I've Heard Reading to Kids Is Good for Them

If you've sick of reading the same books to your kids every night (and you DO read to them every night, right?), or if you're at the bookstore and don't know which tomes are better than others (a Jeff Foxworthy-penned poetry book that Jackson has is particularly abysmal), then you should check out the lists from Parents magazine of the best books for babies and toddlers.

The number-one books on each list: Pat the Bunny and The Very Hungry Category. Hard to disagree. There are a few books I've never heard of, though admittedly I'm not up-to-speed with the hottest books around.

I like that two Leslie Patricelli books made the list, but I have to recommended the neglected The Biggest Thing in the Ocean, which is a large, colorful tale about a squid who thinks he's all that. Spoiler alert: he gets swallowed by a whale, but he takes it all in stride! Read more...