The Seven Silly Eaters
Chrysanthemum
Here We Are (new, for new parents and up)
The Old Woman Who Named Things
Seconding everything especially Mo Willems
Stellaluna
If You Give a Moose A Muffin
Mouse Paint
Olivia
Make Way For Ducklings
Miss Rumphius

Oh, yeah, everything Kevin Henkes. Rosemary Wells is also great.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I ended up doubling what I had planned to spend but the girls should have plenty to read for a while.

Thank you for giving books to kids who have lost so much, aurelia.

I'm conflicted about the book I am about a third of the way through. I'm reading Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. I enjoyed the first two and wanted to finish the 3rd, then decide whether to try the subsequent ones written by another author. I know at least I have to carefully choose something completely different in between.

The problem is the prose itself. The story and characters are quite engaging, but the writing is dull. As I was reading in bed last night I thought to myself that not once was I compelled to re-read a paragraph because it flowed so beautifully. Never once did I just have to read aloud a sentence to my family because it was so perfect. I don't know if it is because of the author, the original language, the translation. All I know is that 2 out of 3 isn't quite good enough. I need beautiful words and structure in addition to a compelling story and characters.

Laura, I had a high school teacher who told me there are too many books in the world to read that there is no reason to stick with a bad book (not that it's a bad book but if 2 out 3 isn't good enough then it's not good enough).

Kat is so wise. I had to be firm with my compulsion to finish every book I started and use "too many books yet unread to finish a bad/boring/indifferent book" to justify setting an unsatisfying read aside to spend that time on others that engaged me.

Thank you. I feel bad stopping 2-1/3 way through a trilogy, but it just isn't satisfying. If I feel the need to complete it will still be in my Nook library.

Flea, I just finished the Julian kestrel series (based on the rev here) and didn't realize that was why it was the last book! How sad, I enjoyed them. I admit I was shocked by the twist at the end!

I also just finished a two book series by Lilah Pace (a pseudonym for some other author who I am wildly curious about). Royal favorite—it's about a slightly alternate timeline British royal family where the heir to the throne is secretly gay...and meets a reporter...the first book was good, but I LOVED the second book. Mostly because of how realistic it was (no matter what happens, things aren't magically going to be ok, and sometimes that's due to external issues and sometimes that's due to people being shitty at relationships). Also because so often, contemporary romances I find the thing keeping them apart is so ridiculous, or if it's not ridiculous, is something that would take SO much to overcome and not just magically be swept away by Twu Wuv. Highly recommend (though I admit I mostly skipped the sex scenes, so couldn't really say how good those were)

Heh. I know the fic that's based on.