There is no shortage of books in our house. Even when I (finally) put my foot down and tell my 3-year-old, “No, you absolutely cannot have another toy car,” chances are decent that I may still buy him a book. Unlike toy cars, you can never have too many books. (Also, books aren’t as much of a health hazard at two in the morning, when I’m tripping over Lightning McQueen and all his friends.)

In our sea of books, we have some definite standouts. If I could save just 10 of my son’s books from a fire, here are the ones that would come with me:


ADVERTISEMENT

1. The Monster at the End of this Book We love this book for so many reasons. It’s a classic — Papa Y remembers reading it as a kid — and it’s so much fun reading it in Grover’s over-the-top voice. Little Y gets a kick out of turning each page, cackling like he’s getting away with something while Grover implores him to STOP TURNING PAGES! (As Mr. Bee notes, the iPad version is also fantastic!)

2. The Day the Crayons Quit The mark of a truly good book is that you think about it even when you aren’t reading it. At random points throughout the day, Little Y and I often pretend to be orange and yellow crayons as they argue over who’s the true color of the sun.

3. My No No No Day This book is the anthem of any child who wakes up and simply decides they hate everything — their breakfast, their shoes, their little brother. It invites a truly over-the-top narration, and because of that, it’s one I’m always happy to read.

4. Cars and Trucks and Things that Go Not gonna lie, this one kind of burns my eyeballs because there is SO MUCH STUFF, but it is probably Little Y’s all-time favorite. The spine is falling off, and the pages have been pieced together with what seems like a whole roll of tape — that’s the mark of a keeper, no? And it is kind of fun to find Goldbug.

5. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site Nothing fancy here — just cute drawings, pleasant rhymes, and a simple goodnight story that Little Y loves. Think of it as “Goodnight Moon” for wheels-obsessed little boys.

6. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom It has rhythm. It has rhymes. It’s colorful. It teaches my kid his ABCs. And he’s loved it for two solid years.

7. The Big Blue Book of Beginner Books I love most of the “Beginner Books” series, but this might be our favorite — we especially love “Put Me in the Zoo” and “Are You My Mother?” Little Y loves to pick his story, find the page, and beg me to read just one more.

8. Should I Share My Ice Cream?  We have a few of Mo Willems’ infamous “Pigeon” books, but we like the “Elephant & Piggie” series better. Should the elephant, Gerald, share his ice cream? Oh, the torture! This is another book that must be read with a lot of feeling. 

9. Dragons Love Tacos This book is just the kind of offbeat, zany silliness that any 3-year-old adores. Dragons love tacos… buckets of them! Boat loads of them! But NOT THE SPICY ONES! The illustrations are great. And I find it pretty funny, too.

10. Harry the Dirty Dog There’s a reason this one has endured for so long. The drawings are charming, the story is adorable, and my son likes to take a bath so he can be all clean, “not like that dirty dog, Harry.”

Which books are your kids going back to again and again?