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Home / Little Grand

LATEST BOOKSHELVES

Viet Thanh Nguyen's Top Ten Books

After emigrating from Vietnam with his parents as a child, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sympathizer and its upcoming sequel The Committed, Viet Thanh Nguyen spent hours immersed at the local public library in rural Pennsylvania, where his family was relocated. "I vividly remember Curious George, Tintin, Encyclopedia Brown and the Hardy Boys," Nguyen recalls. Now, as a father to Ellison, 7, and Simone, 1, Nguyen is revisiting both the classics he remembers from his youth and books he overlooked. "I remember not being attracted to books like Madeline, Babar and Where the Wild Things Are " he says, "whereas I find them more interesting now. Many of these books bear the marks of their time, for good and bad, and I do read some of them with Ellison and try to contextualize them if necessary."  His daughter Simone, meanwhile "can almost say 'book' and has her own library, which she loves to delve into. She picks out favorite books, holds them on her lap, and turns the pages. I’m happy that I’ve developed a culture of reading for them." Though Nguyen is predictably busy as a novelist, the critic-at-large at The Los Angeles Times and a professor of English at the University of Southern California, he makes sure to involve himself in the literary world of his children too. "Although I have a limited interest in the children’s versions of superhero stories that my son loves. But his passion for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Captain Underpants, The Bad Guys, Hilo, and Dogman have brought those books to me, which I think are great. I wish I had had them when I was a kid. They’re great stories and they don’t come with the racial and colonial baggage of the books I had. I’m looking forward to the young adult world of literature that he’ll expose me to." Below are Viet's favorite books, available to purchase individually or as a set.

Viet Thanh Nguyen'S FAVORITE BOOKS

1
A is for Activist

Innosanto Nagara

Memorable, often humorous poems that teach the alphabet through activist political examples. Never too early to expose your children to Justice.

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2
Goodnight Moon

Margaret Wise Brown

Wonderful rhymes and a modernist, surrealist rendition of a childhood bedroom that is so successful it just seems normal.

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3
Superman Smashes the Klan

Gene Leun Lang

Lang updates the Superman origin story with an Asian American, antiracist twist. My 7 year old read it three times in a week.

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4
Baby Beluga

Raffi

The book is based on a song by Raffi that is lovely and memorable, and I like to sing it while I read the book to my children.

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5
Sidekicks

Dan Santat

A graphic novel about a superhero’s pets who are actually superheroes themselves. I love Santat’s visual and narrative style.

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6
Madeline

Ludwig Bemelmans

The French have no idea who this Madeline is and I never read her as a boy, but I’ve come around as an adult.

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7
The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Beatrix Potter

The whimsy and charm of Potter’s story and especially her illustrations are truly timeless. I enjoyed this as a child and my son responds too.

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8
The Adventures of Polo

Regis Faller

Visually inventive and wildly imaginative, this book is all pictures and no words. It’s like Buster Keaton embodied by Snoopy and drawn by Salvador Dali.

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9
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez

Andrea Beaty

We love everything about Andrea Beaty. Her rhyming series about children with amazing futures - which includes Ada Twist, Scientist and Iggy Peck, Architect - is a beacon for our family and, I hope, a preview of the future. And let’s hope we see a woman of color president in our lifetime.

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10
Your Personal Penguin

Sandra Boynton

I love this book or really anything by Sandra Boynton. We have so many of her books. But this one with a song by the Monkees’ Davy Jones is the favorite.

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LATEST BOOKSHELVES

Zoe Lister-Jones's Top Ten Books

Actor and director Zoe Lister-Jones grew up in Park Slope, Brooklyn, way before it was the stroller-crammed Subaru utopia of today. The daughter of two artists, Bill Jones and Ardele Lister, Lister-Jones was weened on the irreverent, brilliant and deeply human aesthetic that marks so much of her work as an actor on shows such as Life in Pieces and New Girl to her own writing in films such as Lola Versus and Band-Aid to her latest, a reboot of the classic horror film, The Craft: Legacy, which Lister-Jones wrote and directed and came out on, naturally, Halloween. Drawing on books her mother read to her and books she’s picked up since this list similarly combines deep heart and humor. Below are Zoe Lister-Jones' favorite children's books, available for purchase individually or as a set.

