco books (particularly Thank You, Mr. Falker and The Junkyard Wonders) over and over, every year. Polacco books really touch me, at least most of them do. I also get a real kick out of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type and many of the other books by Doreen Cronin. Something about their humor just really tickles my fancy.

Hi Jenny. Eric Carle was a favourite when my children were little - now their own children are enjoying his new ones - especially The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse.

I hadn't come across Patricia Polacco's books - the illustrations have an unusual individual feel and tremendous impact - more to add to my TBR pile...

Love also the free and loose style of illustrations in the Doreen Cronin books - it was interesting to read the notes on her working method at the beginning of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. She makes it look so much easier than it is...!