What is the _loveliest_ children's book you have ever read?

[lisalisa]

My personal favourite in the "loveliest" stakes is Lulie the Iceberg. Every time I read it with my dcs we are captivated by the beautiful art work and vibrant colours and the depth and breadth of description of Lulie the Iceberg's journey from the Artic to Antartica as well as the sheer variety of wildlife all beatifully illustrated.

It is a real feel good book and not only entertains and marvels but also sparks questions and discussions with dcs about geography and animals.

Quite the loveliest book I have seen and shared with my dcs......

What is yours?

I second Oliver Jeffers, we love him in this house!

oh me too - can hardly type for tears. Thanks Reality. That really was lovely.

WE had the video of Owl babies ( as well as the book). Ds2 loved to watch it and waited anxiously for the end when mummy came back.

i recognise a theme here - waiting for mummy to come back/find mummy. Must be a recognised pressure point for a young child.

Someday by Alison Meghee and Peter H. Reynold.

Absolutely gorgeous especially for those with daughters. I've read it so many times and still well up.

I second Oliver Jeffers too but I agree my absolute favourite is 'No Matter What' as it sums up what I feel about ds.

the last few paragraphs of that #i'll love you forever' are CREEPY.

peepo and snail and the whale for me.

well that's made me cry-don't think I could read that to the dds!would be sobbing away.I can't look at the cover of owl babies as I had terrible morning sickness when I first bought it and even the sight of it still makes me nauseous.

The Dancing Tiger by Malachy Doyle is a lovely dreamy book.

EEK! I loathe 'love you forever'

Imagine being the wife of that man, whose mum breaks into your house to rock your husband and croon that he is her baby. Double EEK!

MUCH prefer 'No matter what' or even 'Guess how much I love you'

shudder! yes pixie

think its a marketing ploy aimed at women with hormones!

The Baby who wouldn't go to bed. It's so beautifully drawn, and a teeny bit scary.

We have a lovely book called 'The Colours of Us' by Karen Katz. I would recommend it to anybody, but especially those with mixed race children. It is a lovely celebration of different shades of skin colour, with gorgeous illustrations. My almost 4 yr old DS loves it.

Another vote for Peepo

peepo is nice but no way 'lovliest'

Peepo here too.DS1 21m insists on having that every night as one his bedtime stories.

Oliver Jeffers books are lovely.
DH and DS also love the Hairy McLary books. they are fun and the rhythm of them is great.

My Many Coloured Days written by Dr Seuss but illustrated by two (three?) different artists commissioned by his wife after his death I think. Beautiful beautiful book and lovely for talking about moods, feeling sad, etc. And I even love the front and back pages which are just painted blocks of colour.

Ria surely that is subjective? I find the illustrations "lovely" because they remind me of my grandparents houses when I was growing up.

Hoggie. It's out of print now and I have been searching for a copy for years. It was published in the 1930s, I think, and it's about a naughty fairy who gets turned into a pig because he's so greedy

catweazle- the music box on the stand on the landing upstairs in the penultimate picture.... my Great Auntie had exactly the same one when I was a little girl.
Yes- I find knowing his life story (adopted) also makes the book very poignant.

Love you forever!!! My mum brought it back from a holiday in Canada. I have read it to my boys - all 4 of them! In June I passed it onto my firstborn (now 27 years old) so he could read it to his firstborn (my first grandchild). I asked him had he read it to his little boy and he said he couldnt read it because it made him sob

I vote for Slinky Malinki because its like reading music and so cheerful and We're going on a bear hunt because i Love how the family snuggle up in bed together at the end. But actually there are thousands and very hard to pick just one favourite.

In reality my favourites are the ones each dc particularly loved. For dd that was One Duck Stuck, for ds it is There's A house Inside My Mummy and well ds2 is yet to do anything other than chew the books.

All the Julia Donaldsons
The Big Big Sea, In the Middle of the Night and There are Giants in our House, by MArtin Waddell
Can't you sleep little bear?
Peepo
The Little Postman
Oh the Places You'll Go, by Dr Seuss
Dear Zoo

Oh and so many more!

Oh I forgot I bought a relaxation book for my daughter when she was a bit anxious at night called The Boy and the Bear which teaches yogic type breathing. It is really simple and lovely and was a beautiful book to read together. I reommend it to anyone whose dcs are a bit anxious at night.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey - read it and weep

When Jessie came across the sea

But as DS is only 2.8, our current loveliest book is The Man whose Mother was a Pirate