1. Oh, The Places You'll Go
“Out there things can happen, and frequently do,
To people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don't worry, don't stew.
Just go right along, you'll start happening too!”
Of course this classic book was the first to come to mind when thinking of children’s books everyone should read at least once. If you read this over and over through out your life, particular passages will start to speak louder than others, which is what makes Dr. Seuss such a timeless and profound voice.
Most of all, this is an honest book. Many children’s books use metaphor and silliness to mask the greater picture, but Dr. Seuss is absolutely direct without losing his down to earth voice and good-natured humor. With his colorful illustrations and classic rhyme structure, this should be required reading for all college freshmen.
2. Harold And The Purple Crayon
“He didn’t want to get lost in the woods.
So he made a very small forest, with just
one tree in it.
It turned out to be an apple tree...
So he put a frightening dragon under the
tree to guard the apples”
A favorite of artists and creatives, Harold is a cherub boy who sets out on a journey armed with a purple crayon, keeping his wits about him while drawing himself out of problems and into solutions. This is a great little book to help cultivate the roots of creative invention, as well as thinking outside the box to find your way home. Read this when you’re inspiration to write a dull essay is dry and you need a little kick to perform creative gymnastics.
3. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
“If food dropped like rain from the sky, wouldn't it be marvelous! Or would it? It could, after all, be messy. And you'd have no choice. What if you didn't like what fell? Or what if too much came? Have you ever thought of what it might be like to be squashed flat by a pancake?”
Even though the movie it's based on is widely recognized, the 1982 picture book is far better at exploring this insightful and creative concept. How much is too much of a good thing? Are the perfect worlds we think up as perfect as they seem?
While we spend so much time in college talking about how things could be better, it’s healthy to sit down with a book that illustrates how having everything you want isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be.
4. Open House For Butterflies
“If I had a tail
I wouldn’t be a lion
I might eat too many
people and then I’d get sick.
If I had a tail I’d give it to someone who needs it.
If I had a tail I’d pull my wagon
with it while picking flowers.”
While Maurice Sendak is well known for Where the Wild Things Are, one of the most popular children’s books of the twenty-first century, he played an integral role in many other children’s books, one of which was this 1960 collaboration with Ruth Krauss.
Krauss’s poetic words paired Sendak’s nostalgic illustrations offer an ode to friendship, imagination, and childhood joy. This is a great rainy day sort of book to read when the pressures of adulthood are weighing you down.
5. Go The F*ck To Sleep
“The eagles who soar through the sky are at rest
And the creatures who crawl, run, and creep.
I know you’re not thirsty. That’s bullshit. Stop lying.
Lie the fuck down, my darling, and sleep.”
Ok, this is not a children’s book, rather a fun coffee table book and conversation starter. You’ll find yourself reflecting on cheesy nighttime books you read as a kid, and it’s twice as hilarious if you spent young adulthood babysitting and fighting to shout this clever title at difficult kids.
6. The Giving Tree
“... and she loved the boy very, very much-- even more than she loved herself.”
Shel Silverstein is a prolific poet and writer in his own right, and this timeless book has touched the hearts of millions. If you haven’t read it, I’d highly recommend finding yourself a copy--and a box of tissues. Pick up this meditation on love, thankfulness, and generosity every so often to bring you back to your roots (pun intended) and use as a guide to find ways to give back to those who gave you so much.
7. Horton Hears A Who!
"While Horton chased after,
with groans over stones,
That tattered his toenails
and battered his bones,
He begged, "Please don't
harm all my little folks, who
have as much right to live
as us bigger folks do!"
Another book widely recognized for its movie adaptation, Horton Hears a Who and its cousin, Horton Hatches an Egg, follow the story of an elephant who helps the helpless despite his community telling him he’s wrong, because “a person’s a person, no matter how small.”
In college it’s easy to bend to authority and engage in groupthink with your peers. The Horton books are indispensable reminders to stay true to your beliefs, no matter how much people try to change you.
