Children's Books

I love to read, but I am a particular fan of children's literature, from picture books to young adult.  For several years, I've been keeping lists of my favorites, and one of the main purposes of this blog is to share those with others who are looking for great reads for children or who are looking to plan their own curriculum.  I have a separate pages and posts for lesson plans that I've created, so if you're a homeschooling parent or just looking for a unit of study/theme to present to kids, check out the other headings, as well.  Reading to children is the most important thing you can do for them (next to feeding and clothing them, of course:), so READ!

Infants and Toddlers 
I love board books for babies and toddlers - they're easy to handle (for grown-ups, too) and harder to damage.  Some people want to get rid of their board books once their children learn to read on their own, but I advise you to resist the urge!  Many of these board books make perfect first readers (especially because children are already so familiar with them), and they are really heirloom stories worth owning and reading or passing down to your grandchildren.
  • Anything by Sandra Boynton  (Red Hat, Green Hat is the most perfect first reader ever written)
  • Anything by Eric Carle
  • Anything by Dr. Suess
  • Anything by H.A. Rey (Particularly Curious George and the Bunny & Curious George Goes Fishing)
  • Any of the Pigeon board books by Mo Willems
  • Any of the Baby Books by Leslie Patricelli (These are truly relatable and hysterical)
  • The Carl Books by Alexandra Day (Make up your own story - it's priceless)
  • Harold & The Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
  • Is Your Mama a Llama by Deborah Gaurino
  • Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
  • We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury
  • Tomie's Little Mother Goose by Tomie DePaola
  • Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathman
  • 10 Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth
  • It's A Little Book by Lane Smith
First Readers
When your child can confidently read board books, here's where you want to go next:
  • 'First' Dr. Suess Books such as The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs & Ham
  • The Elephant & Piggie Books & the Cat the Cat, etc. Books by Mo Willems (Incredibly readable and funny!)
  • The "I Can Read" Series of books are in levels and most are excellent, but I particularly recommend those by Arnold Lobel (Particularly Owl at Home, The Frog & Toad Books and others), The Little Bear books by Else Holmelund Minarik, The Harold Books by Crockett Johnson, The Morris & Borris books by Bernard Wiseman, The Frances Books by Russel Hoban, The Penny Books by Kevin Henkes and the Amelia Bedelia Books.  The I Can Read Series also has many books based on movies and television shows, which I tend to avoid, but children are often drawn to (and they can be good if you have a reluctant reader).
  • The Critter Series by Mercer Mayer (Critter is actually a very accurate representation of most little boys - if you have a little boy, you'll know what I mean!).
  • The Fly Guy Books by Tedd Arnold


