My first Listicle, the essential building blocks of the blogosphere.  Given that it’s nearly Christmas, I thought I would try my hand at a listicle of several great books for younger children ages 2 plus.  Order them for Christmas, or find them in the library.  They are all favorites in our house.

And…if you are like me, the most important criteria in choosing a bedtime book is how long it takes to read the damn thing.  Because sometimes, you just want to get to bed yourself.  So I have included my estimated reading duration and approximate copy count for your consideration.

1. The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend
~4 minutes
Light copy

Does anyone remember Drop Dead Fred?  The movie from the early 90’s about the lonely girl and her imaginary friend.  I am certain I only saw it once on VHS, but there was definitely a scene that was so upsetting it still gives me chills, where the parental types (or maybe a husband?) have forced the girl to take drugs to kill off Fred.  And Fred, who is very real to all of us watching, is dying.  Between the faux Tim Burton styling and the 90’s production quality (and yes, the quality of VHS)

Well, Beekle is pretty much the exact opposite of Drop Dead Fred.  It’s lovingly rendered in soft but bright pastels and an equally lovely narrative.  On a magical island, Imaginary Friends live, waiting for their children to name them and call them into being.  Beekle is the likeable little hero who sets out to find his friend when the call never comes.  It’s beautiful, uplifting, and short but satisfying.

2. The Cozy Book
~8-10 minutes
Heavy copy

This was an inherited classic that my wife used to read as a child.  Her mother insisted on introducing it to the new generation and I am glad she did.  The tricky part was that it’s currently out of print, but easily tracked down online.

The Cozy book has become a bit of a ritual in our house, and provided nobody is too strung out, it’s a delightful read of word play and sing song sentences.  The drawing are quaint, the topics diverse, but the overall vibe is, as the book implies, cozy.  And it’s a great vocabulary builder (“Saspirilla, cuspidor”) that wraps up nicely with one of the best bed time tuck-in lines ever.

3. Max in the Night Kitchen
~3-4 minutes
Light copy

Ah, Maurice Sendak.  Along with Herge, there is no other artist whose work had greater influence on my childhood.  I love all of his books, but there is something about the surreal nature of Max in The Night Kitchen that haunts me, in a good way.

From the Little Nemo inspired opening panels where Max falls out of bed and into the world of the night kitchen, Max captures so much of the magic and mystery of sleep.  And it’s suitably Sendak creepy.  Which always appealed to me as well.

4. Owl Moon
~5-6 minutes
Medium copy

This was a gift from my mom to the kids, and it’s a lovely vignette of a father and son’s winter night excursion into a deep winter’s night.  It has drama, perfect pacing and watercolor painted art that captures the icy beauty of a moonlit New England night.

5. The Adventures of Polo
~5 minutes
No copy

There are a series of Polo books and I think they are all fantastic.  If you are not familiar, they are wordless narratives that invite the readers to make up their own stories to explain the fantastical adventures of an anthropomorphic dog named Polo.  The art is bright and colorful, and the tales are fun for everyone.  Both Malcolm and Eliza enjoy taking turns telling the story, which is a great exercise in pre-reading and giving kids the chance to take ownership of the story.

6. Strega Nona
~4-5 minutes
Medium copy

Love these stories because it gives me a chance to practice my bad Italian accent.   Strega Nona is the town “witch” (the good kind) who is old and wise and fixes problems for her well-meaning but bungling support staff.  It’s a classic setup and told with humor and bright art.  The kids love the Strega Nona books.

7. The Land of Lines
~4 minutes
No copy

This was a happy discovery and another beautiful example of a book that invites young readers to take ownership of the story, leaving a space to play within it’s copy free pages.  And the art work is delightful – single ink colors and strong line art that is deceptively simple looking.  Like a Pixar movie, it offer something for everybody to enjoy regardless of age.

Happy reading!

— Bad Papa East