Captain's Choice, Vol. I: Children's Books

Curated, with our compliments

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Here at The Enthusiast, we know that quality can be hard to find in a balkanized intellectual economy. And nowhere, perhaps, is quality more important than in the books we read to our children.

To ease the strain on hardworking parents and gift-givers, we’ve ransacked the children’s libraries of the world to assemble this curated list of good books, sorted by age. It’s the first installment in a regular series, exclusively for paid subscribers, that we’re calling Captain’s Choice.

What makes a children’s book worthy of the captain’s bookshelf? Wonder, literacy, the affirmation of good things, and a general sense of expansion. Books should widen our kids’ horizons, inviting them into a broader world even as they acknowledge its complexities and dangers.

Sure, it’s idiosyncratic and opinionated, but we hope you’ll find this short list of horizon-expanding books as delightful as we do.

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Age 0: Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Seuss

Newborns make a lot of strange noises. Why not make a few back at them? There seems to be an almost hypnotic quality to Dr. Seuss’ classic book of silly rhymes, which brings together his expert ear for poetic rhythm with the whimsy of some of his best illustrations. The world of children’s books is flooded with drivel but, for all its goofiness, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? has staying power. It’s just delightful enough to keep you from getting mad when your kid requests it again and again, and just easy enough to read on three hours’ sleep. That’s a winning combination. —William Lily

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Age 1: Richard Scarry's Busy, Busy World

Not every book needs to be intricate, multifaceted, or emotionally involved. Sometimes, you just need to indulge your one-year-old's hardwired desire to point at a picture of a double-decker crossing London's Tower Bridge while yelling "Bus!" over and over again.