So many excellent books, so little time... Please enjoy this list of books to stir the heart and encourage the soul, which our family has dug into and savored over the years. Please note, some of these books contain content that will not be appropriate for all readers.
Board Books
Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton
But Not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
Flip, Flap, Fly by Phyllis Root
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins
The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Let's Make Rabbits by Leo Lionni
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
Sheila Rae's Peppermint Stick by Kevin Henkes
Snoozers by Sandra Boynton
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
Snuggle Puppy! by Sandra Boynton
Uh-Oh, Calico! by Karma Wilson
Picture Books
All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan
Always Copycub by Richard Edwards
Bear Wants More by Karma Wilson
Bedhead by Margie Palatini
Beekeepers by Linda Oatman High
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Canoeing by Laurie Lattig-Ehlers
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
Dimity Duck by Jane Yolen
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D.B. Johnson
How Are You Peeling? by Saxon Freymann
The Incredible Peepers of Penelope Budd by Marie Karns
Just Me and My Dad by Mercer Mayer
Kiss Goodnight, Sam by Amy Hest
The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs by William Joyce
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don & Audrey Wood
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Little Whistle by Cynthia Rylant
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story by Sam Lloyd
Niccolini's Song by Chuck Wilcoxen
Old Bear by Jane Hissey
Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel
Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
Russell the Sheep by Rob Scotton
Silent Night: The Song and Its Story by Margaret Hodges
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg
Thing-Thing by Cary Fagan
Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey
The Unbeatable Bread by Lyn Littlefield Hoopes
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Where Have the Unicorns Gone? by Jane Yolen
Winter Lights: A Season in Poems & Quilts by Anna Grossnickle Hines
Leveled Readers / Easy Chapters
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
Little Lights by Catherine MacKenzie
Mercy Watson by Kate DiCamillo
Mr. Putter & Tabby by Cynthia Rylant
Nate the Great by Marjorie Sharmat
Small Pig by Arnold Lobel
Chapter Series
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol
The Green Ember by S.D. Smith
The Guardians by William Joyce
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Mary Rose Wood
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
The Melendy Quartet by Elizabeth Enright
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Paddington by Michael Bond
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
Poppy by Avi
Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Tales of Magic by Edward Eager
The Vanderbeekers by Karina Yan Glaser
The Wilderking Trilogy by Jonathan Rogers
The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson
The Wolves Chronicles by Joan Aiken
Chapter Standalone
The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Henry and the Chalk Dragon by Jennifer Trafton
The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling
Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards
Masterpiece by Elise Broach
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton
A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements
The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid by Colin Meloy
Young Adult Series
100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
National Parks Mystery Series by Aaron Johnson
Redwall by Brian Jacques
The Time Quintet by Madeleine L'Engle
Young Adult Standalone
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings