Growing up, I had my own little bookshelf filled with books that my mom and dad had mostly gifted me over the years. My mom supplemented my reading with weekly trips to the library. I love to read, and my mom helped encourage this love very early on. These are some of the books that have stuck with me all these years, with a few new ones for kids and youth that made it onto my bookshelves as an adult.
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Books for Children
Tikki Tikki Tembo by Ariene Mosel
This story about two brothers, one who was given a revered, long name, and one who was treated poorly and given a short name to show his lesser importance, teaches about valuing each person as an individual. As a child, I delighted in the funny, long name of one of the characters, but as I grew older, I loved it just for the compelling story.
I feel like a lot of people have not heard this book which is interesting to me because according to Amazon, this book was named one of the best 50 children's books of the previous 50 years in 1997 by The New York Times. It also was an American Library Association Notable Book and won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Age range: 3 and up)
I have a lot of fond memories of pulling this book out of my book shelf and looking through the pages. Honestly, it wasn't my favorite style of art as a kid but I just loved the experience. As an adult, I have most of his books.
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
I loved all of Shel's books but am pretty sure this one was my favorite. I am not absolutely sure but I think one of my favorite of his stories (poems), is in this book: "Nobody Loves Me." I love the story of someone who says Nobody loves him(her) until the end of the poem, when s/he can't find Nobody anywhere!
The Mouse and Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
My husband mentioned that he loved this book when he was a kid. I actually haven't read this one but I recently won a copy of "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Clearly, from the same series, and now I'm excited to read it.
Olivia by Ian Falconer
Olivia wasn't around when I was a child but I fell in love with his little pig when Ian's first book came out. I'm sure most people have heard of Olivia. I love the scene where she makes a small sand castle, and then it shows that she becomes very good at making sand castles. I have a number of the Olivia books but the original is my absolute favorite.
Beautiful Birds by J.Roussen & E. Walker
My friend Anjuli found this wonderful book for me. It takes the reader through a number of different birds in an alphabet story. I'm particularly fond of birds but I think any child would enjoy the beautiful illustrations.
Weslandia by Paul Fleischman
My sister-in-law, Kristian, gave this book to me years ago - it was one of her family's favorites, and I really love this story, too. I love a good story that piques the imagination but also teaches children to pursue their dreams.
Penguin Problems by Jory John
I love this funny story about a grumpy penguin. I have some favorite stories that really have some pretty terrible illustrations, and I know that the author often doesn't have input on the artist. In this case, the art really takes the story to the next level. I love it.
The Tale of Three Trees retold by Angela Elwell Hunt
This sweet story that personifies trees and the value they add to the world was so poignant for me that it has stuck with me for years.
Daughter of a King by Rachel Ann Nunes
My friend Cheri introduced me to this book probably 6 years ago when she read it to a group of girls in our neighborhood during a special mother-daughter evening for young girls (8-11). I am not sure if a little girl would enjoy it as much as me, but this is one of those books that I went out and bought my own copy of immediately after being introduced to it.
Books for Youth (These books are all written from the perspective of a girl.)
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (Age 10 and up)
I did not read this book until I took a 400-level Teaching Literature to Adolescents class in college to get my English minor. I fell in love with this book, hard, and I remember gifting it to my nieces for their birthdays. I dislike a couple of Robin McKinley's books (Spindle's End, Deerskin) so it's interesting that she's also written some of my favorite youth books. This is a great story for a tween or teenager that likes adventure, a (female) hero, and a very subtle bit of romance.
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Beauty: A Retelling of of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley
Few people will be surprised by the plot of this story but it's just so beautifully written. This was another one of those books where my emotions leaked out of me as I read it. I was captivated. I read this when I was in college as a result of reading some of her other books but I would have loved this at a much younger age, too. From Amazon: "This “splendid story” by the Newbery Medal–winning author of The Hero and the Crown has been named an ALA Notable Book and a Phoenix Award Honor Book"(Publishers Weekly).
I would to learn what your favorite books were as a child, or what your kids love now.
. 
Books for Children
Tikki Tikki Tembo by Ariene Mosel
This story about two brothers, one who was given a revered, long name, and one who was treated poorly and given a short name to show his lesser importance, teaches about valuing each person as an individual. As a child, I delighted in the funny, long name of one of the characters, but as I grew older, I loved it just for the compelling story.
I feel like a lot of people have not heard this book which is interesting to me because according to Amazon, this book was named one of the best 50 children's books of the previous 50 years in 1997 by The New York Times. It also was an American Library Association Notable Book and won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Age range: 3 and up)
I have a lot of fond memories of pulling this book out of my book shelf and looking through the pages. Honestly, it wasn't my favorite style of art as a kid but I just loved the experience. As an adult, I have most of his books.
