Kids books are the best, and with America Reads going on in our schools this Thursday and Friday, we decided to browse the library, and our memory, to find out top 10 picks for great books to read to the kids during this time of year.  Reading to your kid is not only important for their development, it's also a bonding time they won't forget.  And we're giving them another memory... a chance to read to a dog, specifically the Corridor Therapy Dogs.  They'll be at Kids Fest Oct. 25th at the Helen G Nassif YMCA downtown, in a special reading room.  Make sure you stop in, as the pups will certainly love it, as will the the kiddos.

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    1

    The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything

    By: Linda Williams

    Most kids will be introduced to this book early on, as it's got a fun activity to accompany the story.  I'll never forget how animated my little guy got sharing this with us.  If you're introducing this to a little for the first time, you gotta do the activity (ages 3+).  Just google or pinterest search the title, and you'll find it.  Have fun!

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    2

    Hallo-wiener

    By: Dav Pilkey

    I was first introduced to this book during America Reads suprisingly, and I had to go get it for the family.  A great story about a dog down on his lukc, bullied by others, who ends up saving the day.  Great message and a fun/funny story.  The School Library Journal says this may be the funniest Halloween story ever written.

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    3

    Halloween Night

    By: Marjorie Dennis Murray

    Loosely based on the "Night Before Christmas", this is a fantastic story, and beautifully illustrated.  The kids will love looking at all the amazing monsters that make their way into this book.  The kids will love looking at this one over and over again.

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    4

    One Halloween Night

    By: Mark Teague

    Another story that deals with parental embarrassment, which leads to bullying, all set on Halloween night. Great lesson here, with a touch of magic, and a fun surprise ending, the kids will request this one year after year!

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    Creepy Carrots

    By: Aaron Rey

    Just discovered this one recently, and the kids couldn't wait to get it out this year.  It's kind of like "the boy who cried wolf", but with carrots.  A bunny like to travel through a carrot field, and eat as many carrots as he wants whenever he wants, but the carrots have had enough.  The outcome is the best.  Just another great story.

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    6

    Room on the Broom

    By: Julia Donaldson

    A great read for the kids.  The witch and her cat are flying through the sky when everything goes wrong.  Luckily, there's plenty of animals to help along the way.  All they want is a ride on that broom.  It's fun watching that broom get full.  But how many friends can it possibly hold?  And what happens when they encounter a dragon?

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    7

    Ten Timid Ghosts

    By: Jennifer O'connell

    We're huge fans of the "5 Little Monkeys" books in our house, and this is another one of those rhyming/countdown books, but with a fun ending.  It's the story of a witch who moves into a haunted house, and wants the ghosts out.  And one by one, she figures out how to do just that. Nothing like reading along and having your child fill in the final rhyming word, making a guess at what it might be.

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    Shake Dem Halloween Bones

    By: W. Nikola- Lisa

    Books that have the innate ability to make you want to get-up and dance to the words are so much fun (though might not be the best at bedtime...).  That's why we love this one.  Many of your favorite nursery rhyme characters have a great time dancing on Halloween night.  Create your own rhythm and song, or borrow the one from this video.  Reminds me of one of our other favorites: "Cha Cha Chimps" by Julia Durango.

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    9

    The Runaway Pumpkin

    By: Kevin Lewis

    We're so fascinated by these huge pumpkin contests we hear about on the news.  What if one of those pumpkins was on a hill, and was set loose.  Yikes!  It becomes a fun book, with a couple of ideas for pumpkin recipes.  You'll enjoy this tumpity, bumpity book.

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    10

    Monster At the End of the Book

    By: Jon Stone

    We submit this as an honorable mention, as it's not really Halloween, but it's a great "monster" book and one of my hands down all time favorites.  I love reading this classic "Golden Books" story to the kids in character.  Bonus point to you if you're making an effort to do the Grover voice.  It a lot of fun and the kids really get into it.  There's also a sequel they released called "Another Monster at the End of This Book" co-starring Elmo.  Huge props to you if you can get the 2 different character voices down, and keep rolling having them "talk" to each other.  It's not easy, but a whole lot of fun!

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