As small children, many of us had a favorite book, story, or poem that our parents would read to us before bed or just because we wanted them to.

Some of the top stories that are read to children are stories like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Green Eggs and Ham, Fox in Sox, Charlotte’s Web, The Grinch, and The Cat in the Hat. These are just a few great children’s stories that many parents read to their children 

Many stories have lessons in them that help parents teach their kids some life lessons that they should know. Some of these lessons include things like trying new things, be who you are no matter what others think or say, and be loyal. There are also stories that help children learn how to count, what certain things are called, their ABCs or even their colors.

In the book Green and Eggs and Ham, the main character keeps telling Sam that he does not like green eggs and ham and Sam keeps pushing him to try them and at the end of the book the main character tries them and he likes them. The lesson in this book is that if you don’t try something then you will never truly know if you like it or not.

The lesson in The Cat in the Hat is to be yourself no matter what other people think or say to you, the cat in the story does a great job of demonstrating this because he is having fun his way and being goofy even though the redfish is telling him that he is not funny and that he needs to stop and leave.  

Another lesson shown in a children’s book is to be loyal in the book Horton Hears a Who. This story teaches children to be loyal and to stay true to others. In the story Horton an elephant finds a floating speck and there is a small town called Whoville on it. Horton tells the Mayor of Whoville that he is going to keep them safe and Horton does everything that he can to protect the speck. At the end of the story protecting the speck and being loyal to the town of Whoville saved Horton because the citizens yelled loud enough that the people trying to kill Horton heard them.

All of these stories and many more are great to read to children. Not only are they fun to read, but they also teach them important lessons. Now the real question is which one is the best read. 

Ethan Douglas, a student at Lakeland High School said, “ My favorite story was always Green Eggs and Ham because I thought the rhymes were funny, and now that I look at it something I didn’t realize before is it has a great message in it.”

Personally, Green Eggs and Ham is the best because it teaches kids to try new things and you might like them, but this is not the only reason it also has a sense of rhythm which can help children learn to read and remember how the story goes. 

Sarah Douglas, the mother of a Lakeland student said, “ I would have to say The Cat in the Hat or Horton Hears a Who was my favorite because it sends a great message to the kids and it is a little longer than some of the other books so it doesn’t get repetitive.” In a poll on Instagram, 51% voted that Cat and The Hat were better than Green Eggs and Ham. However, on a separate poll, 59% of people said that Horton Hears a Who is better than The Cat in the Hat. In the final poll, Horton Hears a Who had 64% more votes than any other book. So by the Instagram polls, Horton Hears a Who is the better book.