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
I loved all of Shel's books but am pretty sure this one was my favorite. I am not absolutely sure but I think one of my favorite of his stories (poems), is in this book: "Nobody Loves Me." I love the story of someone who says Nobody loves him(her) until the end of the poem, when s/he can't find Nobody anywhere!
The Mouse and Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
My husband mentioned that he loved this book when he was a kid. I actually haven't read this one but I recently won a copy of "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Clearly, from the same series, and now I'm excited to read it.
Olivia by Ian Falconer
Olivia wasn't around when I was a child but I fell in love with his little pig when Ian's first book came out. I'm sure most people have heard of Olivia. I love the scene where she makes a small sand castle, and then it shows that she becomes very good at making sand castles. I have a number of the Olivia books but the original is my absolute favorite.
Beautiful Birds by J.Roussen & E. Walker
My friend Anjuli found this wonderful book for me. It takes the reader through a number of different birds in an alphabet story. I'm particularly fond of birds but I think any child would enjoy the beautiful illustrations.
Weslandia by Paul Fleischman
My sister-in-law, Kristian, gave this book to me years ago - it was one of her family's favorites, and I really love this story, too. I love a good story that piques the imagination but also teaches children to pursue their dreams.
Penguin Problems by Jory John
I love this funny story about a grumpy penguin. I have some favorite stories that really have some pretty terrible illustrations, and I know that the author often doesn't have input on the artist. In this case, the art really takes the story to the next level. I love it.
The Tale of Three Trees retold by Angela Elwell Hunt
This sweet story that personifies trees and the value they add to the world was so poignant for me that it has stuck with me for years.
Daughter of a King by Rachel Ann Nunes
My friend Cheri introduced me to this book probably 6 years ago when she read it to a group of girls in our neighborhood during a special mother-daughter evening for young girls (8-11). I am not sure if a little girl would enjoy it as much as me, but this is one of those books that I went out and bought my own copy of immediately after being introduced to it.
Books for Youth (These books are all written from the perspective of a girl.)
The Ordinary Princess by M.M.Kaye (Age range: 8-12)
I still remember pulling this book off one of those turning racks in the library, and being intrigued by the title and cover image of an "ordinary" princess. I remember enjoying this book quite a bit. From Amazon: "This delightful fairy tale is sure to please young romantics ... Neither Kaye's princess nor her her book should be considered ordinary." (School Library Journal)
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume (Age: 12 and up)
My little library where I grew up in San Jose had a big poster of this book behind the check-out desk. I remember reading this book and sobbing as I read parts of it. The main character loses her dad and ends up moving as a result of the tragedy - but then she meets someone that helps her as she learns to grow past that tragedy. I'm not a crier in general but I love when a book makes me well up with emotion, and I remember this book had that effect on me. Also, you should know that I don't like books that have depressing endings. So, I'm not likely to ever recommend a bad ending!
I did not read this book until I took a 400-level Teaching Literature to Adolescents class in college to get my English minor. I fell in love with this book, hard, and I remember gifting it to my nieces for their birthdays. I dislike a couple of Robin McKinley's books (Spindle's End, Deerskin) so it's interesting that she's also written some of my favorite youth books. This is a great story for a tween or teenager that likes adventure, a (female) hero, and a very subtle bit of romance.
From Amazon: "It is the story of Aerin, haunted since childhood by the legend of her mother-a "witchwoman" who enspelled the king and then died of disappointment after giving birth to a daughter, rather than the heroic son the kingdom needed. But little did the young princess know the long-dormant powers of her mother would wield their own destiny." "Robin McKinley has won various awards and citations for her writing, including the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown and a Newberry Honor for The Blue Sword."
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
From Amazon: "This is a zesty, romantic heroic fantasy with an appealingly stalwart heroine, a finely realized mythical kingdom, and a grounding in reality that enhances the tale's verve as a fantasy." —Booklist, starred review
Few people will be surprised by the plot of this story but it's just so beautifully written. This was another one of those books where my emotions leaked out of me as I read it. I was captivated. I read this when I was in college as a result of reading some of her other books but I would have loved this at a much younger age, too. From Amazon: "This “splendid story” by the Newbery Medal–winning author of The Hero and the Crown has been named an ALA Notable Book and a Phoenix Award Honor Book"(Publishers Weekly).
The Chronicles of Narnia series (I've linked to the exact version that I own.)
I read this when I was in college but I wanted to throw this one in the mix as well because I feel like my list of recommendations might be more appealing to girls, whereas I greatly enjoyed this series, that appeals to boys, too.
Other:
I have so many books that tend to cater to girls more than boys that I wanted to also add that in my later teens, I devoured all of Pier Anthony's fantasy series for: Blue Adept, Xanth, and Immortality. These books were more popular with boys than girls but I also feel like they were for a bit older of an audience and in some cases referenced topics that would not be appropriate for a younger child. I also enjoyed the Nancy Drew detective series, and The Secret Garden.
I would to learn what your favorite books were as a child, or what your kids love now.
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