Book Suggestions for Kids of All Ages

Are you looking for book suggestions for you kids? Below you’ll find over 100 options! There are timeless classics, daring adventure stories, inspiring tales, and newer selections that are all widely popular. Many of these suggestions are great read aloud options. Remember that reading aloud to your children doesn’t have to be reserved for toddlers and preschoolers. Students in grade school can also enjoy and benefit from listening to a good book being read to them. Browse the list, pick a few, and enjoy!

Early Picture Books

• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
• Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney (All of the Llama Llama books are wonderful!)
• Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
• Olivia by Ian Falconer
• Corduroy by Don Freeman
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
• Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
• The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
• Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
• The Book With No Pictures by B. J. Novak
• If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff (Any from this series are fantastic!)
• The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
• Press Here by Herve Tullet
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems (The books with this outspoken pigeon are all fun to read!)
• Leonardo, The Terrible Monster by Mo Willems (Any book by Mo Willems is a treat!)

Picture Storybooks

• Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry G. Allard
• Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
• Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
• Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
• The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
• Pinkalicious by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann (Be sure the check out Purplicious, Goldilicious, Emeraldalicious, Silverlicious, and Aqualicious too!)
• The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch (This book offers a new twist on traditional fairy tales.)
• Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
• Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
• The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
• The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
• Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Chapter Books

• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• The Last Treasure by Janet Anderson
• Mr. Poppers Penguins by Richard Atwater
• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
• Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
• Frindle by Andrew Clements
• Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
• The Watsons go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
• Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
• The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
• The Tower Treasure (The Hardy Boys, Book 1) by Franklin W. Dixon
• Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
• My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
• The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, Book 1) by Carolyn Keene
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (This book is great for reluctant readers!)
• The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
• Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner (An action-packed book that’s easy to read.)
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• The Call of the Wild by Jack London
• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
• Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
• Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• The Borrowers by Mary Norton
• Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scot O’Dell
• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
• Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
• The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Stunning illustrations!)
• Black Beauty By Anna Sewell
• Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol
• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
• Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Collective Works

• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
• The Classic Treasury of Aesop’s Fables by Don Daily
• The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
• Beatrix Potter The Complete Tales by Beatrix Potter
• Dr. Seuss’s Beginner Book Collection by Dr. Seuss

Poetry and Rhymes

• The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky
• Poetry For Young People: Robert Frost by Gary D. Schmidt (There are other versions with poetry by Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, and more!)
• Runny Babbit by Shel Silverstein
• Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings by Shel Silverstein
• The Real Mother Goose by Blanche Fisher Wright

Even More Great Books

• 15 Favorite First Board Books for Baby recommended by Moms & Crafters
• Under the Sea  Books recommended by Arts and Crackers
• Dozens of Children’s Book Suggestions from Study at Home Mama
• Children’s Books About Spring recommended by Hen Family
• Picture Books for Teaching Compassion recommended by Artsy Craftsy Mom
• 26 Books Kids Should Know Before 6 recommended by Learning & Exploring Through Play
• 10 Books to Help Kids Understand Their Feelings recommended by Rhythms of Play

Looking for tips to encourage your child to read? You’ll find those here.

What is your and your child’s favorite children’s book? Is there one that you love that didn’t make the list? We’d love to hear about it!