Zoe Lister-Jones'S FAVORITE BOOKS

1
The Lorax

Dr. Seuss

A fable that highlights the dangers of deforestation and corporate greed? Yes please. Sadly, nearly thirty years later these issues are more pressing than ever, and so little has changed...

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2
Goodnight Moon

Margaret Wise Brown

This was a regular in my childhood, but has come back to haunt me in my adulthood because my friend and former co-star, Colin Hanks, likes to make fun of all the new age rituals I have by saying "Goodnight bone broth, goodnight Chinese herbal supplements, goodnight chickpeas..." You get the gist.

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3
The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Eric Carle

I relate to this caterpillar a lot, and always have. Side note, a lot of body shaming this caterpillar goes through on his way to becoming a butterfly!

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4
The Missing Piece

Shel Silverstein

You know how certain stuff you read or watch when you're little feels too sad for such a little heart, but then you're like it won't hurt so much when I'm big cause I'll be strong, but then you get big and it hurts more? Yeah, this picture book by Shel Silverstein is like that.

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5
The Runaway Bunny

Margaret Wise Brown

Not too long ago I was high with my Mom and we went into a bookstore and found ourselves in the children's section and she read me The Runaway Bunny, which she used to read me when I was a kid. I was super moved because it was so nostalgic. But then we both came to realize that it's a sordid tale about an obsessive mother who refuses to give her bu ...

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6
Intersectionalallies: We Make Room For All

Chelsea Johnson, LaToya Council, and Carolyn Cho

With nine interconnected characters, this book is a wonderful celebration of intersectionality, with a foreword by the brilliant Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, who introduced intersectionality as a concept to the world at large. I don't have children but if I did I would read this to them. I know some adults who should read it too.

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7
Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea

Meena Harris

This is the true story of two little girls who work with their community to effect change, as told by author Meena Harris about her aunt, Senator (and please GODDESS future Vice President) Kamala Harris, and her Mother, Maya, a lawyer and policy expert. Meena is dope, Maya is dope, and OBVIOUSLY VOTE FOR KAMALA.

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8
I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark

Debbie Levy

This picture book wasn’t around when I was a kid but I wish it was. Especially with the reverberations of the loss of RBG books like this, which help present the importance of RBG in an accessible and inspiring way, are so profound and important.

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9
Weetzie Bat

Francesca Lia Block

Ok I know this is not technically a children's book but it is Y.A. The debut novel of Francesca Lia Block, Weetzie Bat is set in a dream like version of L.A., called Shangri-LA and follows Weetzie Bat, a misfit punk rock girl and her gay best friend Dirk. Weetzie ends up getting three wishes, none of which turn out how she imagines. It's super punk ...

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10
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

Judy Blume

Another YA pick but I am my own woman and I don't live by rules. Read this book!

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LATEST BOOKSHELVES

Misty Copeland's Top Ten Books

Misty Copeland, perhaps one of the most iconic ballerinas of all time, didn’t start dancing until she was 13, ancient in ballet terms. Growing up among difficult circumstances in California -- her life story captured in her 2017 memoir Life In Motion -- Copeland didn’t see too many faces like hers among the ranks of the corps de ballet. Nevertheless, she persisted and in 2015 was named the first African-American principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater. “My entire career has been devoted to inclusion, making all people feel welcome in spaces like ballet that hadn't felt open or promising to them in the past,” she says. To that end, in 2020, she turned her story into a children’s book, the New York Times best-selling Bunheads. Along the way, Copeland steeped herself in the world of children’s literature.“Each of these books speaks to the spirit of inclusion and the celebration of diversity, told through the lenses of truly dynamic characters and voices. I hope that as you delve into each book's pages, you'll come away with a renewed appreciation for the humanity in us all." Below are Misty Copeland's favorite children's books, available to purchase individually or as a set.

