I don’t quite remember when I first learned how to read, but I remember the feeling that came with being able to look at those weird squiggly lines and realizing that they formed words. My mom took my sister and I to the library every week during the summer for Miss Michele’s sing-along, and if you checked out a certain number of books, you got to pick a prize from the treasure chest. Needless to say, we always checked out the proper number of books, and I had a sizable collection of picture books at home. Here are some books that my parents and I loved to read together:

Franklin the Turtle

Many children’s books feature anthropomorphic animals, and I remember loving to read about theadventuresof Franklin and his animal friends. When Nick Jr. turned it into a cartoon with such a catchy theme song (“Hey it’s Franklin, coming over to play!), my four-year-old self couldn’t have been any happier.

Curious George

There was never a more naughty and mischievous protagonist than a monkey named George. My mom and I had this tradition where she would say, “George was curious,” and I would reply, “very, very curious!” Interesting fact: Hans Augusto Rey and his wife, Margaret, the authors of Curious George were German Jews who were forced to flee Nazi-occupied Paris on bicycles, and among their few possessions was an illustrated manuscript of Curious George. The book series became a major motion picture as well as a television show on PBS.

Chrysanthemum

One of my favorite lesser-known children’s book authors was Kevin Henkes, who wrote books in the 90s featuring young mice, like Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse, Owen, Shelia Rae the Brave, and my all-time favorite Chrysanthemum. I love how this book celebrates originality and shows children how bad bullying is as well as how to combat teasing.

Frog and Toad

Even though they are still picture books, I liked the Frog and Toad series because they were slightlymore difficult then regular children’s stories since they had actual “chapters.” My favorite quote that best explains my life is, “’We must stop eating!’ cried Toad, as he ate another,” from “Cookies,” from Frog and Toad Together.

Thank You, Mr. Falker

When I was in elementary school, Patricia Polacco came as a visiting author, and I loved her unusual illustration style and found her story inspirational. She came from a family where reading was cherished, but she herself was unable to read until age 14 because she had dyslexia. In addition to Thank You, Mr. Falker, I enjoyed Thunder Cake, Keeping Quilt, Rechenka’s Eggs, and Mrs. Katz and Tush.

Strega Nona

Tomie dePaola is the author of more than 200 childrens books, many of which he illustrated, and has won the prestigious Caldecott Award and the Newberry Medal of Honor. Many of his books feature elements of his Italian heritage, my favorite being Strega Nona, which is about an elderly woman, the title character, with a magic pasta pot and her helper, who almost causes the pot to make so much pasta that it floods the entire town.

Arthur’s Eyes

Arthur is one of the most beloved children’s book series of all time, and has been a television show on PBS for two decades. The Arthur books are about an anthropomorphic aardvark and his family and friends, and the series deals with thematic elements such as bullying, friendship, class struggles, and school life. I think Arthur’s Eyes is my favorite, because when I was in kindergarten, I had to start wearing glasses, and my teacher showed this episode to the class to make sure no one would make fun of me.

Dorrie and the Haunted Schoolhouse

The Dorrie series is about a little witch named Dorrie and her cat, Glink, and there are twenty books in all featuring mainly black and white illustrations. These were some of my favorite books to check out from the library, and my dad and I loved to read them together, our favorite being Dorrie and the Haunted Schoolhouse. Unfortunately, they are very hard to find because they are no longer in print.

Goodnight Moon

And finally, my absolute favorite bedtime book was Goodnight Moon. It had a really awesome rhyme scheme, and I always tried to find the little mouse on every page. I wasn't really one hundred percent sure why there was an old lady saying "hush" in the bedroom and why we were supposed to say "goodnight" to a bowl of mush, but this story is a classic nontheless.