Our Favourite Children’s Books
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1713
Printed Date: 07 October 2025 at 9:01am
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Topic: Our Favourite Children’s Books
Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Subject: Our Favourite Children’s Books
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 10:30am
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Right, so I was just reading Emma's review of 'Who is Mrs Green?' and I decided that we should all share what our favourite books to read to our kidlets are. (As we all know sometimes they don't have the best tastes... pumpkin patch catalogues being a firm favourite, but not much literary advancement to be found.)
My favourite at the moment is "Giraffes Can't Dance" by Giles Andreae. It's got a cheesy, feel good ending (which doesn't necessarily float my boat) but I love the illustrations and the story rhymes. Is it just me, or are rhyming books that much easier to read??? Another one I'll never get sick of is "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak. I've got the same copy I've had since I was a kid (which is looking a bit worse for wear) but I love it! So yeah, books for pressies, books for your own children... list your recommendations here! |
Replies:
Posted By: james
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 10:34am
i love the very hungery caterpiller and were the wild thing r oh and the cat in the hat james is getting books for his b/day in june i just love readind were james loves to rip the books to sreads with his theeth ------------- <a href="http://lilypie.com"><img src="http://b4.lilypie.com/nLJ5p13.png" alt="Lilypie 4th Birthday Ticker" border="0" /></a> |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 10:41am
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Where the Wild Things Are!!!! I recently read an article where several of NZ's top authors listed their fave childrens books, and the only one they all picked without fail was Where the Wild Things Are! Love it!
Also The Very Hungry Caterpillar, There's a Hippopotamus on My roof Eating Cake, all of the Dr Seuss books, and some great books by Cindy Szekeres called "Goodnight Sammy", "Suppertime for Frieda Fuzzypaws" and "Nothing-to-do Puppy". They were my faves as a kid and are out of print now, butI got some second hand copies of them off Amazon for Maya. And for older kids I love Roald Dahl. Must confess tho that Maya has more than 300 books  I guess that comes from having a writer for a mother. I have too many books myself too, but will buy a new bookcase to house them all rather than sell any! -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 11:03am
| Atleast you won't get bored reading the same ones over again for lack of choice! (Though I'm pretty sure kids make you read the same ones no matter how many damn books they have!!) |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 11:09am
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Yep, the Cat in the Hat is fast losing its appeal... Maya knows it word for word.
She's also into these little sets of disney books shes got, there's 5 in a set and they are quite small, and each one tells the story of a Disney movie - there's a Winnie the Pooh set, and the other sets have Toy Story, Dumbo, Bambi, The Jungle Book etc. They drive me mad coz she makes me read all 5! ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: preggy_sunflower
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 11:10am
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A favourite with my stepchildren when they were younger was "I love you this much". Also, we had one about parents who live apart called "Two Homes" which was very good. ------------- Joshua Hadynn - Born 3 May 2006 |
Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 11:29am
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my daughter's current favourite is one called "tanka tanka skunk" its all about rhythm and is SO fun to read. she giggles out loud on certain pages and hands it to me to read again straight away. (she's 21 months) other fav's include hairy maclary (any of the series) and guess how much i love you. i worked in a children's bookshop before i had her and had a huge collection before she was born even, i just love em!! ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and: 
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 11:35am
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I forgot about Hairy MacLary! That was Maya's fave last month before she moved on to The Cat in the freaking Hat! ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: mum2paris
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 2:32pm
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Paris probably has about the same number of books as Maya Emma - i had so many from my nanny days - and i can never pass by a kids book on special without at least contemplating buying it (although now have learnt to actually have a read thru first to make sure its really worth it!) Some of her fav books are the ones by Eric Carle - ie hungry caterpillar, bad tempered lady bird, noisy cricket - but her most fav at the mo is the very lonely firefly which i picked up at xmas for $5, we read it with the bedside lamp on in her bedroom at night, then on the last page i turn off the lamp, cos there are all these little twinkley lights on the ends of the fireflies. very cute!
There's another one i absolutely love called "If kisses were colours" it is so gorgeous, it almost makes me cry each time i read it. It has things like "If kisses were pebbles your beach would be lined, with millions of pebbles in all shapes and kinds" "If kisses were blankets you'd always be warm, wrapped up from the cold during winters worst storm" etc etc.. ------------- Janine and her 2 cool chicks, Paris & Ayja 
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Posted By: Sarah Beth
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 2:59pm
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Oh the velveteen rabbit always made me cry as a kid, I still love it now. Love Eric Carle as well and Hairy Macleary. Where the wild things are is great, there is one I loved to do with a mouse finding a huge strawberry, has some great teaching stuff as well to get kids imaginantion going (but that is for school aged kids). There is one that is cool that I haven't seen around much called And one red dot which is good too. Fun for me too the first time I read it.
Roald Dhal is great for older kids, and I liked Paul Jennings and the guy who wrote the tomorrow when the war began series. ------------- "> 
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Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 3:12pm
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the little mouse, the red ripe strawberry and the big hungry bear, is that the one sarah beth? its so cool!!!we have it in board book and ella loves it too! ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and:
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 3:20pm
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Janine- I know what you mean by seeing if it's really worth it - Maya has some really crappy books.
