10 Books I Want to Read to My Son Before He’s 10

Posted November 14, 2017 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Link Up / 10 Comments

My little boy turned 9 months old earlier this month, and I can hardly believe it. When I look back at pictures of him when he was born, it blows my mind that the teeny baby in the pictures is the same adorably chunky kiddo currently zooming around the house on all fours with a floof of brown hair and a grin that’s equal parts charming and mischievous. He’s already an industrious little guy, packing as much activity into his day as possible (Crawling! Trying to chew computer cords! Dumping entire plates of rice on the floor when Mommy isn’t looking!).

He may seem like the sort of kid who’d never sit still to read a book, but story time is among his favorite activities. I tucked a few stacks of books around the house when I baby proofed, and we pull one out a few times a week for reading. And he loves to look at (and chew) them on his own.

I did a post before he was born about the books I wanted to read to him as a baby, but I recently got to thinking about the books I’d like to introduce him to in the years to come. Of course, he’ll have his own favorite books, but there are some I want to be sure to squeeze in there because they’re just too important to pass up. I figured it’s probably a reasonable goal to introduce one of these books each year, so I sat down and made a list! So here are the 10 books I want to read to my son before he’s 10!

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The 10 Books I Want to Read to My Son Before He’s 10

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Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

This one’s a little bit of a cheat since I’ve read it to him already. But we’ve already decided to throw him a Where the Wild Things Are 1st birthday party, so I wanted to be sure he read it first.

 

 

Nibbles the Book Monster by Emma Yarlett

I got this as part of an Usborne book sale, and I’m SO excited to read it to him. It’s about a little monster who loves to eat books and eats his way through several classic fairy tales. We’ll be saving this until OUR little monster is old enough to stop eating books, though! 😉

 

 

The Lorax or Oh the Places You’ll Go (basically anything by Dr. Seuss)

I loved Dr. Seuss as a kid, and I’m sure the Little Mister will too!

 

 

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

The first poem I ever memorized all by myself was a Silverstein poem (“Early Bird”—I still remember it!). This is a fun way to introduce kids to poetry, and since many are short with silly subjects, they’re great for early readers.

 

 

Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Waterson

A favorite from my childhood, that alone would earn this a spot on the list, but these are also surprisingly good for early readers. I’ve had great success using Calvin & Hobbes as “reward reading” for 1st and 2nd grade tutoring students, and the strips without words are a fun way to get pre-readers in on the act.

 

 

Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

No household is complete without a little Silly Old Bear.

 

 

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

I remember reading Peter Pan to a 4 and 5 year old I once nannied—at their request! I was afraid they might be too little to sit through it, but their rapt attention impressed me. They were especially intrigued by the Lost Boys!

 

 

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

I can’t tell enough people that the first book the Little Mister pulled off the grownup bookshelf was The Magician’s Nephew. I’m taking it as a sign that he’s ready for Narnia, though we may start with a picture book version.

 

 

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Considering our baby ‘s nursery has a Middle Earth theme, I’m not sure this one is even optional.

 

 

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Maybe not ALL the HP books, but at least the first one!

 

 

What are YOUR favorite books for kids?

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10 responses to “10 Books I Want to Read to My Son Before He’s 10

  1. I love this list! I remember reading Where the Wild Things Are, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and Winnie the Pooh when I was young. And though I didn’t read the first Harry Potter book, The Hobbit, or The Chronicles of Narnia until I was an adult, I agree that those would be excellent choices.

  2. ladyelasa

    This is an awesome list! If I have kids I want to read just about every one of these to my kids!

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

    • Thank you!! It was so hard to pick the top ten. There are SO MANY I want to read him. We actually “accidentally” started Narnia last week! He likes pulling grownup books from the shelf, so I decided to read aloud a little of whatever he pulled down until he got bored and crawled away. He’s pulled down The Magician’s Nephew so many times, we’re almost through Ch. 2!

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