Books

This year I have discovered something which is, perhaps, not terribly enlightening. Boys love potty humor. Thus, the adventures of Captain Underpants have been a great success in our home. At first, I wanted to resist the books. I thought they were a tad inappropriate. But, I saw how much my boys liked the books, how they encouraged my eldest to read, and that they are genuinely funny. The books describe the adventures of Harold and George, two third-grade boys from the Jerome Horowitz Elementary school. They write comics about a hero named Captain Underpants. Through a series of misadventures, the boys' principal, Mr. Krupp, is turned into Captain Underpants whenever someone snaps his or her fingers. Each book details a story in which the boys, with Captain Underpants' help save both the school and the universe. What's not to love about a book featuring a villain named Professor P. Poopypants?
Another series of books that my boys love is a throwback to my youth. The Adventures of Tin Tin chronicle the exploits of an ageless (the books were written over several decades and he, literally, never ages) reporter/adventurer. Tintin and his friends, Captain Haddock, Professor Cuthbert Calculus, and the police duo Thomson and Thompson are hysterical. The stories are less edgy (read less-potty humor) than Captain Underpants, so this may represent a good alternative for those of view who object to the basic premise of Captain Underpants.
There are, obviously, countless excellent books out there for your children. I only list two here that my boys currently enjoy. The Thomas the Train books are great for younger kids. Superhero or Star Wars books are also a big hit at our home.
There is only one serious caution that I would include here. Be careful not to read books to your children that might not be age-a-appropriate. My wife and I loved all the Harry Potter books. We started to read these books to our eldest. The first books (which were intended for younger readers) were huge successes. However, as Harry Potter's adventures became scarier, my son had a harder and harder time falling asleep. I was worried that he was experiencing some sort of night terrors or significant anxiety related to his day. It turned out when we stopped reading Harry Potter (we were on the last book), he started to sleep easy again.
We will wait a few years before we try to read Harry Potter again. In a couple of years, I also plan to introduce Susan Cooper's, The Dark Is Rising books. I loved these books as a child. I was in fifth grade when I read them so my boys are still too young.