Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel
Adam Rubin · Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Time travel, taco-based paradoxes, and pages where dragons burn everything down. Kids go feral for the fire pages. Zero nutritional value. Absolutely worth it.
Because life's too short
for bad bedtime stories.
I've read Goodnight Moon approximately four thousand times. I've performed The Very Hungry Caterpillar with the enthusiasm of a Shakespearean actor. I've pretended to enjoy books about trucks, tractors, and things that go beep.
Somewhere around reading number three thousand, I started keeping notes. Which books make me want to fake my own death at 7pm? Which ones am I genuinely happy to read for the hundredth time? Which ones have I "accidentally" lost behind the sofa?
This is the list. No sponsored content. No "educational value" ratings. Just one exhausted parent's honest opinion on what's actually worth reading to your kids.
The Lists
Best Books for Toddlers
Ages 1-3. Board books and simple stories that survive being chewed, thrown, and demanded forty-seven times before breakfast.
Kids Books That Don't Suck
Ages 3+. Picture books that are actually well-written. For parents who've suffered through enough clunky rhymes and ham-fisted morals.
Recent Additions
The Snail and the Whale
Julia Donaldson · Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Perfect rhymes, gorgeous ocean spreads, and a tiny snail who saves the day. I've read it hundreds of times and I still feel something. Donaldson is basically a wizard.
Knuffle Bunny
Mo Willems
Cartoons over real Brooklyn photos, capturing exactly what it's like when your toddler goes boneless in public. If you've decoded 'AGGLE FLAGGLE KLABBLE' as a complete thought, this one's for you.
All recommendations are genuine. Affiliate links help keep the coffee flowing. I only recommend books I'd actually read to my own kids—which is a bar higher than you'd think.