So let's admit it, don't most of us spend more time reading books geared toward the under-five set than our own picks?   So it seems fair enough that we'd have preferences in this category too.  What children's books do you like to read, just because they amuse you as well as your DC?  And which ones do you secretly hate, your stomach sinking when they bring you the book? 

I haven't really thought this out, so my list is not organized or complete, but here's some that come to mind of my own in each category.  Please share your own!

DD's books that I love:
Nancy Shaw's sheep books: Sheep Out to Eat, Sheep in a Jeep, etc.  Too funny!  And what's up with that seagull that follows them around?  Those books crack me up.

Knuffle Bunny, I don't remember the author, maybe Mo Willems?  The baby "goes boneless" when the rest of her little tantrum is not effective.  How funny and true is that?  And the Mom IMMEDIATELY knows the problem--it was Dad that was clueless.

The books about Fancy Nancy.  At first I was on the fence about these, because I feel like my daughter is at such an impressionable age, and I don't want her to learn to be caught up in her appearance and "fanciness."  BUT, the fact is, she's a very stereotypically girly-girl, and it's happening anyway.  Nancy is a much better role model than other princess-types out there.  And the illustrations are hilarious!  I feel such a kinship with the mother, who is NOT fancy, and who does things like plant basil while her daughter is carrying on about glitter and butterflies.   Plus the books actually do teach some vocab.  My DD called a feathered pen a "plume" the other day! 

DD's books I can't stand:
Alphabet books.  I know that some of the illustrations are gorgeous art and that I should appreciate them, but really, they are boring.  So T is for tiger, big deal!

Any book about a Disney movie.  They are terrible.  All of them, awful, I tell you!  Too long, the plot never comes through, poorly written, no flow.  We got some of them because DD's grandparents started showing her movies when she spent time with them, and there was no way I was dragging up the television or acquiring the movies for her to watch them at home (we're TV-free), but I felt a little bad just cutting her off from characters she was interested in, so I got some books based on the movies.  They are all awful.  She doesn't even like having them read--she'd rather flip through herself and just look at the pictures and talk about her memories of the characters. 

Ok, now your turn...how do you feel about your DC's books?

I was just thinking about starting a topic like this! We are big Mo Willems fans. I am sure that I have read those darn pigeon books 5000 times! My boys were in a stage where they wanted me to read Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late every night for over six months. Jackson is reading H.G. Wells and Shel Silverstein, among other chapter books. Knuffle Bunny is one of Mason's favorites. I like Click, Clack, Moo; Giggle, Giggle, Quack; Everyone Poops; Go, Dog. Go!; The Polar Express; many from the Dr. Seuss collection; The If You Give... books; and anything by Richard Scarry. I can't stand any character or cartoon-type books. I don't like Babar or anything with a bottle. I don't like Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. This book makes them sad and confused. That's all I can think of right now. BTW- The plume comment is hilarious!

We love Mo Willems here too! Knuffle Bunny 2 is really good, if you haven't seen it yet, and we know all about "boneless" in our house. Oh, and Fancy Nancy. DD LOVED it. I mostly think it's cute, and it's not silly-girly, if that makes sense. The Paper Princess ones are good, too...a girl makes a paper "princess" who flies away and has all kinds of adventures, after reading the book, we made our own, and DD had a lot of fun w/it.

The Olivia series is also one of my favorites. My dad got DD this "Dream Big, Olivia" book which is a book of quotes from famous people w/ Olivia illustrations. Hearing DD repeat these quotes is hysterical! ("Great spirits have always encountered opposition from mediocre minds" is my favorite )

We love the Busy Day/Richard Scarry books too. We have one that is three feet tall, and the kids lay in it. I always appreciate the irony--where else would you see a pig butcher serving sausages to pig customers? Hee.

Hmm, what else? The Strega Nona books are good. The Mysterious Tadpole by Stephen Kellogg. The George and Martha series about the hippos...they're a little kooky, but for some reason they crack me up!

I HATE the Spot books. There's nothing inherently wrong with them, they're just so lame to me. Of course they have the peekaboo flaps, so my kids love them. Also the Carl books. Who leaves their baby home with a dog for a babysitter anyway?

I have a problem where I remember loving certain books as a child, and then get them out of the library for my kids, and HATE them. Like the Frances books. Funny how our memories work!

Two of our favorites are The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child by Julia Donaldson.  They are really cute!!