Why am I passionate about this?

As a curious Pratt Institute art school professor and loving parent of a daughter who has also written and/or illustrated sixteen children’s books I want to share my favorite books with other children’s book connoisseurs. It also helps that I have lots of opinions. Too many to count. And when someone actually wants to listen to my opinions I get very excited. I’m hoping one of my favorites becomes one of your favorites. 


I wrote

Book cover of Wiggle

What is my book about?

Do you wake up with a wiggle? Do you wiggle out of bed?

For energetic toddlers (are there any…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Caps for Sale

Scott Menchin Why did I love this book?

A ridiculous, hysterical old tale of a hat salesman who loses his hats to a bunch of monkeys and has to find a way to get them back.

I use to imitate the salesman and the monkeys while reading this book to my young daughter with a heavy Italian accent. I had more fun reading it out loud than any other book I’ve read. 

By Esphyr Slobodkina,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Caps for Sale as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Caps for Sale is a timeless classic beloved by millions...one of the most popular picture books ever published! Children will delight in following the peddler's efforts to outwit the monkeys and will ask to read it again and again. Caps for Sale is an excellent easy-to-read book that includes repetition, patterns, and colors, perfect for early readers. This tale of a peddler and a band of mischievous monkeys is filled with warmth, humor, and simplicity and also teaches children about problem and resolution.


Book cover of Rotten Island

Scott Menchin Why did I love this book?

This book by the author of Shrek and one of my favorite artist/authors is a story of an island inhabited by crazy awful disgusting creatures and how they make it a terrible rotten island until nature takes hold and corrects all that.

A great book when thinking about our planet and environment. And the artwork is magnificent.  

By William Steig,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Rotten Island as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What would happen if every creature on land and sea were free to be as rotten as possible? If every day was a free-for-all; if plants grew barbed wire; if the ocean were poison? That's life on Rotten Island. For creatures that slither, creep, and crawl (not to mention kick, bite, scratch, and play nasty tricks on each other), Rotten Island is paradise. But then, on a typically rotten day, something truly awful happens. Something that could spoil Rotten Island forever. Out of a bed of gravel on the scorched earth, a mysterious, beautiful flower begins to grow...


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Book cover of Hotel Oscar Mike Echo

Hotel Oscar Mike Echo By Linda MacKillop,

Home isn’t always what we dream it will be.

Eleven-year-old Sierra just wants a normal life. After her military mother returns from the war overseas, the two hop from home to homelessness while Sierra tries to help her mom through the throes of PTSD.

When they end up at a…

Book cover of Psssst! It's Me...The Bogeyman

Scott Menchin Why did I love this book?

This book is illustrated by an artist friend and I also used to read this book to my daughter. But this time with the accent of a Bogeyman. A deep scary voice.

The writing is smart and flows gracefully as the author teaches us about the true nature of scary things that lurk in the night.  

By Barbara Park, Stephen Kroninger (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Psssst! It's Me...The Bogeyman as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Written in the first-person voice of a creepy-crawly, blood-chilling, spine-tingling Bogeyman who lives under the bed, a novelist's debut picture book reveals the scary guy's secrets in order to clear his name.


Book cover of The Conquerors

Scott Menchin Why did I love this book?

One of my all time favorites and not very well known, this remarkable book deals with a very grown-up topic, war, in such an innocent and simple way that it is somehow a perfect children’s book.

How does one conquering group get taken over by the people they are trying to conquer? Read it and find out! Created by the man who created Elmer the Patchwork Elephant.  

By David McKee,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Conquerors as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

There once was a large country that was ruled by a General. The General would take his army and attack all the countries around him until they were conquered. Eventually, there was only one small country left to conquer. However, this one did not resist but welcomed the soldiers - leading to a quite unexpected result!


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Book cover of Haven

Haven By Valerie Biel,

Taking only what they can quickly pack, 11-year-old Mardella and her mom secretly move away from their abusive home to start a fresh life in Haven, MN. But Mardella’s sure she's to blame—if only she hadn’t dialed 911, her dad wouldn’t be in jail, her mom wouldn't have been fired,…

Book cover of Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue

Scott Menchin Why did I love this book?

This classic teaches a bored child why it’s important to care.

With brilliant rhyming by the man who created Where The Wild Things Are along with a lion, this child learns a lesson that will never be forgotten. A helpful parenting tool for all overburdened mothers and fathers

By Maurice Sendak,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Pierre as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

A story
with a moral air
about Pierre,
who learned
to care.


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of Wiggle

What is my book about?

Do you wake up with a wiggle? Do you wiggle out of bed?

For energetic toddlers (are there any who aren't?), here's a book that invites them to wiggle along with the story. Told in rollicky, wiggly rhyme that begs to be read again and again, Doreen Cronin's latest romp will have toddlers wiggling, giggling, and then (hopefully) falling into bed, blissfully exhausted!

Book cover of Caps for Sale
Book cover of Rotten Island
Book cover of Psssst! It's Me...The Bogeyman

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5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in monkey, war, and islands?

Monkey 18 books
War 2,078 books
Islands 89 books