Your favorite kids' books that no one else has heard of

[citymama]

Oh man, these are great! Thanks for the link to the older thread, too. I will confess we have about half of the books mentioned here. We have a pretty giant library. Not a Box and Interrupting Chicken in particular are favorites! And all the Beatrix Potters, known and lesser known.

I will add a few more:
Diary of a Wombat and sequels
Josephine wants to dance (similar to Giraffes Can't Dance, but better, I think)
Billy Twitters and his Blue Whale Problem
Brontorina
Zen Shorts (but skip Zen Ties, much more overt moralizing)
Henry Builds a Cabin and Henry Hikes to Fitchburg (about a bear based on Henry Thoreau)
Fred and Ted Go Camping (and Learn to Fly) - written by PD Eastman's son as sequels to Big Dog, Little Dog, one of my favorite kids books ever
The Bear who loved Puccini
I love Pirate Girl but my DD doesn't!
I also love One Moose, Twenty Mice and lots of other Barefoot books but I don't consider these so out there since many people have them. If you don't, definitely look for Clara Beaton's Barefoot Books!
The Bear who loved Puccini

anything by Charlotte Zolotow. Her books are a treasure.

I've never heard of her. Is there one in particular you would suggest, especially one that lacks any scary or sappy themes? We never read the sappy books here and Dd1 in particular can't take an ounce of scary.

This was my favorite when the boys were younger: http://www.amazon.com/How-Kind-Mary-...3580409&sr=8-1

Bingo! I need a book like this. We have a lot of witty, sassy books (and at least one sassy kid) but we need more "nice" ones to encourage good behavior.

A few books that we love that are not very common:
Cake Girl
http://www.amazon.com/Cake-Girl-Davi...3553099&sr=1-1

This looks intriguing - not scary at all? David Lucas' other books look really good too.

DD loves this Zoom book. It's a trilogy about an adventurous cat, with beautiful illustrations.
http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-Tim-Wynne...pd_sim_sbs_b_1

This looks terrific! Is there one in particular you would recommend of the trilogy?

When You Were Small by Sara O'Leary:
http://www.amazon.com/When-Were-Smal...3593704&sr=1-1

Adding to my cart! Yay Canucks!

[ett]

If you're looking for vintage books this is a great blog.

http://www.vintagechildrensbooksmykidloves.com/

[elbenn]

Citymama, to answer your question, Cake Girl is not scary. It is about a witch that creates a cake girl for her birthday and she plans on eating her, but the cake girl becomes her friend and teaches her how to be a friend. It's very sweet.

[lowrioh]

Love these books
A Squash and a Squeeze http://www.amazon.com/Squash-Squeeze...mm_pap_title_0
Tiger who Came to Tea http://www.amazon.com/The-Tiger-Who-...3640522&sr=1-1
Mog the Forgetful Cat http://www.amazon.com/Mog-Forgetful-...ref=pd_sim_b_1
Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo http://www.amazon.com/Never-Ever-Sho...3640572&sr=1-1
Little old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Lad...3640631&sr=1-1
(this one might be more well known)

[Momit]

These two are really sweet and DC like them, too:

http://www.amazon.com/Someday-Alison...3592590&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Boy-Ali..._bxgy_b_text_b

I LOVE her stuff (for kids and for adults). I can't get through "Someday" without getting a little teary eyed. DS pats my face and says "It's ok."

She has another one called "Always" about a little dog and one called "Countdown to Kindergarten" that's cute, too.

[billysmommy]

DH and his sister loved "Oh Were They Ever Happy" when they were little. SIL gave us a copy a few years ago and it's one of the boys favorites

http://www.amazon.com/Oh-Were-They-E.../dp/0385244770

[mommyp]

From the Zoom trilogy, I'd recommend Zoom at Sea or Zoom Away (Zoom at Sea is the first one so that's when he first meets his friend Maria). Zoom Upstream is a little spooky (so your DD1 might not like it as well) since Zoom has to rescue Maria but it ends well. My DD is fascinated by it. Thanks for starting this thread, we are always looking for great new books here too!

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

Helga's Dowry (still have mine from my childhood). It has a strong female character.
http://www.amazon.com/Helgas-Dowry-T...3690504&sr=8-1

Cloudette
http://www.amazon.com/Cloudette-Tom-...8&sr=1-1-spell


Forever Friends
http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Friend...3690630&sr=1-1

Only One You-BEAUTIFUL and from a really nice local author. Very positive!
http://www.amazon.com/Only-One-You-L...3690698&sr=1-1

[hellbennt]

The Red Wolf by Margaret Shannon

Brave Little Monster by Geoffrey Hayes

Serious Trouble by Arthur Howard

[boolady]

The Circus Ship, by Chris Van Dusen. Great rhyming story based loosely on a true story, about acceptance, being kind to animals, and fun, all at the same time. Probably not for those looking to see a circus owner painted in a positive light.