Chris Rock and family on Oprah

Actor and comedian Chris Rock appeared on Oprah today, along with his wife Malaak and their two girls, Lola Simone, 4 1/2, and Zahra Savannah, 2 1/2. The child related highlights:

Chris on kid’s books: "I wanted kids so much that I bought children’s books before I even had kids, and Life Doesn’t Frighten Me by Maya Angelou one of the books I bought."

After a visit to South Africa, illustrating to their girls how lucky they are was easier for Malaak: "It made my message to my children so much easier. I’m always telling these children that, ‘You’re so blessed,’ and that, ‘You must give back,’ and that, ‘Most people in this world don’t have what you have,’ and you can’t really show that in America."

Source: Oprah

What are your favorite children’s books? Also, did you buy anything for your future children before you were a parent?

Comments

I have always loved “The Giving Tree”. I have 4 kids and we read it over and over. My 10 year old still loves it and my 3 year old can “read” it herself because I’ve read it to her so many times.

- Jen on February 28th, 2007

Maybe I am imagining it, but I thought Chris Rock and his wife split up. It’s great to see them together, I hope I heard incorrectly.

They contacted divorce lawyers early last November, but papers were never filed and they reconciled 2 weeks later.

- Jody on February 28th, 2007

I have so many favorites but her are a few which come to mind:

“Tar Beach” by Faith Ringgold (the New Yorker in me is always touched by this story)

“Off to the Sweet Shores of Africa” by Uzo Unobagha

“Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters” by John Steptol

“I’m gonna like me”, “It’s hard to be 5″, “Is there really a Human Race ?” all by Jamie Lee Curtis
(basically I really enjoy all her books)

“The Story of Ferdinand” by Munro Leaf (I loved this as a child)

“The Baby Sister” and ‘Stagestruck” both by Tomie dePaola

Of course Dr. Seuss, Beatrix Potter and Aesop are read often in our house:-)

My daughter enjoys ‘The English Roses’ series and my son likes all of Shel Silverstein–especially “The Giving Tree”

I only started buying things for my own children during my pregnancies. Until then, I bought things for my nephew. I guess I wasn’t into baby stuff until it was happening to me. It was the same for me when I prepared for my wedding. Until I became engaged, I had never looked at wedding or bride magazines…

- yaosa on February 28th, 2007

I saw them on Oprah today and they were cute….Zahra kept seeing herself in the camera and interrupting chris going, “look daddy it’s me!”

- J.M. on February 28th, 2007

I love Shaun Tan’s ‘The Arrival’. It’s a picture book… but I would suggest it’s more of a graphic novel without words. It’s the story of migration through all its heartache and joy told in 120 pages. Beautiful, moving pictures.

I also love the illustrations he did for ‘The Rabbits’ (written by John Marsden)… it’s a really political story about colonisation and the domination of native inhabitants/the environment – an allegory for colonisation of Australia.

I know these both sound depressing, but children shouldn’t always have to read books that are dumbed down.

- Lilybett on February 28th, 2007

That’s so funny! When I read it I thought: he’s just like me!
I’m only 20 but I want kids so bad that I had to buy this book in English for the future…I’m Brazilian but I love the English language and I want my kids to speak it, so I bought ‘The Bunnies’ Ball’ because it was the first kids’ book in English I saw…I just hope I have little people to read it…hehehe…By the way the girls are so cute!

- Ana Lima on February 28th, 2007

I’m a teacher and so was my mother and grandmother so there’s major history in our family for being obsessed with books. One of our first baby showers was one in which everyone was asked to bring their favorite children’s book which I thought was a wonderful idea – an instant library! However, I still had to supply my favorites which were: The Little House by Virginia Burton, Caps for Sale, Ferdinand, The Boxcar Children series, and the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books, among others.

I’m sort of crazy – when my husband and I first got married, I bought personalized Easter baskets from Pottery Barn Kids and had the names of the children that I wanted put on them. I ordered two chicks baskets with one saying “Jacob” and one saying “Benjamin” and then one bunny basket that says “Caroline”. I have since given birth to my Jacob and my Benjamin, and may or may not ever have my Caroline (although there’s lots of time for this 30 year old), but that’s my crazy little story.

- Carrie on February 28th, 2007

I saw them on Oprah today, and they are such beautiful little girls! Zahra was absolutely adorable, as she kept interrupting to say “Look Daddy”, “Look Mommy”, and “Look Look Look”, whenever she saw herself on camera

- Jennifer on February 28th, 2007

My all time fave books were the “Zozo” series. I was shocked when YEARS later the books were all re-released except the cute monkey had been re-named “Curious George”!!!

I still have all my “Zozo” books.

- Heavenly_hibiscus on February 28th, 2007

I love the Oprah Show, but in my area it was the show from last year.

- ortumurid on March 1st, 2007

I’m 24 and I have been collecting children’s books for some time. I’m currently studying English Literature in university and so reading has always been an important part of my life. My father was an English teacher and we had a library in our house. He always said that he felt like he was building it for someone else. As he does not have any children’s books, I felt that it was up to me to round out his collection. Therefore, I started to collect classic children’s book that would appeal to any gender–C. S. Lewis, Winnie the Pooh, Curious George. I also have a particular fondness for Maurice Sendak i.e. Where the Wild Things Are. I plan on buying more modern children’s books when I have children. I’ll let their interests dictate then.

- Alysha on March 1st, 2007

I definetly have done that and still am.

- babyescapade on March 1st, 2007

We love books by the author Jan Brett. “The Mitten” and “The Umbrella” to name a couple. they are around a grade 1 level. Great animal characters, especially Hedgy the Hedgehog

- Dee on March 1st, 2007

I have yet to have any children, but I have a trunk full of baby clothes (unisex), blankets, and kids books. I bought Dr. Seuss’s “Go Dog Go” in english and spanish (found the spanish version for cheap at Marshall’s). I don’t speak much spanish, but my husband is pretty good at it, and I am hoping our kids will be as curious to lean other languages and to read as we were when we were kids!

Time will tell…

- Shawna on March 1st, 2007

I have a bunch of children’s books but only because I’m in school right now to become an elementary school teacher and so I just want to build a library. My absolute favorite is The Little Engine That Could. It’s such a fun story! I actually just finished a whole unit on that story for one of my classes. I also love the Boxcar series and the American Girl series. I was seriously enamored with AG growing up so I will absolutely have to buy those books for when I have some daughters!!!

- Stephany on March 1st, 2007

I’m so glad to see that I’m not the only person who does this. My family thinks that it’s so weird that I have about 200 children’s books for the kids that I don’t yet have. But I used to work as a nanny and so I’ve seen how important it is to read to children as early as possible. I know that once I have children I won’t have enough time to go to the bookstore for hours and figure out what the best books are, so I’m doing it now while I have the time.

- Grace on March 2nd, 2007