15
Oct

31 Authors Children Love: Russell Hoban

Russell Hoban deserves a spot on this list for his Frances books alone. But he wrote others as well.
It was hard to choose a favorite but I think this one edged the others out:

Bread and Jam for Frances is frequently referenced in our house. And yes, we have a few children who feel that eating all the bread and jam they want would be a wonderful turn of events!

Other books about Frances (don't miss any of them!):

Bedtime for Frances. The first. A definite contender for favorite. Fun fact: Garth Williams illustrated this one and then Lillian Hoban imitated his style for the others. Not sure how Garth Williams felt about that, but Frances is adorable no matter who drew her.

Best Friends for Frances.

A Baby Sister for Frances

A Birthday for Frances. Birthdays can be hard when it's not your birthday.

A Bargain for Frances. This is the title I remember best from my own childhood. Life lessons on friendship in this one.

And the Frances audio collection is worth a listen too:

Our family quotes the Frances books on a regular basis. (And, as we're raising four daughters, we have felt as though we were raising Frances more than once.) These are some of my husband's favorites to read aloud. If our youngest daughter lets him choose the read aloud, he often chooses one of these.

Other books by Hoban

Nothing to Do. We found a copy of this at a library book sale. It hasn't become a favorite but every so often I find it out again.

Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas. Russell and Lillian Hoban also did this classic Christmas book. We keep our copy with our Christmas / seasonal books.

Hoban did many other children's books, so keep your eyes peeled at those library book sales!

Other sites about Russell Hoban:

Do you have a favorite book by Russell Hoban?


Resources for Readers:

Dover Books
authors children love: russell hoban