The Seven Best Books to Read with Your Child

Here is a list of some great stories you and your child will love:

1. The Caboose Who Got Loose by Bill Peet

   If your little one enjoys trains, this is a wonderful story of a caboose who is unhappy with her life at the end of the train.

2. Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle, Glenn Murray and Audrey Colman

   Yes, it's a crude title and subject, but the story is well-written and you can't help but love Walter.

3. My Big Dog by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel

   Merl, a cat who is set in his way, is miffed when a new puppy is added to the household. The characters are so real...these writers definitely understand cats and dogs and the people who think they own them.

4. Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles and Rod Clement

   "Edward the emu was sick of the zoo,
   There was nowhere to go, there was nothing to do,
   And compared to the seals that lived right next door,
   Well being an emu was frankly a bore." That's the beginning of Edward the Emu and the rest is as good or even better. It's a great story about being who you are.

5. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

   This is a short, hilarious tale about what happens when cows start making demands of the farmer and are willing to go to great lengths until he addresses their grievances.

6. The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant and Stephen Gammell

   Such a well-written book deserves to be read again and again to youngsters, although the adults may enjoy it as much or more than the kiddos.

7. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss

   It's a lot of reading and there are some rather grim scenes, but it's still a great story that keeps the attention of both young and old.

If any of these books have been missed by your radar when looking for great children's books, pick up one or two and give them a read with your favorite five-year-old child and be prepared for many requests to "read it again."