Why are Children’s Books so Important?

Introducing children to all varieties of literature at an early age is extremely important for their developmental success. Although your child may be introduced to reading at school, it is essential that you start their passion for literature as young as possible. Not only is reading to your child important in developing their cognitive skills, but it also prepares them for their future in education.

Children’s literature is also extremely important because it provides students with opportunities to be educated about their own cultural heritage as well as those of others. In addition, children’s books are designed to help children develop emotional intelligence and creativity, nurture growth and development of the student’s personality and social skills, encourage imagination and play, and helps kids become well-rounded individuals with empathy and healthy communications skills.

Reading to your child can also bring your family closer together by becoming a special time for closeness between you and your child. It benefits both you and your child to turn off all screens, reflect on what is being read, and share the enjoyment of reading with future generations.

Now that you know how important it is to expose your children to literature, below is a list of the best children’s books of all time. This list includes the classics that you may be familiar with from your own childhood plus a few recent additions that have made a serious splash in the genre of children’s literature.

A List of 52 of the Best Children’s Books of all Time

Books to Read With Your Child

1. Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill
2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
3. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
4. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
5. Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole
6. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
7. The Snow Day by Ezra Jack Keats
8. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
9. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Suess
10. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
11. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
12. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
13. Corduroy by Don Freeman
14. Winnie-The-Pooh by A.A. Milne
15. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
16. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
17. When Sophie Gets Angry– Really, Really, Angry… by Molly Bang
18. The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss
19. Busy, Busy Town by Richard Scarry
20. Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
21. Eloise by Kay Thompson
22. The Complete Adventures of Curious George by Margret and H.A. Rey
23. Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
24. Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
25. The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
26. The Dot and Ish by Peter H. Reynolds
27. In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek
28. The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

Books for Children Who Have Started Reading Independently

1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
2. Clarice Bean: That’s Me by Lauren Child
3. A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
4. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
5. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
6. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
7. The Ramona series by Beverly Cleary
8. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
9. Matilda by Roald Dahl
10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
11. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
12. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
13. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
14. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
15. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
16. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
17. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
18. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
20. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
21. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
22. The Borrowers by Mary Norton
23. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
24. The One and Only Ivan by K. A. Applegate