150 Children’s Books Recommended by Moms

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I love reading and gifting books, but I am often confused about which ones to buy for my daughter. We are also big book hoarders at home, and I love having copies of our favorite books close at hand whenever we feel like revisiting them.

But which books should we choose? Since this was not a task I could do alone, I asked some of our favorite book-crazy moms, teachers, writers and book lovers to share ten children’s books that have stayed with them and their children.

These are not meant to be the “best books ever.” They are books that hold happy memories of reading with a child. You will notice a few repeats, and I have kept them intentionally. When several families independently remember the same book, that says something lovely about its staying power!

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Children’s Book Recommendations at a Glance

This community-created collection includes 150 personal recommendations spanning board books, picture books, read-alouds, early chapter books, middle grade fiction and books for teens. You will find international classics alongside memorable Indian children’s books.

The ages below are only a starting point. Children develop reading interests and confidence at different rates, and many older children still enjoy picture books as independent reads or classroom read-alouds.

Find Books by Age and Reading Stage

Reading stage	Approximate age	Good places to start
Board books	0–3 years	Counting Kisses, Sandra Boynton books and The Runaway Bunny
Picture books and read-alouds	3–6 years	The Gruffalo, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Handa’s Surprise
Early readers	5–8 years	Dr. Seuss, Amelia Bedelia and Elephant & Piggie
Chapter books	7–10 years	Flat Stanley, the Humphrey series and Roald Dahl
Middle grade	9–12 years	Holes, Inkheart, Grace Lin and Harry Potter
Teen and young adult	13+ years	Persepolis, The Mortal Instruments and CHERUB

Looking for something more specific? Try our guide to funny books for kids by age and reading stage, or read these practical tips on choosing the best books for your child.

Books and Authors Recommended More Than Once

A few favorites appeared again and again across the contributors’ lists. If you want a shorter place to begin, these are wonderful books and authors to explore first.

Book or author	Best suited to	Find the book
Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling	Independent readers and family read-alouds	View on Amazon.com
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White	Family or classroom read-alouds	View on Amazon.com
Books by Dr. Seuss	Early readers, rhyme and wordplay	View on Amazon.com
Books by Roald Dahl	Confident readers and read-alouds	View on Amazon.com
Books by Julia Donaldson	Preschool and early elementary read-alouds	View on Amazon.com
Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman	Preschool and beginning readers	View on Amazon.com
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame	Classic family read-alouds	View on Amazon.com
Grace Lin’s books	Middle grade readers and classrooms	View on Amazon.com

150 Recommendations from Book-Loving Moms and Educators

A note about ages: The descriptions below reflect the contributors and their children at the time this list was originally compiled. Titles for teens or books that explore grief, war, prejudice, violence or other sensitive subjects may benefit from an adult preview before they are offered to a child.

Toddler-Friendly Books Recommended by Swathika Anandan

A mom-in-learning, jill of arts and crafts, children’s-book hoarder, chocoholic and green-building consultant.

These were Swathika’s toddler-friendly favorites:

1. Counting Kisses: A Kiss & Read Book by Karen Katz
2. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd
3. The Eric Carle book collection
4. Sandra Boynton board books
5. Peek-a-Boo
6. Toes, Ears, & Nose! A Lift-the-Flap Book by Marion Dane Bauer and Karen Katz
7. The Berenstain Bears books
8. The adventures of Curious George
9. The Barefoot Book of Faeries
10. Silly Suzy Goose by Petr Horáček

Picture Books to Teen Reads Recommended by Sandhya Renukamba

Sandhya was a doctor in a faraway lifetime and later became a writer, editor and reviewer of books she read with her child. Together they have enjoyed many adventures of the bibliophilic kind.

1. Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman
2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
3. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram
4. Melissa (previously published as George) by Alex Gino
5. The Naughtiest Girl collection by Enid Blyton
6. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
7. Holes by Louis Sachar
8. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
9. Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
10. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (teen; includes sensitive historical themes)

Storytelling Favorites Recommended by Shruthi Rao

Shruthi Rao writes stories and articles for adults and children. She wrote about books and life at Hallucinations!

