My son, Finn, and I have been reading up a storm lately. He loves it. I love reading to him, and he loves reading to me. Reading is such an important part of my life, and I’m so glad to be sharing it with my kids. I mean Finn is already on book three of Harry Potter with me! It’s crazy!

Mileage may vary, but these books were all part of my childhood. I wanted to share them with you in case you needed to pick them up. Each book has a link for purchase as well because YES TO BOOKS. Enjoy!

1.Frog and Toad

These two went on some pretty crazy little adventures. I remember story about the ice cream on a hot day. Won’t soon forget it, and all the important little messages.

2.The Velveteen Rabbit

If there’s one thing children can all relate to, it’s the feeling of looking for some kind of validation. To be taller or smarter or capable of voting, kids need approval. As a boy, I wanted to become real. There’s something so poignant about this story of a stuffed rabbit who desperately wanted to become real.

3.An Awesome Book

I’ll let Dallas Clayton speak for his own book. This one put him on the map, and you have to check out his other books! Equally amazing.

4.Green Eggs and Ham

Listen, I’m a picky eater, and I’ve worked hard to expand my palette. This book gave me hope. Perhaps, one day, I’d try something new and enjoy it. Well, it did, and I did. And hopefully my kids will too.

5.The Secret Garden

This book showed me different worlds and social dynamics. There can be a strange loneliness that washes over children, and reading about lonely children who find friends, and outlets for exploration — it’s magic.

6.Where the Wild Things are

There isn’t much I can say about this book that hasn’t been said before. We are all Max and Wild Things inside. We are all Max’s mother. We are all our own ships that can take us far away.

Where the Wild Things are

7.James and the Giant Peach

Traveling from England to New York is no small task. Going by magical peach? Spellbinding. Like most of Dahl’s books, definitely worth the read.

8.The Monster at the End of this Book

How do you teach kids courage and humor at the same time? This book is a great start. I don’t know many parents my age who haven’t read this one. It’s worth a read no matter how old you are.

9.Curious George Books

That little monkey and his pushover dad, we won’t soon forget them. Kids need to read these books. They have a lot to offer, and important lessons are just the beginning. Plus, bananas.

10.The Very Hungry Caterpillar

As a hungry species of animal, I have to say that I find Mr. Hungry’s journey very compelling. And the twist at the end, well, it’s worth the read. Spoiler alert: cool stuff happens to caterpillars.

11.The Little Prince

This book might be one of the biggest influences on both my reading appetite and my imagination, from the very beginning. The Little Prince is set in a world where possibility outweighs the laws of reality, and friendship trumps all.

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I’ll likely do another list of books because I didn’t get to list all of my favorites. Got any books that aren’t popular but still deserve a mention, post a comment here and I’ll check them out!