Misty Copeland'S FAVORITE BOOKS

1
Dreamers

Yuyi Morales

In 1994, Yuyi Morales travelled to the United states from her native Mexico with her infant son. This is the story she tells in lyrical verse in this brightly illustrated and deeply felt children’s book. More an illustrated memoir than traditional children’s book, it is nonetheless accessible to all ages and inspiring as well.

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2
Peg + Cat: The Pizza Problem

Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson

The stars of the Emmy Award-winning cartoon Peg and Cat (Peg is a human; Cat is a cat) learn fractions via pizza pie in this fun and engaging way to teach kids math and...a love for pizza.

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3
The Snowy Day

Ezra Jack Keats

Keats’ wonderful 1962 story is a true classic I remember from growing up. I was -- and continue to be -- drawn to both the simplicity of the story (a boy, Peter, takes a walk in the snow) and the, at the time rare, representation of someone whose skin color is like my own. Nearly sixty years after it was first published, I still find the book bea ...

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4
Julián is a Mermaid

Jessica Love

This colorful story of a boy who wants to dress as a mermaid for Coney Island’s annual Mermaid Parade blew me away. With stunningly vivid artwork, spare text and characters you can’t help but love, the story warms my heart every time I read it. Its message -- that those who love you will love you for who you are -- can never be heard too often.

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5
Sulwe

Lupita Nyong'o Illustrations by Vashti Harrison

From the opening line, “Sulwe was born the color of midnight,” Nyong’o’s story is a beautiful and encouraging one for young readers who might need an extra assurance that they are perfect just as they are. The narrative tackles colorism in a frank way as the young hero Sulwe struggles with her own skin tone. The message resonates with many ...

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6
The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family

Ibtihaj Muhammed Illustrations by Hatem Aly

What I love about Olympic gold medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad’s debut children’s book is how it deftly shows -- not tells -- that difference doesn’t have to be scary. The book follows the first day of school for the sisters Fazia and Asiya. It is Asiya’s first day wearing a hijab and she is enormously proud. But, as the girls quickly find, her h ...

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7
Hair Love

by Matthew A. Cherry Illustrations by Vashti Harrison

Another powerful story illustrated by Vashti Harrison, the artist behind Sulwe, and Matthew A. Cherry, who also made the film Hair Love on which this book is based, this is an incredibly powerful depiction of the kind of father-daughter relationship that can be so impactful in a young girl's life. His unconditional love for his daughter supersedes ...

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8
Chocolate Me!

Taye Diggs

Taye Diggs’ story focuses on how a trio of white boys treat their erstwhile friend, whose skin is, as the title suggests, chocolate. Diggs proves himself adept both at crafting a nuanced resonant story about the hurt and pain even seemingly innocent remarks cause as well as demonstrating a mastery of language. The rhymes burst from the pages, as ...

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9
All Are Welcome

Alexandra Penfold Illustrations by Suzanne Kaufman

Penfold’s story is a somewhat more aspirational version of Muhammed’s The Proudest Blue. In Penfold’s story a diverse set of children move through their day awash in inclusivity and open-mindedness. Brightly illustrated, the story zips along in tight rhyme with the title -- all are welcome here -- serving as a comforting refrain. For example, ...

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10
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story

Kevin Noble Maillard

Kevin Noble Maillard is a Professor of Law at Syracuse University, a member of the Seminole Nation and the author of this heart-warming story that explores Native American foodways. Fry bread, a traditional recipe that is as simple and delicious as it sounds, is made by members of an intergenerational family. What I really love as well is the back ...