My brother loved Paul Jennings, they were the only books he would read so Mum encouraged it big time. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Roksana
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 4:03pm
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I use to work at London Bookshops and then whitcoulls when I was a student and most of the time I was in the childrens area reading kids books...they decided I should look after that area....he he ha ha....I love all of them....I loved Very Hungry Caterpillar!!! ......Oh what a child I am.... ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Sarah Beth
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 4:04pm
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That is the one CaraMel!!! I loved the pictures, such great detail.
When I was teacher training my language lecturer read us some great ones, which I remembered them ------------- ">
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Posted By: lenabeanz
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 6:25pm
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Roksana - what store did you work @ for whitcoulls?? My sis worked at corner for about 4 years a few years ago... but is well known around whitcoulls nationwide for some reason... (and I dont know why!!) ------------- http://www.snugglepie.com"> 
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Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 9:57pm
| Jake loves "Brown Bear Brown Bear, what do you see?" but as for me loving to read it to him...well myabe the first fifty times. Seriously, we read it at least five times a day. It would be more if I didn't put my foot down. |
Posted By: mum2paris
Date Posted: 07 March 2006 at 10:31pm
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ooh i remember the strawberry one i loved that too!
and tomorrow when the war began, we had to read that in 5th form but it started an obsession and i have read a fair few of the series now. ------------- Janine and her 2 cool chicks, Paris & Ayja
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Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 08 March 2006 at 7:44am
| Oh, what about.. "guess how much i love you"...i LOVE that..Jake not so much |
Posted By: Roksana
Date Posted: 08 March 2006 at 9:14am
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Lena - I worked for Papatoetoe, Airport and St.Lukes branch....but this was a while back...what is your sisters name? maybe I know her! ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: preggy_sunflower
Date Posted: 08 March 2006 at 9:47am
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What a silly I am!! the book I meant was "guess how much I love you"!! ------------- Joshua Hadynn - Born 3 May 2006 |
Posted By: Roksana
Date Posted: 08 March 2006 at 1:13pm
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Ohhhhh clare......I love that book...I better go and get it...while I remember it!!!! ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 08 March 2006 at 1:19pm
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I've got Guess How Much I Love You and Bunny My Honey, they're great!
I also did Tomorrow when the War began at school, but instead of making me like it it really put me off it big time! Too much analysis! ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 08 March 2006 at 1:32pm
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I've got the next one along from "Bunny, my Honey" here and Mum has "Guess how much I love you" for when we go up there.
I'm not so keen on the book I have here. It has a song. and I hate singing.
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Posted By: james
Date Posted: 08 March 2006 at 1:55pm
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lol singings great james love singing ------------- <a href="http://lilypie.com"><img src="http://b4.lilypie.com/nLJ5p13.png" alt="Lilypie 4th Birthday Ticker" border="0" /></a> |
Posted By: 98765
Date Posted: 08 March 2006 at 4:08pm
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I try to sing nursery rhymes but i hav 4gotten the words so i hav to make them up ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
www.jackkeith.blogspot.com |
Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 08 March 2006 at 6:18pm
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Jake loves the wheels on the bus. I've been at TCol all day and they have some great kids books - I got a picture dictionary is Maori, and a buzzy bee poster for colours and another one for numbers.....yah books!
For older kids I LOVE roald dahl. and for adults he has some pretty gruesome short stories. |
Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 08 March 2006 at 8:02pm
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Nathaniel and I loved reading Kiya "Elephant, elephant: A book of opposites" by Pittau and Gervais. It's this hillarious board book of elephant opposites like "Ripped" (elephant picture with a tear through the middle) "Fixed" (same elephant picture with selotape across the tear); "Full" (elephant outline full of water, with cork in bum) "Empty" (elephant outline with water round feet and dripping out bum); or "Boy" (elephant peeing from underneath) "Girl" (elephant peeing out backwards).
We got it out from the library in Hamilton, and want to get a copy ourselves one day. ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Posted By: fairsk8
Date Posted: 08 March 2006 at 8:07pm
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lol Liz I love my Uni library as well, and spend hours in the childrens books sourcing books to read to my classes and always find at least five to bring home and read to Xanda. My favourites are Hurry up Franklin and all the Kapai the Kiwi books. Oh and the Little yellow digger. ------------- http://www.bump-and-beyond.com/"> 
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Posted By: melz
Date Posted: 12 March 2006 at 6:14pm
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Angie loves all the Mr and Little Miss books by Roger Hargreaves. They are only about $3 each and she has about 60 of them.
She also loves Roald Dahl. We read Charlie and the Chocolate factory together (I read a page, she reads a page) and she will sit down and read the twits by herself. We got a really good deal and got 10 Dahl books for $40 from Whitcoulls which was awesome |
Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 13 March 2006 at 10:25am
ok, my new favourite picture book for ella is "down the back of the chair" by margeret mahy. its all in rhyme, with repetition and has fantastic illustrations. becca, i'm with you on elephant, elephant too! so so funny  ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and:
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 13 March 2006 at 2:19pm
| gabriel likes Spot at the moment, and apparently the story of the birth of jesus is a fav too as is anything with thomas. |