Colorful Stories Do Not a “Bored” Book Make

While I don't have vivid memories of being read to, I do remember a lot of the board book stories, and colours in them, from when I was much younger. Some of them are still around in boxes, including the Green Eggs & Ham copy I felt needed some Crayola colour. What I remember of these books is how their colours kept my eyes moving, kept me interested in the moral stories. The colour kept me engaged.

So let's have a look back at five board book stories:

Goodnight Moon

Suggested as a wonderful bedtime story, Goodnight Moon is a tale about a rabbit bidding well wishes to his surroundings while getting ready for bed, and simultaneously putting it off.

The Runaway Bunny

Never put out of print since 1942, The Runaway Bunny is a story about a young bunny and his mother, and how her child tells her that he wants to run away. With every idea the bunny comes up with, the mother assures him that wherever he goes, she will be there to follow, or the one to which he returns home, almost literally following her child to the ends of the earth just to support and love him.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This book is a story following the insatiable hunger of a caterpillar's path as he eats his way through one apple on Monday, two pears on Tuesday, three plums on Wednesday, and so on, through cherry pie and sausage. All of this eating is actually shown through holes in the book, adding a level of exploration for the young reader. Toward the end of the book, he only slows because he is too full, and falls asleep ... to wake as a butterfly.

Where the Wild Things Are

The main character, Max, puts on his wolf suit in the beginning of this story and seeks wild mischief. As a result, he is sent to bed without dinner. Instead of sleeping, Max's imagination sends him to a land where everything is wild. The creatures he encounters, and becomes the leader of, are almost ... cute, while easily being scary.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

"One night, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight," starts another story of the imagination. With his purple crayon, Harold draws himself a whole new world to wander through, and climbs out his window into it. After exploring too long, he yearns for his window, since that's where his bed is, and the quest for fun and exploration soon becomes one of home and comfort.

Do you have a favourite children's story that's not up here?

Make a palette and share.