Best-Loved Picture Books

The boys and I cleared out their shelves this weekend for a school book drive. I’m amazed at how many books we stacked into bags, after so many years we parted with some of our favorites.

I thought about picking a few to save, and then imagined carrying the books with me for the next 20 to 30 years until a grandchild might open them again. I will likely save one or two, but to remember them all I quickly emailed myself a list. Here are some of our best-loved. I’ve starred the ones that I could read over and over and those that had a way of bringing tears to my eyes.

A Friend for Growl Bear by Margot Austin

Pelle’s New Suit by Elsa Beskow

*Fuzzy, Fuzzy, Fuzzy by Sandra Boynton

Stone Soup as told by Marcia Brown

*The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

*Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

*Eight Animals Bake a Cake by Susan Middleton Elya and Lee Chapman

*Stella Princess of the Sky by Marie-Louise Gay

Little Toot by Hardie Gramatky

The Little Fire Engine by Lois Lenski

Jack Tractor: Five Stories from Smallbills Garage by Keren Luella and Willy Smax