Something I enjoyed most about the Peaceful Press Homeschool curriculum is being exposed to new books I otherwise may never have found. Each day has a heavy emphasis on reading and let me tell you, my kids are readers through and through. (And when I say readers, I guess I mean ask-for-me-to-read-ers until they memorize it.) I always take note of the book they want to read over and over, especially when it isn’t a superhero book, to track what’s getting their attention and peaking their curiosity. Here were our favorite books from last year. 

A Bad Case of Stripes: This book focuses on what happens when a girl begins to care more about what others think than about what she truly desires and who she is at heart. It’s silly enough to keep them entertained but stamps the moral of the story plain and clear. As a bonus-the illustrations is stunning.

The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot:  This book shares through humor and suspense the importance of telling the truth.

Elephant and Piggie Books: I’ve talked about the Elephant and Piggie books before. The kids often crack up throughout the whole book but each story has a lesson, whether it be sharing, patience or friendship.

Shawn Loves Sharks: This was a book Oshiolema saw on the library shelf and just couldn’t put down. Shawn Loves Sharks is about a boy and his obsession with sharks who is assigned to learn about a different animal for a school project. It touches on friendship and respect really sweetly and again, the illustration is lovely

You and Me and the Wishing Tree: Is anyone else completely loyal to Nancy Tillman’s work for life? Every time she writes a new book, both O and I grab it as soon as we can. I just bought this one and as always, the writing is stunning enough to make you cry and the illustrations are captivating enough to make turning the page impossible. They usually follow a mother and son and this book is quite a special one to read aloud as a mom.

Fannie in the Kitchen: This book is just plain lovely. It’s based on a true story of a famous chef and how she got her start. The book left the kids in wide-eyed wonder over everything to do with the kitchen. We discussed different aspects of cooking all throughout the week and celebrated with a big pancake dinner the kids helped make with some tips they picked up from the book. This one was extra hard to send back to the library!

On Market Street: When I shared this book on Instagram I was blown away by the amount of people saying “what is this book called?! My mom used to read that to me when I was little!” It’s an alphabet book with stunningly intricate artwork and a sweet story to match.

The Giant Jam Sandwich: WOW. This was probably their favorite pick of the year. I can’t even tall the number of times O and I read this in the two week span we had it from the library. The story shares how a town rallies together to solve a wasp problem. It’s fun, silly and clever.

Ada Twist, Scientist: We all enjoyed this story about a little girl with a brilliant mind for science-especially how her parents handle the trials that come with raising a daughter who likes to live outside the lines.

When God Made You: This has been a favorite year after year. I love that the main character looks like Keogena with her brown skin which is, unfortunately, quite rare in Christian books. I also love the story about how the Lord creates us fearfully and wonderfully and we can do all things through Him.

This is just the tip of the iceberg and doesn’t include many of our daily reads whether it be Bible reading, silly reading or of course the superhero books we read all day long. I’ll check back soon with another batch of favorites and if you have any questions, please let me know! In the meantime, what are your favorite books to read aloud for your kids?