Do you have a favorite kids' book?

I got the best suggestion the other day! (Thanks, Lara) Wouldn't it be great to compile a list of kids' books that we love? Those of us with multi-racial families or kids with disabilities especially seem to need suggestions about appropriate books. Once in awhile you run across a book that is just right. For me, that means it is well written to give my children a taste of the way that words can be beautifully put together. I love books with good illustrations, especially watercolors. But, for me the most important thing about a book is the message and that can be as simple as portraying the characters in appropriate skin shades and physical features or as complex as a twisting plot with colliding good and evil.
I have had an easier time finding preschool books that I love, than I have books for older kids. Hand Alphabet by Laura Rankin is one of my favorites. There is no text, only a hand on each page making the sign for each letter. The hands are old and young and many different colors. It’s a great book for all ages. Does it seem to you as if there is a real lack of great books for the elementary school set? Do you know of a book series that has healthy portrayals of non-white kid characters, an adopted character, or a disabled character?
Please let us know if you have a book you just love. Let us know if it fits into the category of picture book, early reader, or chapter book. Tell us why it’s a favorite of yours or your kids. It’ll be a good resource for all of our blog-visitors, give us ideas for the library and help us with choosing gifts for the kids on our lives. Thanks, Carol