Kids' Books To Read Again, And Again, And Again, And Again, And Again, And ...

"AGAIN!!!"

That request/demand will be familiar to any parent — kids hardly ever want to read a book just once. So we asked Matt de la Peña, Newbery medal-winning children's author (and dad), to recommend books that stand up, reading, after reading, after reading, after reading ...

The good news is, there are a lot of great books out there. "We're in a golden age of picture books," says de la Peña. "There are books tackling so many different subjects that were never explored in the past."

It's a great time to be making kids' books, de la Peña says, and a great time to be reading them: "There are more creators who have been let into the door and that just gives the picture book arena so many more options, so many new voices ... I think when you get more diverse creators, you're going to get more quality stories," he explains.

You also get stories that deal with tough, real-world issues, but de la Peña urges parents not to shy away from those stories at bedtime. "Is there a safer place to explore the more challenging parts of life than in the lap of a loved one?" de la Peña asks.

Here's de la Peña describing some of his favorite books:

Justine Kenin and Sarah Handel produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Beth Novey adapted it for the Web.

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