Everyone remembers their favorite book from their childhood – mine was “Are You My Mother?” and I still love it. Children’s books pack a huge message, occasionally. Here are a few that you should read now because the message is just too good.
1. "Giraffes Can't Dance" by Giles Andreae
This book is precious. A giraffe tries to join in on the Jungle Dance, but he gets ridiculed because he is clumsy. Luckily, he finds a little cricket that tells him, “sometimes when you’re different, you just need a different song.” Gerald the giraffe then finds his own way, and dances up a storm, making the other animals stare in awe. Gerald’s last remark was simple and sweet: “we all can dance when we find music that we love.”
2. "The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry, Old Grover" by Jon Stone
This book’s story is simple – there is a monster at the end of the book, and Grover doesn’t want the readers to turn the page. He builds walls, ties the pages together, and even begs the reader to “please, please, please” stay on the page. When the reader finally gets to the end, the monster is just Grover, and he is totally embarrassed. This book makes the readers explore language, because of the complex structure of every sentence in the book. It also makes readers understand how exciting literature can be!
3. "The Shape of Me and Other Stuff" by Dr. Seuss
We all know that Dr. Seuss never wrote a book without meaning, and this is no exception. This book is a silly, rhyming, word-fun book that talking about different things and their different shapes, “no shapes are ever quite alike, just think about the shape of beans, and flowers, and mice, and big machines!” The goal here is to make sure the reader loves the “shape of me” and understand that it is okay to look different, because “of all the shapes we might have been, I say ‘Hooray!” for the shapes that we’re in.”
4. "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak
This book is packed with adventure, imagination, and a mother’s love. When little Max gets in trouble and is sent to bed without dinner, he goes off to where the wild things are, and lives in an amazing adventure. While this amazing and complex adventure was all really a dream, it teaches readers that having an imagination can save you from the tough or boring times in life. At the end, he wakes up to realize his mom has saved him a hot dinner, which is a huge statement about a mother’s love.
5. "Love You Forever" by Robert Munsch
While this story is odd if taken literally, it is the ultimate story about the love between a son and a mother. The story follows the life of a little boy being raised by his mother, and how their roles reversed to him taking care of her in old age. The story was written by Munsch after his wife gave birth to their two children, and they were both stillborn. The story itself is an amazing, heartfelt piece, but when you know the author’s meaning behind it, it becomes so much more special.