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LATEST BOOKSHELVES

Michael Ian Black's Top Ten Books

It’s hard to believe that the actor, comedian and writer Michael Ian Black, a founding member of the mainstay deadpan far-out sketch group The State as well as nearly every other meaningful funny thing in the last thirty years, has reached the advice- and letter-writing stage of his career. But he has. Black’s latest book, A Better Man: A Mostly Serious Letter to My Son, is a meditation on masculinity (and how to avoid its more pernicious forms.) “Traditional masculinity encourages strength, independence, fortitude. All good qualities,” he writes, “At the same time, though, it provides no outlets for our vulnerability. If we cannot allow ourselves vulnerability, how are we supposed to experience wonder, fear, tenderness?” Though the book is framed as a letter to his college-aged son Elijah, Black is also the father of a daughter, Ruth, and though they are both far past the reading to stages, here he remembers those books that brought them together as a family. Below are Michael Ian Black's favorite books for children, available to purchase individually or as a set.    

Michael Ian Black'S FAVORITE BOOKS

1
Bread and Jam for Frances

Russell and Lillian Hoban

In this picture book written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by his then wife Lillian Hoban in 1964, Frances the hedgehog misses out on spaghetti and meatballs because she only wants only bread and jam. The horror!  It’s very relatable as a parent, especially to young children, and in fact, the character Francis was based on the couple’s four ...

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2
Olivia

Ian Falconer

When we bought this for our kids, Olivia wasn't yet a classic. We just loved the art and the story of this precocious pig’s active imagination. After debuting Olivia in 2000, Falconer has created a steady stream of wonderful books involving the pig though the first remains our favorite.

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3
The Bridge to Terabithia

Katherine Paterson

The first time I remember crying after reading a book was at the end of this now classic. The novel follows the friendship of two neighbors, Jesse and Leslie, as they build a magical world of their own in a forest in the Maryland suburbs. As a kid, I always wanted to find a secret place. Narnia was fantastic, but Terabithia felt it could be just do ...

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4
The Great Brain Series

John D. Fitzgerald

This series of eight books written between 1967-1976 unfolds in Utah Territory at the turn of the last century and follows a boy genius, T.D. Fitzgerald Jr., making money and solving mysteries. The stories are told from the point of view of the decidedly more average, and slightly jealous, younger brother, John (and loosely based on the life of the ...

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5
Caps for Sale

Esphyr Slobodkina

So many caps. So many monkeys. There's definitely going to be trouble. Slobodkina’s 1940 classic is a great read aloud with kids. "Caps for sale, caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!"  And a surprisingly profound lesson about letting go.

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6
The Snowy Day

Ezra Jack Keats

We love Keats’ dreamy depiction of winter in the city. Though written in 1962, Peter, the main character clad in his red snowsuit, could be wandering and wondering through New York today. It’s a totally beguiling timeless book.

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7
Runaway Ralph

Beverly Cleary

Though not as well known as some of Cleary’s other characters such as Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins, Ralph S. Mouse is the hero of a trilogy including The Mouse and His Motorcycle (1965), Runaway Mouse (1970) and Ralph S. Mouse (1982). They feature Ralph, his (human) friend Ryan, a bully-turned-ally named Brad and, of course, a motorcycle.

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8
The Story About Ping

Marjorie Flack

The last duck aboard the boat gets a whack in this 1933 classic. The duck, Ping, fearing punishment dawdles too long ashore and almost ends up as somebody's dinner. Eventually returned he accepts his spanking. Not that we’d ever spank our kids but the message still resonates: Better to take a little pain now than a lot later.

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9
The Sweet Smell of Christmas

Patricia Scarry

Scratch and sniff is an unfairly derided literary genre. But we read this and re-read this classic, by Patricia Scarry who often wrote many stories illustrated be her husband Richard Scarry, to our kids innumerable times. The gingerbread scratch-n-sniff smells delicious any time of the year but note, the pine tree scent might get you a little sick.

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10
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

E.L. Konigsburg

Years before Night at the Museum, Konigsburg’s middle grade story follows a couple of runaways who take off for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and help to uncover the secret behind a mysterious "Michaelangelo" and the statue's mysterious benefactor.

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