20 Great Books for Little Boys

I love the library. I’m a huge library nerd. {Ask my mom about the time I card-cataloged the books in our home. For fun. When I was 12. True story.}

However, going to the library with kids can be overwhelming.

Is it just me?

The doors open, and instantly my children sense the solemn quietude and raise their voices 3.5 decibels, arguing over who gets to push the elevator buttons.

Up in the kiddie library, my boys (2 and 4) devour their lollipops, yank books off the shelves, and beg to play with the {germ-infested} computers and puzzles.

Meanwhile I, who actually did work as a school librarian for a year, look like a complete idiot by asking questions like, “Do you have books about tractors?” “Is this the non-fiction?” “What does ‘easy-readers’  mean?”

One time a woman honestly looked at me like I had three heads when I told her I used to work in a library. Along with other things, I guess I’ve lost some of my academic aura.

Anyway, it is not an exaggeration that I regularly pray for divine wisdom to somehow manage to bring home good books: ones which DO NOT have unexpected pictures of terrifying monsters, or ones that actually have no words, or where the kids are not ungrateful little bratty snobs to their parents.

And I pray instead that the Lord might grant me favor in finding good books…books that are challenging yet entertaining, and that are at least mildly pleasant for me to read (because let’s face it, if they like it, I’m reading it like 27 times over three weeks).

As He often does, the Lord has answered these frantic mommy prayers for wisdom. Here is a list of some of our favorites along the way. {See the “printable list” on the bottom for a handy-dandy chart to bring with you next time!}

I know many of these are enjoyed by boys and girls!

1. The Berenstain Bears, select titles.

Here’s the thing with the Berenstain Bears books. Not all are good. There are two categories I recommend:

• Sports books (Get Their Kicks, Play Soccer…)
• Newly published books, written by Mike, the son of the original authors. These are very overtly Christian, with titles like: “…Go to Sunday School,” “…Say Their Prayers,” and “…Love Their Neighbors.” These are just about as spot-on for kids’ theology as anything I’ve read.

 

2. Busy Day, Busy People by Tibor Gergely. Oh, this book is wonderful. My sons could look at this book for hours. It’s a classic…an around-town look at all the jobs people do. We read my husband’s copy from when he was young. Isn’t that cute? If you can find a copy at your local library, grab it!

3. Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Tom and Rinker Lichtenheld. This book is a gem. Pleasant to read, adorable pictures, perfect rhyming meter…oh, wait, doesn’t everyone notice rhyme meter? Anyways.

4. America Is My Home. Shout out to my cousin, Sheila Carlberg, who wrote this book when she couldn’t find a good one to teach her kids about the value of our country and freedoms. Little boys, especially, are fascinated by the concept of being a solder. Here’s how you teach them what you’re fighting for.

 

5. The Boxcar Children series. The Boxcar Children was the first chapter book Sam and I ever finished! He just loved it. I think it’s a perfect first *long* book for boys and girls, and as a plus, if they like one, there’s about 252 other titles to read! You’re set!

6. The Fire Cat by Esther Averill. I just love this classic, where Pickles the cat learns character and kindness as he learns to be a fire cat. It’s a great book.

7. I’m obsessed with Frog and Toad, by Arnold Lobel. They are the cutest, most hilarious friends. This book is one of those that makes the adult reading it laugh, too. You know the type? I wish there were more in the series! (I think there are only three!)

8. The “Froggy” books, select titles by Jonathon London. I do not love every book in this series, but some of them are too beloved in our home to not include on the list. Incidentally, the one pictured I do not recommend. Take a hard look at it and you can see why I opted to not read it three days before our beach “sleepover” vacation. Anyway, the titles that I love are the sports ones – plays soccer, plays t-ball…and a few others like “Day With Dad” and “Bakes a Cake.”

9. Curious George! Who could forget George? I can’t think of a “George” book we haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. {Slight rant, though…Moderately annoying that George is a little naughty, yet always saves the day. I try to downplay that theme and add in extra lines like, “…but when George got home he didn’t get to play Battleship because he made such a mess with that paint, etc. etc. Isn’t that sad?”}

10. Count on Golf by Susan Greene. If your little one has any interest in golf, what a great book to teach counting, and golf equipment. It has a cute rhyme, too. I believe the writer is local to my area, so I’m not sure of availability in libraries. I do recommend for purchase, though, if you have a golf lover!

11. “Harry the Dog” books by Gene Zion. We’ve loved “Harry the Dirty Dog,” and the other books in the series are great, too. They’re even in Spanish! 🙂

12. How to Hide a Crocodile, and other books in this series by Ruth Heller. These are brilliant! Perfect rhyme and rhythm (rolls right off your tongue), and a great concept…Kids try to spot the animals camouflaged in their surroundings.

13. “Horton Hears a Who” and “Horton Hatches an Egg. by Dr. Seuss. Both of these are thoroughly entertaining, but teach excellent lessons.

14. “Katy and the Big Snow” by Virginia Lee Burton. Cute read about a persevering snowplow. We don’t see many real, live snow plows…so we enjoy a good book about one.

15. “Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel” by Virginia Lee Burton. This book by the same author as “Katy,” is a classic for good reason. What a great story. My boys love this one!

16. “My First Little House Books.” I was so glad to find these beginner series of the “Little House on the Prairie” books. I love the concept of the original series for my kids, and can’t wait to read them, but the topics were a bit mature for Sam, and he got somewhat lost in the descriptions. I’m glad to expose him to these characters, and this time period, in a beginner fashion.

17. The Island of the Skog, by Steven Kellogg. I included this for those little guys with imaginations. You know if you have one. My little nephew Jack, who’s four,  just loves this whimsical story…probably because it has so much fantasy in it. I’m pretty sure he would love “Lord of the Rings,” too if his parents read him that. And also, understand it. But that’s another post. 🙂

18. “You Are Special,” Max Lucado. Oh, what a precious book to teach the value of each little life! Bet you could dust this one off in junior high and high school and still soak up the timeless truths.

19. “Little Bear” stories by Elise Minerek. Little Bear, and his friends, are extremely endearing characters. I love these little books. The only disclaimer I have, though, is that we tend to skip over the stories with goblins, fairies, etc. because of some of these descriptions were a bit scary for Sam.

20. The “Teddy” Books by Alison Reynolds. These are very simple. Nothing earth-shattering. But at the same time, they are remarkable in the simple ways they teach sharing, manners, and courage.

*Pin this list with the button below, & check out the 20 great books for boys printable to carry along to the library!

If you liked this, you’d love “How To Not Lose All Your Library Books!”

This post is linked up to Christian Mommy Blogger’s Fellowship Friday.

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