I hear it a lot from friends and family of mine who have small kids. Sure, you want to read to the kids.  But... do the books have to be so samey? Princesses, superheroes, kill the dragon, save the kingdom, repeat.  You wanna mix it up sometimes, don't you?  Of course! So I went through Amazon.com and found you a few to try.

1.  We Found A Hat by Jon Klassen.


This is a simple enough story about two turtles who find one hat. But, here's the thing - it helps to teach about sharing! Isn't that always a good thing, especially when there are more than one little one in the house?

2.  Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty. 


This is a great story. Not only does it have a lot of imagination, it teaches the lesson that you only fail if you give up.  And, it shows kids that they can pursue any kind of hobby or interest they want!

3.  Little Monkey Calms Down by Michael Dahl.


This is a great book for kids when you're trying to learn the feeling of control. Sometimes kids get mad and aren't sure why, or they don't know how to deal with that feeling of anger. This presents some options to them in a fun way!

4. I Know A Lot!  By Stephen Krensky. 


This is a great book for kids who are just about to grow out of toddlerhood. It helps them realize that they have learned a lot and still are learning a lot by just living their day to day lives! It's very empowering for them to know that their knowledge is truly theirs.

5.  I'd Really Like To Eat A Child by Sylviane Donnio


Such a fun little book. And, it's not too long and has great pictures.  This book also has a little secret lesson in it about restraint and control -  That we don't always HAVE to have everything we want when we want it.  Cravings aren't necessarily needs. You know that's a lesson kids need.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the list and hopefully you'll add some more to it for all the other parents out there!

Readingly yours,