Things I Love

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These books:

These books are like Mary Poppins: "Practically perfect in every way." (This is, of course, not a comprehensive list. That would be impossible!)

  • 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore by Jenny Offill and Nancy Carpenter
  • 7 Ate 9 by Tara Lazar and Ross MacDonald
  • A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin
  • A Chair For My Mother by Vera B. Williams
  • A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano and Lane Smith
  • A Kite for Moon by Jane Yolen, Heidi EY Stemple and Matt Phelan
  • A Map into the World by Kao Kalia Yang and Seo Kim
  • A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza
  • A New School Year by Sally Derby and Mika Song
  • A Tree for Emmy by Mary Ann Rodman and Tatjana Mai-Wyss
  • A Violin for Elva by Mary Lyn Ray and Tricia Tusa
  • After the Fall by Dan Santat
  • Agnes Caws by Candace Fleming and Giselle Potter
  • Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst and Ray Cruz
  • All From a Walnut by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Felicita Sala
  • All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee
  • Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal
  • Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang and Charlene Chua
  • Apple and Magnolia by Laura Gehl and Patricia Metola
  • Baby's Firsts by Nancy Raines Day and Michael Emberley
  • Be a Friend by Salina Yoon
  • Because by Mo Willems and Amber Ren
  • Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome
  • Big and Small and In-Between by Carter Higgins and Daniel Miyares
  • Blue on Blue by Dianne White and Beth Krommes
  • Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley
  • Boris and Bella by Carolyn Crimi and Ghris Grimly
  • Brown Baby Lullabye by Tameka Fryer Brown and AG Ford
  • Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum by Lisa Wheeler and Laura Huliska-Beith
  • Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak
  • Christmas Mousling by Dori Chaconas and Susan Kathleen Hartung
  • Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
  • Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo by Kevin Lewis and Daniel Kirk
  • Dandy by Ame Dyckman and Charles Santoso
  • Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle and Rafael Lopez
  • Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson and E.B. Lewis
  • Enough Is ... by Jessica Whipple and Nicole Wong
  • Escargot by Dashka Slater and Sydney Hanson
  • Estelle Takes a Bath by Jill Esbaum and Mary Newell DePalma
  • Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away by Meg Medina and Sonia Sanchez
  • Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnall
  • Federico and the Wolf by Rebecca J. Gomez and Elisa Chavarri
  • George Washington's Cows by David Small
  • Gittel's Journey by Leslea Newman and Amy June Bates
  • God Got a Dog by Cynthia Rylant and Marla Frazee
  • Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio and LeUyen Pham
  • Green on Green by Dianne White and Felicita Sala
  • How Many Seeds In a Pumpkin by Margaret McNamara and G. Brian Karas
  • Hum and Swish by Matt Myers
  • I Am Cow, Hear Me Moo! by Jill Esbaum and Gus Gordon
  • I Am The Storm by Jane Yolen, Heidi EY Stemple, Kristen Howdeshell and Kevin Howdeshell
  • I Saw An Ant on the Railroad Track by Joshua Prince and Macky Pamintuan
  • If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall
  • If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano and Erin Stead
  • Imogene's Last Stand by Candace Fleming and Nancy Carpenter
  • In a Jar by Deborah Marcero
  • In Every Life by Marla Frazee
  • Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood and Meg Hunt
  • Ish by Peter Reynolds
  • Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
  • Layla's Happiness by Mariahadessa Ekere Talle and Ashleigh Corrin
  • Leo the Magnificat by Ann M. Martin and Emily Arnold McCully
  • Life by Cynthia Rylant and Brendan Wenzel
  • Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
  • Little Libraries, Big Heroes by Miranda Paul and John Parra
  • Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace
  • Looking for Easter by Dori Chaconas and Margie Moore
  • Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour and Daniel Egneus
  • Martina and Chrissie: The Greatest Rivalry in the History of Sports by Phil Bildner and Brett Helquist
  • Michael Rosen's Sad Book by Michael Rosen and Quentin Blake
  • Miss Hazeltine's Home for Shy and Fearful Cats by Alicia Potter and Birgitta Sif
  • Miss Mary Reporting by Sue Macy and C.F. Payne
  • Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
  • Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer and Scott Magoon
  • Moth by Isabel Thomas and Daniel Egneus
  • My Best Friend by Mary Ann Rodman and E.B. Lewis
  • My Best Friend by Julie Fogliano and Jillian Tamaki
  • My Grandfather’s Coat by Jim Aylesworth and Barbara McClintock
  • My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith and Julie Flett
