Some unsolicited thoughts and opinions from a mother and daughter who love reading and talking about books!

With three girls home for the summer, our library trips have become even more frequent and we have been bringing home 10-20 new picture books each week. As we read, I’m trying to keep a running list of the books I (and the girls) really love to share with all of you, for your little ones or for great gifts!

We kept these books from the library for weeks and weeks and I probably read each of them 20 times. The original book is about a squirrel and bear who are friends but get on each others’ nerves.

This was a surprise hit with excellent rhythm and a fun, repeated phrase, “Group Hug!” The girls loved chiming in and the animal illustrations are adorable.

My girls adore this story about a girl whose younger sister only wants to wear boys clothes and cuts her hair short, eventually asking to be called Jack, not Jackie.

This gorgeous book is nothing like Willems’ famous Pigeon or Elephant and Piggie books. It follows the trail of inspiration from a classical composer to a contemporary concert to an inspired child who goes on to become a composer herself.

When it came time to start reading chapter books out loud to my daughter Charlotte, we tried a few classics like Charlotte’s Web, Pippi Longstocking and The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. And although we enjoyed the experience, I found myself having to do quite a bit of editing, both for content and outdated language.