Picture Books
These are simply my favorite picture books ever written, and they are meant to be read aloud first.  Again, many people think that once a child learns to read on their own, they're done with picture books, but I couldn't disagree more.  Many picture books are actually designed for older children, and young children really don't have the patience for long chapter books until they are about 8-10 years old (though they read much earlier than that).  These are just good stories for ages 3-10+ (again, if you're looking for themes/unit studies, go to the other headings).
  • The Frances Books by Russel Hoban
  • Anything by Dr. Suess, but I particularly love The Lorax
  • Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and others by Mo Willems (Brilliant for toddlers!)
  • The Bear Books by Karma Wilson (I particularly love Bear Stays Up for Christmas)
  • The Skippyjon Jones Books by Judy Schanchner
  • Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky
  • The David Books by David Shannon
  • Any Books by Kevin Henkes (Lilly, Chester, Owen, Julius, Chrysanthemum, Sheila Rae, Wemberly, etc.)
  • The Olivia series by Ian Falconer
  • The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
  • Tiki Tiki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
  • King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Don & Audrey Wood
  • The Giving Tree and Missing Piece by Shell Silverstein
  • The Alexander books by Judith Voirst
  • Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
  • The Knufflebunny Trio of Books by Mo Willems
  • Below by Nina Crows
  • Cowboy & Octopus, Princess Hyacinth (the Surprising Tale of a Girl who Floated) & It's a Book by Lane Smith
  • The Huggly Books by Tedd Arnold
  • Nothing, The Retired Kid and Terrific by Jon Agee
Collections
These are book collections that are an excellent addition to a home library - perfect when you're travelling, because they're condensed!
  • 20th Century Children's Treasury by Janet Schulman
  • A Treasury of Curious George by H.A. Rey
  • Winnie-the-Pooh 80th Anniversary Edition by A. A. Milne
  • The Beatrix Potter Collection (Peter Rabbit) by Beatrix Potter 
Poetry
Young children really love poetry - read these to your children and you'll see!
  • Orangutan Tongs by John Agee 
  • Where the Sidewalk Ends & A Light in the Attic by Shell Silverstein 
  • A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
  • Weather:  Poems for All Seasons Selected by Lee Benett Hopkins
  • Seasons:  A book of Poems by Charlotte Zolotow 
  • Listen, My Children  Poems for First Graders 
First Chapter Books
I really feel that many of these books should still be read to children between the ages of 5 & 8, first.  For instance, Junie B. Jones books are hysterical, but only if they are properly read with the correct emphasis.  A young reader will miss a lot of the hilarity reading on their own, but will come back to read these books again and again once they are presented  the 'right' way the first time around.  Most of these come in series.
  • Junie B. Jones Series by Barbara Park (Junie B. starts in Kindergarten, then moves to 1st grade)
  • The Magic Treehouse Series by Mary Pope Osborne
  • The Neverland Book Series by Dave Barry
  • Stink Series by Megan McDonald
  • The Mouse & The Motorcycle & Ramona Series by Beverly Cleary
  • Pippi Longstocking Series by Astrid Lindgren
  • Charlotte's Web by E.B.White
  • The Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • The Black Stallion Series by Walter Farley
  • The Clementine Series by Sara Pennypacker
  • Gooney Bird Greene Series by Lois Lowry
  • The Time Warp Trio Series by Jon Scieszka (esp. for boys)
  • Mercy Watson Books by Kate DiCamillo
  • Mrs. Piggle Wiggle Series by Betty MacDonald
  • The How To Train Your Dragon Books by Cressida Cowell
  • The Boxcar Children Series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
  • The Cam Jansen Series by David A. Adler
  • The Flat Stanley Series by Jeff Brown
  • Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr  (A child's first tear-jerker)
  • The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
  • The Sisters Grimm Series by Michael Buckley
  • Captain Underpants Series by Dav Pilkey (esp. for boys)
  • The Paddington Bear Series by Michael Bond
  • Roald Dahl Books (Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, etc.)
  • The Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series by Jeff Kinney
  • Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
  • Abel's Island by William Steig
  • 26 Fairmount Ave. Series - A perfect first Biography series by Tomie DePaola
  • Books Including Babe:  The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith
  • A Lion to Guard Us and Viking Adventure by Clyde Robert Bula
  • A Cricket In Times Square by George Seldon
  • Number The Stars, The Willoughbys, and others by Lois Lowry
  • The Miraculous Tale of Edward Tulane, The Tale of Despereaux and The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo **I highly recommend:)
  • The Secret Garden, A Little Princess and Little Lord Fauntleroy by Francis Hodgson Burnett
Middle School/High School Chapter Books (10+)
These are still good read aloud books - especially because you can edit anything you feel is inappropriate for your child or be there to answer the inevitable questions.  Several of these I have read to my children at much younger ages, but I would not have felt comfortable having them read them on their own.  Use your best judgement or read them on your own, first.

  • The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
  • The Indian in the Cupboard Series by Lynne Reid Banks
  • A Wrinkle In Time Series by Madeleine L'Engle
  • The Giver by Lois Lowry
  • The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling  
  • Ella Enchanted, A Tale of Two Castles and others by Gail Carson Levine
  • Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
  • The Mysterious Benedict Society Series by Trenton Lee Stewart
  • The Wildwood Chronicles by Collin Meloy
  • The Name of this Book is Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch
  • The Hunger Game Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
  • I Am A Genious Of Unspeakable Evil And I Want To Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb
Definitely High School Reading (14+)
These are ones your good readers can read alone, but I recommend reading them, too, because there are a lot of graphic, question-inducing things happening in these books that are good discussion starters - plus, they're just incredible reads.
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (Graphic - 14+)
  • Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (Graphic - 16+)
  • The Fault In Our Stars, Looking for Alaska & An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Book Finding Lists/Resources

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)