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I never heard of Sandra Boynton or board books until Harrison was born. Suddenly a few similar books started rising into the regular rotation of books that we would read at night time and I took notice. Half of the time it was because my son would request it, the other half was because it’s the book I really wanted to read to him that night. I really loved these books and they seemed so simple but the art and writing is just amazing. It captivated my boys and the books never became one that I dreaded having to read yet again. The amazing thing about the Sandra Boynton books is both of my sons had the same reaction to them. They both had their favorites but they both loved having these books read to them.
So, without further ados, here are my top 10 favorite Sandra Boynton books
1. Oh My, Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!
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This book started my oldest sons complete and total love of all things Dinosaurs! He loved this book. He used to call “Me oh My” and at night time when we asked him what he wanted to read he would keep saying “My oh My” over and over again. Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! by Sandra Boynton is available at Amazon for $5.26.
2. Snuggle Puppy!
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This book holds a very special place in my heart. I love it for two reasons. The first is pretty typical, the story/song is well written, it’s fun to read and the art is great. The second and most important reason is I LOVED listening to my wife enthusiastically sing this book to my children and loved hearing their giggles as it was sung to them. It’s really a fond memory and I have never actually told my wife that part of it. It’s available at Amazon for $5.25 at Snuggle Puppy! by Sandra Boynton
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3. But not the Hippopotamus
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This is another book that I had a fun time reading. I guess I can’t really keep repeating that with every book I list since I enjoyed reading all of the books on this list but regardless, this one was a fun read. I loved how they giggled when I would say “But not the Hippopotamus” in a different goofy voice each time. It’s available at Amazon for $4.59 at But not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton
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4. Hippos Go Berserk
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My younger son Sean, LOVES this book. He loves it enough that my older son started asking Sean to stop picking it as his night time book. The book starts with a lonely hippo that calls a few friends over for a party. The party gets out of hand, tons of Hippos arrive and go berserk and party all night. When the party is over, all the hippos leave and the story ends with the one Hippo being all alone again. Every time I read this book, Sean would put on this cute little sad face and ask why all the Hippo’s left him all alone. It was very sweet. It’s available for $6.77 at Hippos Go Berserk! by Sandra Boynton
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5. Barnyard Dance
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Like a lot of Sandra’s books, this one was written as a song but it has a very sing-songy feel to it. It’s about all the barnyard animals getting together and having a big dance. I always end up singing the book all the way through and tapping my feet as my boys sit on my lap. It’s available for $15.77 at Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
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6. Moo, Baa, La La La!
Amazon
This book is described on Amazon as “serious silliness” and that hits the nail on the head. It’s fun, it’s silly and like all the other books it’s a great read. It’s about farm animals and the kinds of noises they make with some purposeful errors thrown in for fun. It’s available for $6.99 at Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton
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7. Opposites
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Another great book that teaches by showing two things that are the opposite of each other and describing them as such. It helped my sons understand the concept of size and did it in an enjoyable fashion. It’s available for $5.51 at Opposites by Sandra Boynton
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8. The Going to Bed Book
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It’s funny because the book was about going to bed but for whatever reason my youngest son wanted to read it in the morning when sleep was the last thing on his mind more than he ever wanted to read it at night. Maybe he thought by not picking it at night he would somehow sneak by and not have to go to sleep but for whatever reason it was a favorite morning book of Sean’s. Both kids enjoyed it though and it is available for $5.02 on Amazon at The Going-To-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
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9. Hey! Wake Up!
Amazon
As funny as it was that Sean wanted to read the Going to Bed Book in the morning, he picked the Hey! Wake Up! book in the evenings before bed. I suspect it was wishful thinking but either way it was a great book. It’s available on Amazon for $5.72 at Hey! Wake Up! by Sandra Boynton
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10. Bob: And 6 More Christmas Stories
Amazon
I love Christmas time and this past year, this was Sean’s favorite book to read leading up to the great event (the coming of Santa Claus). He loved reading about Bob the reindeer, a tiny little reindeer who is silly and fun. It only made the bottom of our list because it’s not a book we read year round but rather one we read one month a year. The book has 7 stories total and is available on Amazon for $3.65 at Bob: And 6 More Christmas Stories by Sandra Boynton
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We have just about every Sandra Boynton book that has been released and it was actually quite hard to limited ourselves to our favorite 10. I was pretty excited to listen to an interview on NPR about Sandra and to find out that she lives in Philadelphia. We are only an hour and a half out of Philly and love to go into the city when we can. It’s nice to know that an author that has meant so much to us lives in our back yard. It somehow makes her feel more relevant to our lives.
