Books We Read and Loved at Nana's House

Are other people's books just more fun to read than our own?

Last week we returned from a three-week long summer trip. We went a lot of places and had a GREAT time, including Disney World and my parents’ house in Tennessee. One of the fun things at my parents’ house is that Nana, my Mom, has a lot of kids books, and they are different from the ones we have at home. Here are some we read and loved at her house over the past few weeks.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

Funnily enough, I remember my grandma having this at her house when I was growing up. This book is a bit long, so make sure you and your kids are ready for that, but this was my kids’ favorite book at my parent’s house. It was asked for repeatedly by different kids. William Steig, the author and illustrator, has a certain style both in writing and illustrating that I appreciate. In this book Sylvester the donkey finds a magic pebble, faces a dangerous situation, makes a silly wish, and then through luck and love and magic returns home, a better, wiser donkey. Honestly, I don’t know why I don’t own this book.

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas, illustrations by Helen Oxenbury

My girls are very into the three little pigs right now. It’s the most requested story when I brush their teeth. Every time they see a three little pigs variation, we have to read it. I love the illustrations in this version, where the story is flopped on it’s head. The wolves are good, the pig is bad, the houses strength is maybe not as big of a deal as we once thought, and they use kindness and flowers rather than a pot of boiling oil to solve their big bad problem.

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

This is a classic book published in 1942. You might remember it from your childhood—I remember it from mine. It won the Caldecott Medal in 1943 and has been a favorite of readers and parents alike for over 80 years. This book is long, longer than Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, so you should know that going into it. My 8-year-old really enjoyed it. One of my favorite author/illustrator duos, Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, just wrote about this book on their Substack here. If you are into children’s books as literature, I would highly recommend their Substack.

The Book That Can Read Your Mind by Marianna Coppo

Okay, my mom doesn’t own this book, but we stopped into Barnes & Noble and I read this book to my girls. It was very fresh. It’s not a traditional story, but an interactive book. You pick a character, and the bunny narrator “reads your mind” and tells you which one you picked. My girls did it several times and were very into it, and it was fun for me to put together how it worked.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

Another book my mom doesn’t own, we listened to this audiobook during part of our drive during our vacation. This is the best chapter book I’ve read in a long time. We actually had to turn it off because my husband was getting so into it, he missed an exit on the interstate. I liked it so much I finished it before the rest of my family. I would say the actual age range is for 8 to12-year-olds if they are reading on their own, but our whole family was enjoying listening to it. I turned it on after our trip and my 4-year-old said, “I actually really like The Girl Who Drank the Moon”. It also won the 2017 Newbery medal, so she’s not the only one. It’s currently part of the Audible Premium Plus Catalog, if you happen to subscribe.

Thanks for reading, and hope your summer vacation is full of great kids’ books and family members you love!