All parents have suffered through a bedtime story that one side of the story party was not enjoying. My daughter always asks for a play book for bedtime which leads to an argument, which leads to her staying up later because of the tears and attempts to bargain for the book on her part. I try to read her off-beat books by some of my favorite authors and she’s bored or doesn’t get the humor or point of the story. That leaves me picking up books that only occasionally interest me, but hold her attention. Just plow through the story. Focus on the goal: kiddo’s bedtime!
This morning I read Drew Magary’s article “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, You’re Fucked: Tips For Avoiding Terrible Children’s Books” and I laughed hard at his comments because I’ve felt them all too. He does uses some colorful metaphors, as Spock would say, but I swear if you’ve ever been stuck reading a bedtime book you couldn’t stand, you’ll understand his vehemence. I don’t agree with his opinions on all the books; I happen to love the “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” books. But I have strong feelings against Dora and Diego though. Those two need to stay the hell home one afternoon and stop running around unsupervised. You can check out the article for yourself here http://deadspin.com/5889376/if-you-give-a-mouse-a-cookie-youre-fucked-10-tips-for-avoiding-terrible-childrens-books
I agree with Mr. Magary books recommendation of the Olivia books, anything by Mo Wilems, and The Gruffalo. My own recommendations would be:
Blueberry Girl and Wolves In the Walls by Neil Gaiman
Farmer Cap by Jill Kalz
The Skippyjon Jones books by Judi Schachner
The Ladybug Girl series by David Soman & Jacky Davis
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book?, Beware of Storybook Wolves, and the Charlie & Lola books by Lauren Child
Live, love, laugh, or Go Crazy 