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Imagine Kids say the darndest things bound into a picture book. And imagine that the illustrations were done in the most charming fashion by Maurice Sendak. And voilà! You have the wonderful, whimsical and purse-sized A Hole Is to Dig. Your child will giggle with delight when you read these wacky definitions together.

Perfect for: Kids who like classics.

Find at your local library.

Young readers who love dirty, noisy construction equipment will enjoy this backhoe loader’s story of a dirty work day. Along with entertaining information about backhoe work comes onomatopoeia, alliteration and even some counting.

Perfect for: Kids who like science and nature.

Find at your local library.

Audrey Wood has created a hilarious read aloud. Children of all ages can relate to the fact that King Bidgood is having so much fun in his bathtub that he does not want to get out! Yet, who will run the kingdom? The rhythmic, repetitious writing simply begs for children to chant along, “King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub, and he won’t get out!”

Perfect for: Kids who like humor stories.

Find at your local library.

This gentle, rhyming story about a boy who is a regular visitor to the king and queen is sure to be one of your child’s favorites. Each time he goes for a visit, he politely asks to bring a friend. Each time the king and queen tell him that any friend of his is welcome — though his choice of friends will surprise and amuse your child.

Perfect for: Kids who like creative solutions.

Find at your local library.

Books that encourage a child to interact with the text are the perfect way to foster a love of reading. In Monkey and Me, a little girl and her toy monkey love to imitate animals. The book employs a rhyming refrain and charming illustrations that encourage the reader to play along. Start by reading Monkey and Me together and be amazed when you see your child reading it alone again and again.

Perfect for: Kids who like humor stories.

Find at your local library.

A simple rhyming, repetitive text accompanies this collection of reproductions of 16 works by famous painters. (“No one saw hay like Claude Monet. No one saw fish like Paul Klee.”) In addition to serving as an introduction to some of the world’s greatest artists, this book also communicates the point that people see the world in many different ways. This book would be a great read before a first trip to the art museum.

Perfect for: Kids who like art.

Find at your local library.

Children will delight in this rhythmic text while counting the days that lead up to the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. Both Pilgrim and Wampanoag boys and girls prepare for the feast. Students get a taste of history in an entertaining way. Though the book does not highlight the many hardships the Pilgrims and Indians faced, it does illustrate the valuable lesson of working together.

Perfect for: Kids who like historical fiction.

Find at your local library.

Starting with page one and steaming right on through the entire tale to the last delicious delightful sentence, DeFelice has the structure and rhythm of folkloric language down pat. “Mr. and Mrs. O’Grady were so poor they dug one potato from their little garden every day, called it breakfast, lunch and supper, and considered themselves lucky to have it.” … U’Ren’s droll drawings – the matchstick-thin mister and missus balanced by the plump black pot – are the perfect accompaniment to this tale that begs to be read aloud, shared and shared again.

Perfect for: Kids who like humor stories.

Find at your local library.

A jaunty walk in the rain for a little girl and her perky dog is an opportunity to count from one to 10, and back again, with little raindrops, bare toes and finally the sun. Lively illustrations of spring, rain, earthworms and flowers adorn this refreshing counting book that has “spring” written all over it. Even her grass green rain boots are smiling!

Perfect for: Kids who like science and nature.

Find at your local library.

Have you ever wondered what snowmen do at night? In this hilarious tale, a town full of snowmen embarks on a night of drinking cold cocoa, skating and playing baseball. The perfect rhyming story for a snowy day.

Perfect for: Kids who like humor stories.

Find at your local library.

Readers will chuckle over the thin sheep, the wide sheep, the swing sheep and the slide sheep; the car sheep, the train sheep, the sun sheep and the rain sheep as they search for the elusive green sheep. Simple illustrations and perfect predictable text combine to make an ideal bedtime story with the requisite snuggly ending.

Perfect for: Kids who like humor stories.

Find at your local library.