The absolute best version of Mother Goose (a MUST read for little ones)

Every child simply has to listen to Mother Goose. It's a requirement of childhood. There are hundreds of books out there to choose from, but I can tell you right now which is the best. Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose cannot be topped. I dare you to try to find a book that beats this one. (Really, I do. Let me know if you find one.)

You probably know Mary Engelbreit from those calendars and postcards and such. At least that's what I always thought of when I heard her name. But when my daughter was a baby, we got this book for her, and now I will forever associate this woman with Mother Goose - and some of the best times I had with my daughter when she was little.

We read this book every single day, over and over again. I have just about all 100 of the rhymes in here memorized. My daughter loved this book, even before she could talk (or probably understand what the heck I was reading to her). What makes the book so appealing are the illustrations. Mary Engelbreit did a brilliant job of illustrating these rhymes with so many details that kids just can't get enough. One of my favorites is the illustration for "There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe", probably because the woman looks completely exasperated - and I'm pretty sure I looked like that quite a bit in those days. (Ok, I still look that way. Quite frequently.)

I now read this book to my son, and my daughter, who is now 4 1/2, still loves it. They will both sit and listen to me read the entire book. That takes a long time! But I don't mind at all. Even when I have a sink full of dishes waiting for me.

Even if you don't go out and get this book, please, please, please read your kids Mother Goose rhymes. And fairy tales. (I'll give some suggestions for those shortly.) There are far too many children out there who have never heard of these poems and stories. Not only are these a great way for children to learn and practice oral language, but they are referred to far too often for our kids to have never heard of them. And they're so much fun!

Good Ol' Shel

I am surprising myself that I’m going to start with poetry, because I’m definitely more of a story girl, but these are books that I have read over and over again, and have found that children of all ages love. I also think they’re a great place to start if you want to try reading aloud to your kids, because they are just so easy (and fun!) to read.

When I think of poetry, the first person that comes to mind is Shel Silverstein. I remember my kindergarten teacher reading his poems to the class, and it was my favorite time of the day. You have probably already heard of A Light in the Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and maybe even Falling Up. (If you haven’t, you should definitely check them out.) But did you know that a new book of Shel’s poems have been released? His family found and published them. It’s called Every Thing On It, and the moment I heard about it, I knew I had to have it.

After reading the first poem in the book, I knew I was going to love it. Well, I guess I knew that before I even opened it, but you’ll see what I mean.

YEARS FROM NOW

Although I cannot see your face

As you flip these poems awhile,

Somewhere from some far-off place

I hear you laughing – and I smile.

Does that not give you chills? I mean, this brilliant man is no longer with us, and he’s still giving us these poems. Ok, maybe you’re not quite as excited about it as I am, but I promise you won’t be disappointed with the book.

Another of my favorites from Shel is not a book of poems, like the ones mentioned above, but a long poem turned picture book. A Giraffe and a Half is funny from beginning to end, and will have children of all ages laughing. The illustrations of what the child in the book does to this giraffe are just as funny as the words themselves, and are sure to send your kids into a laughing fit. A suggestion for reading… Try to read each page in one breath. This means you will have to read quickly, with a rhythm, and you’ll probably be running out of breath by the end. Reading it this way makes my kids laugh hysterically.

One more book that I feel must be mentioned here is The Giving Tree. Unlike most of his other works, this book is not funny. It is the story of a tree that loves a boy. The boy grows older and needs the tree less and less, but the tree continues to do everything it can for the boy. Parents will recognize this as the story of a parent and child, but children (who usually don’t make this connection) love it as well.

If you’d like to hear Shel read some of these poems himself, you can buy the A Light in the Attic CD. I found that I really enjoyed Shel’s voice and style of reading, and in fact, I didn’t even mind when my kids insisted on listening to the 39 poems on the CD over… and over… and over…