  • Niko Draws a Feeling by Bob Raczka and Simone Shin
  • Not Quite Snow White by Ashley Franklin and Ebony Glenn
  • Odd Velvet by Mary Whitcomb and Tara Calahan King
  • Once Upon a Memory by Nina Laden and Renata Liwska
  • Owen by Kevin Henkes
  • Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson
  • Patchwork by Matt de la Pena and Corinna Luyken
  • Piece by Piece: Ernestine's Gift for President Roosevelt by Lupe Ruiz-Flores and Anna Lopez Real
  • Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Peter Reynolds
  • Possum Magic by Mem Fox and Julie Vivas
  • Preaching to the Chickens by Jabari Asim and E.B. Lewis
  • Prudence Wants a Pet by Cathleen Daly and Stephen Michael King
  • Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Prasadam-Halls and David Litchfield
  • Ready to Fly by Lea Lyon, A. LaFaye and Jessica Gibson
  • R-E-S-P-E-C-T by Carole Boston Weatherford and Frank Morrison
  • Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas
  • Saturdays Are For Stella by Candy Wellins and Charlie Eve Ryan
  • Shrinking Violet by Kari Best and Giselle Potter
  • Stand Straight, Ella Kate by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise
  • Star Bright: A Christmas Story by Alison McGhee and Peter Reynolds
  • Stars by Mary Lyn Ray and Marla Frazee
  • Stay by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise
  • Swashby and the Sea by Beth Ferry and Juana Martinez-Neal
  • Talking Like the Rain compiled by X.J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy and Jane Dyer
  • Ten Beautiful Things by Molly Beth Griffin and Maribel Lechuga
  • Thank You, Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson and Matt Faulkner
  • That Flag by Tameka Fryer Brown and Nikkolas Smith
  • The Baby Tree by Sophie Blackall
  • The Bear and the Moon by Matthew Burgess and Catia Chen
  • The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians by Carla Morris and Brad Sneed
  • The Brilliant Ms. Bangle by Cara Devins and K-Fai Steele
  • The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington and Shelley Jackson
  • The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski and P.J. Lynch
  • The Concrete Garden by Bob Graham
  • The Dot by Peter Reynolds
  • The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco
  • The Last Stand by Antwan Eady and Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey
  • The Library by Sarah Stewart and David Small
  • The Lion's Bed by Diane Redfield Massie
  • The Love Letter by Anika Aldamuy Denise and Lucy Ruth Cummins
  • The New Girl … And Me by Jacqui Robbins and Matt Phelan
  • The Next President by Kate Messner and Adam Rex
  • The Notebook Keeper by Stephen Briseno and Magdalena Mora
  • The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story by Tina Cho and Jess X. Snow
  • The Oldest Student by Rita Lorraine Hubbard and Oge Mora
  • The Perfect Pumpkin Pie by Denys Cazet
  • The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood and Renata Liwska
  • The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
  • The Rough Patch by Brian Lies
  • The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
  • The Stuff of Stars by Marion Dane Bauer and Ekua Holmes
  • The Summer Nick Taught His Cats to Read by Curtis Manley and Kate Berube
  • The Tenth Good Thing about Barney by Judith Viorst and Erik Blegvad
  • The Tree in Me by Corinna Luyken
  • The World's Best Class Plant by Liz Garton Scanlon, Audrey Vernick and Lynnor Bontiago
  • There Might Be Lobsters by Carolyn Crimi and Laurel Molk
  • This is Not a Valentine by Carter Higgins and Lucy Ruth Cummins
  • This Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton
  • This Small Blue Dot by Zero Sworder
  • This Way, Charlie by Caron Levis and Charles Santoso
  • Tiger in My Soup by Kashmira Sheth and Jeffrey Ebbeler
  • Truman by Jean Reidy and Lucy Ruth Cummins
  • Tummy Girl by Roseanne Thong and Sam Williams
  • Two of a Kind by Jacqui Robbins and Matt Phelan
  • Two Speckled Eggs by Jennifer K. Mann
  • Waiting Out the Storm by JoAnn Early Macken and Susan Graber
  • Wanda’s Roses by Pat Brisson and Maryann Cocca-Leffler
  • Watercress by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin
  • What Do You Do With a Voice Like That? by Chris Barton and Ekua Holmes
  • What If by Samantha Berger and Mike Curato
  • What Mary Jo Shared by Janice May Udry and Eleanor Mill
  • What Mary Jo Wanted by Janice May Udry and Eleanor Mill
  • When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree by Jamie Deenihan and Lorraine Rocha
  • Where'd My Jo Go? by Jill Esbaum and Scott Brundage
  • We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
  • Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Krull and David Diaz
  • Wombat Divine by Mem Fox and Kerry Argent
  • Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw and Eugene Yelchin
  • Wuddles by Lita Judge
  • You Are My Cupcake by Joyce Wan
  • Zayde Comes to Live by Sheri Sinykin and Kristina Swarner
  • Zombie in Love by Kelly DiPucchio and Scott Campbell

