In the spirit of the holiday and last-minute shopping season, I created a list of my family’s favorite children’s books, which are stories that both my kids and I enjoy reading.

The list is hardly scientific and anything but set because it changes nearly every month. While I can’t say these books will raise fourth grade math test scores or college graduation rates, these stories should help with one of the key aspects of early learning: Parents reading to their children.

• “The Story of Holly & Ivy” by Rumer Godden and Barbara Cooney.
• “Snowmen at Christmas” by Caralyn BuehnerandMark Buehner.
• “The Penderwick’s: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy” by Jeanne Birdsall. Author website.
• “The Barefoot Book of Fairy Tales” retold by Malachy Doyle. Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli.
•  “Lost and Found” by Oliver Jeffers.

The Classics:

• “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss. The Lorax website.
• “Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months” by Maurice Sendak.
• “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” “The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck” and “The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher” by Beatrix Potter. The World of Beatrix Potter
• “The Magician’s Nephew” by C.S. Lewis. (The first in “The Chronicles of Narnia” series.
• “The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh” by A. A. Milne, decorations by Ernest H. Shepard.

A couple of other lists:

• “Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2009” by The New York Times.
• “Early literacy starts with wonderful books.” EarlyStories offers a list of good children’s books lists, plus a link to Pre-K Now’s books for adults who care about early learning.

Happy Holidays everyone.