It’s my son’s birthday today (He’s 8!), so I’m feeling a little sentimental. Here’s a look at the boy’s favorite books, year by year.

Age 1 and 2

Goodnight, Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Hippos Go Berserk by Sandra Boynton

He made me read them every night until we could both quote them by heart. That’s when I got my first clue that he was going to be a kid who knew what he wanted…and one who loved routine.

Age 3 and 4

Animalia by Graeme Base, The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone, and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems

The boy loves puzzles and riddles and things you have to figure out. He adored hunting for the little self-portraits Graeme Base had hidden on each page. He loved the trick of words that makes the end of Monster so funny. And he just really, really liked shouting at that pigeon.

Age 5 and 6

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park, and The Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborn

My plan was to just read the first few Harry Potter books with the kids. I worried that the later books were too much for them at their age. Yeah, that lasted until we finished book three and they were so into it that we just had to keep on going. As for the others, the boy was an early reader and both of those series were easy chapter books with lots of fun and adventure to keep him interested. Plus, they each have tons of books in the series, so he could stick with his favorite characters for a while. The boy likes to stick with things.

Age 7 and 8

The Brixton Brothers by Mac Barnett, Missile Mouse by Jake Parker, Potterwookie by Obert Skye, and A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Nothing is more entertaining to the boy than a good mystery, and The Brixton Brothers was the first series of self-read books he really obsessed over. Missile Mouse wins as the comic book series that has most held his attention. This is one he likes to loan out to friends now. In Potterwookie (and all the other Creature from My Closet books) he found the inside jokes he always wanted. Skye takes all the boy’s favorite worlds (Harry Potter, Star Wars, fairytales and myths) and mashes them together in easy-to-read adventures. What could be more fun? And now, at eight, the boy is five books into A Series of Unfortunate Events and shows no sign of slowing down. Thirteen books should take him at least a few more weeks.

There you go! Who says boys don’t read? There are tons more I could have put, of course, but I tried to keep it to the absolute favorites. It was pretty fun to think back over the years and trace the development of his interests. I may try this same thing for my girls soon.

How about your kids? What are their favorites then and now?