Need a baby shower gift?

Here's a blog post I wrote about my favorite books to give as gifts.

Want picture book suggestions from e.E. Charlton-Trujillo and me?

Here's a list we created for "What's On Your Bookshelf," the recent virtual children's literature conference sponsored by Connecticut's Norfolk Public Library.

These places:

  • Madison, Wisconsin (A beautiful downtown, a famous farmers’ market, lots of cultural activities, great restaurants and people-watching, three lovely seasons and one I’d rather not mention.)
  • The Fitchburg Public Library. (So lovely, so convenient. And I wrote there regularly until I moved. Alas.)
  • The Sun Prairie Public Library. (I'm a member of the library foundation's board of directors, and we're raising money to expand our library! Want to help?)
  • The Madison Reading Project. (This nonprofit connects kids with free books and literacy resources that ignite a love for reading and affirm and reflect the diversity of young readers. They've grown by leaps and bounds in their 10 years of existence and have given away thousands of new, top-quality books to kids who need them.)
  • The Farm in Door County, Wisconsin. (A favorite place to go with my kids.)
  • Monty’s Blue Plate Diner. (Great food, great staff, great location.)
  • Katz’s Deli. (I’ve only been there once, but …)
  • The Tattered Cover. (What a bookstore should be.) Let's be honest, though. I love all bookstores. Shout-outs to my local indies Mystery to Me, A Room of One's Own, Kismet Books and Lake City Books. And, St. Paul, Minnesota's The Red Balloon. I could go on ...
  • Mickie's Dairy Bar. (Amazing breakfasts, fun college crowd.)

These things:

  • The "Laydown Diaries" -- These are videos shared every Tuesday on the Parnassus Book's Instagram page. Ann Patchett and her team of booksellers share their favorite releases of the week and discuss upcoming store events. Each video drips with personality and book love.
  • The TV shows “Chopped,” "Tournament of Champions" and "The Great British Baking Show."
  • Dark chocolate. (Especially this. And this. And this.)
  • Doc Martens. And Adidas.
  • Trader Joe’s.
  • Cats. I have two, Sunny and Ollie. Sunny is big and orange and calm. Ollie is bigger and black and bouncy. They don’t always get along, but I like them both.
  • Glitter nail polish.
  • Smile Train. (A wonderful charity that helps children born with clefts.)
  • All kinds of music and musical theater.