This blog might not exist if my mom hadn’t read to me every night from birth to teenagerhood. Maybe I would have still fallen in love with books and writing—they seem to be in my blood—but my mom deserves loads of credit. Raising me on books got me on the right path early.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a review, so while future ones continue to percolate in my brain and documents folder, I thought I’d share a light-hearted review of my favorite picture books from childhood.

I didn’t call this “top ten” because it isn’t a ranking. It would have been nearly impossible to rank these from most to least favorite, so I’m just listing them alphabetically.

Amelia Bedelia

There are so many Amelia Bedelia books. They range from hilarious to mediocre, but they are pretty dependable when you need a fun new read on your bookshelf—or pile as the case may be. Amelia Bedelia is a literal-minded maid who always misinterprets her employers’ instructions. Hilarity ensues. A note from my mom, our resident read aloud expert: be prepared to say “Amelia Bedelia” a lot. Peggy Parish wasn’t big on pronouns.

Caps for Sale

This is a classic story about an unfortunate peddler’s run-in with monkey business. Like so many children before me, I loved this story and giggled as the monkeys imitated the angry peddler. If anyone doesn’t like this timeless tale… all I can say is “Tsz, Tsz, Tsz.”

Click Clack Moo (and others by Doreen Cronin)

Cronin wrote several humorous books about the antics of farm animals, charmingly illustrated by Betsy Lewin. As you can see in the picture, the books I have were from Chick-Fil-A kids’ meals, so they may be different from editions you can find in libraries or bookstores. However, I can’t imagine that the full versions are anything but an improvement. A duck that takes over the farm when Farmer Brown goes on vacation or runs for president and cows that use typewriters and sing in talent shows are a delight, abridged or otherwise.

Elliot Gets Stuck

When I re-read the book for this post, I was wowed by the illustrations. Elliot and his friends are stuffed animals, and Andrea Beck does a beautiful job of depicting them in action. I was (am) quite a plush devotee, so that’s probably what appealed to me about this book. The story is straightforward but still engaging. Elliot gets stuck trying to go through the mail-slot on the door and he and his friends must find a way to unstick him.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is probably more famous, but this one is my favorite. It has the same slippery slope silliness with an added layer of humor from the hugeness of the moose. The illustrations are great fun. Besides, I just have a soft spot for alliterative titles. If you buy your child this book… they’ll beg you to read it again and again.

The Monster at the End of this Book

If I had to pick a favorite, this might be it. First published in 1971, this book is wonderfully retro. The illustrations are colorful and quirky. The speech bubbles and font are part of the story, which is very clever. If you guess the ending before Grover does, you get to enjoy what is called “dramatic irony” in writerspeak. Pretty impressive for a Little Golden Book. Bonus points (and double the fun for you) if you read it in your best Grover voice.

Move Over, Rover

This is one of only two rhyming books on my list. While I love the idea of rhyming children’s stories, often the sing-song effect comes across as tedious. Not something a parent wants to read dozens of times! The nice thing about this book is the variation in the rhythm and rhyme scheme. This makes it more engaging for reader and listener alike. And, of course, the story is lovely. A crowded doghouse on a rainy day leads to a surprise. The more introverted among us can relate to Rover at the end when he is “glad to be alone.”

Pigs Can’t Fly

This book is the clearest in my memory. My mom thought Pig’s striped paint was ridiculously funny, and I thought it would be a nice addition to my art supplies. Yes, this is another funny book—noticing a pattern?—but it also teaches a lesson through the laughs. Pig thinks his life is boring, so he unsuccessfully imitates other animals before discovering the joys of being a pig.

"Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I’m Going to Sneeze!"

This one’s an oldie. It is the second rhyming book, but saved from poetic doldrums because the rhythm adds to the humor. I remember doing some sort of book review on this as a kid, so this post brings me full circle. I’m not sure that this book is still in print, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for second hand.  As you can imagine, the build up to an elephant’s sneeze is delightfully hectic… as is the surprising twist at the end.

Tacky the Penguin

Tacky is a clumsy, Hawaiian-shirted, accordion-playing penguin. His snobby companions are not sure what to make of him, but eventually learn that even though Tacky is “an odd bird” he is still “a nice bird to have around.” This book is another one with that magic mix of lessons and laughs. The writing style is smart and rhythmic without using rhymes. I always loved listening to it, and I’m sure my mom loved reading it to me.

If you’re a parent, I hope you found a new read-aloud. If you’re not, I hope you had a nice romp down memory lane with me. Maybe even go have a poke around the kids’ section at your library. I sure had fun sitting on my bed reading picture books as I prepared this post.