a few of my favorite book series for kiddos.

As a children's librarian, I'm always finding new favorite kids' books and book series. A few in particular have really stolen my heart, and I will absolutely be making sure many of their books are in frequent rotation for Baby Epic. Here are a few of my favorites:

Charlie and Lola.

I can't even begin to describe how adorable (but not sickeningly sweet by any means) these books are. The mixed media illustrations, ADORABLE, childlike way these little Brit characters speak, and the perfectly silly and appealing-to-little-person themes are all right up my alley. These definitely make enjoyable reads for grownups and kiddos. (And there are cartoon adaptations of many of the stories on DVD, which are awesomely done!)

Max and Ruby.

Max and Ruby have a ton of books out there, and they're fun, nicely short stories that are perfect for busy kiddos with short attention spans. The series includes board books for younger kids as well as longer picture books for them to grow into. Ruby, the older sister bunny, is always super bossy, while Max, the younger brother, is always creating messes and mischief, which makes for very cute, silly stories. These characters also have their own cartoons, and while I wouldn't say they're super educational, they are likewise short and sweet at about 10 minutes per episode--I feel like they're very appropriate for early screen-time partakers.

Skippyjon Jones.

I guess I have a thing for the silly. Skippyjon Jones is certainly no exception--he's a Siamese cat who thinks he's a chihuahua, and he's always getting into some sort of outlandish make-believe mayhem when he's alone in his room! My favorite way to experience these books with kids is to get the version that comes with the CD of the author reading it and have them listen to her as they follow along in the book--she does the BEST voices for her characters and makes it very exciting. Skippyjon also has his own board books for littler ones, which are too cute.

Aside from these, I also love old classics like Curious George and Clifford, and my new favorite picture book author is Oliver Jeffers--you HAVE to check out some of his books. Ones I'm not a big fan of include the Berenstain Bears (too preachy) and Dora the Explorer (waaayyy annoying).

Well, that's just a few of many. I'll have to write about more favorites another time!