Top books of 2010

I thought I would share some of our favorite books of the past year. These are the ones that we read over and over and over again.

"Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett — This was a favorite of mine growing up. Reading it again and again must be pay back for making my Mom do the same thing. Will knows many of the pages by heart and can "read" along. Daddy is the top choice to read it because he changes the words around ... the silliness keeps it fresh for Will.

"Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy" by David Soman and Jacky Davis — This arrived in our mailbox from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in March. It's a wonderful FREE program that delivers age-appropriate books to both boys monthly from birth to age 5. Check the Web site to see if your area participates. While not all the books become favorites, they are all quality books that I see again and again on the local bookstores' shelves. "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats showed up this December. I'm glad I didn't buy it when it was in my hand recently.

"Cool Cars and Trucks" by Sean Kenney, a LEGO certified professional. It's a book of LEGO scenes with instructions on how to build them. Santa brought it last Christmas. Will paged through it again and again, quietly in his room. That's the best kind of book for momma! Thoughtfully Santa this year brought Kenney's latest, "Cool Robots."

While Will favors a few books at a time, I can usually talk him into something new to give Mom a break. Joseph though is at the age where repetition is key so we read the same books over and over and over. His favorites for the year were "Big Red Barn," "Goodnight Gorilla," "Big Dog," and "Good Dog Carl." If he is really sleepy, I can sneak in a new read.

For Christmas, Santa brought "Cats A to Z" from the fine folks at Stuff on My Cat. Mommy made a special request from Santa after Joseph loved, loved, loved the book from the library (I find the library a great way to try out books on the boys before shelling out dough). He laughs and laughs at the silly cats. Santa also brought "I Took the Moon for a Walk" by Carolyn Curtis. The illustrations are by Alison Jay who is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Besides the LEGO book, Santa brought Will the hilarious "365 Penguins" by Jean-Luc Fromental and Joelle Jolivet and "In the Town All Year 'Round" by Rotraut Susanne Berner. I can't wait to see if they become favorites in 2011.

Favorites of you or your children in 2010? Page turners for 2011? Please share.