“Kid and I are more into storytelling when it comes to good times—reading books together comes second, as of now. Anyway, these are the ones off the top of my head.”

1. Julia Donaldson’s Gruffalo collection
2. Little Miss and Mr. Men books by Roger Hargreaves
3. Dr. Seuss’s book collection
4. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
5. Moin and the Monster series by Anushka Ravishankar
6. Noddy books by Enid Blyton
7. If You Decide to Go to the Moon by Faith McNulty
8. Bumbletown Detectives
9. G. P. Rajaratnam’s book of Kannada poems for children
10. Animal Record Breakers

Books Recommended by Early Childhood Educator Anitha Ramkumar

Anitha Ramkumar studied Engineering in India before moving into Early Childhood Education in the United States. She is passionate about children’s literature and reading aloud and has worked as a teacher.

1. Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
2. Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (teen; mature themes)
4. Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
5. The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg
6. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
7. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
8. Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein (for parents and educators)
9. Books by David Elkind (for parents and educators)
10. Amelia Bedelia books by Peggy Parish

Classic Children’s Books Recommended by Sangitha Krishnamurthi

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
2. The Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo
3. Sunu-Sunu Snail by Sandhya Rao
4. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
5. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
6. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
7. The BFG by Roald Dahl
8. The Moon—a nonfiction book for young children
9. The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
10. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Picture Books Recommended by Arthi Anand

Arthi Anand Navaneeth is a marketing professional, writer and storyteller. Her two daughters inspire her to write, and she brings together her love of books, music, art and dance through Art’s Tales.

These were her picture-book choices for her younger child:

1. Handa’s Surprise by Eileen Browne
2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
3. The Mountain That Loved a Bird by Alice McLerran
4. Sarah’s Story
5. Jalebi Curls by Niveditha Subramaniam
6. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
7. Krishna Sudama
8. Anushka’s Puppets of India
9. Ranganna by Arthi Anand Navaneeth
10. Have You Seen This? by Arthi Anand Navaneeth

A Book-Mad Family’s Favorites Recommended by Choxbox

Choxbox, also known as Namrata, is a mother and enthusiastic browser of used-book shops. She has volunteered with an NGO working for girls and has run carpentry workshops for children.

1. Books by Dr. Seuss—“aaargh!”
2. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
4. Books by Simon Singh
5. The Humphrey series by Betty G. Birney—“she was absolutely obsessed”
6. You Choose—“we still have a tattered copy”
7. Amelia Jane books by Enid Blyton
8. The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
9. The Elements by Adrian Dingle
10. The Fantastic Flying Journey by Gerald Durrell

Books Recommended by Tanu Shree Singh’s 10-Year-Old

Dr. Tanu Shree Singh is a parent, lecturer in Psychology and keen student of Positive Psychology. Her theories of bringing up children have been repeatedly challenged and reshaped by her sons, while an ever-growing bookshelf offers a convenient place to hide!

1. Oops the Mighty Gurgle by RamG Vallath
2. Demon Thief by Darren Shan
3. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
4. Tiger by the Tail by Venita Coelho
5. Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner (older middle grade; mature themes)
6. The Year of the Dog, The Year of the Rat and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
7. The Diary of Amos Lee by Adeline Foo
8. Moin and the Monster and Moin the Monster Songster by Anushka Ravishankar
9. How to Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell
10. Marley: A Dog Like No Other by John Grogan

Chapter Books Recommended by Vibha Sharma

Computers and management are the degrees Vibha acquired, but she lives by the Karma philosophy. She put corporate life on hold to enjoy her children’s growing years and the colour they brought to each day.

1. Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
2. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
3. Frindle by Andrew Clements
4. Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
5. The Butterfly
6. The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements
7. The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl
8. The Hidden Pool
9. The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl
10. Flute in the Forest

Books with No Upper Age Limit, Recommended by Arundhati Venkatesh

Arundhati believes books for children are marked N+ for a reason—there is no upper limit on the reader’s age! She is a children’s writer, book reviewer and editor who recorded reading adventures with her son on Arundhati’s blog.

1. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
2. The Fudge books by Judy Blume
3. The Humphrey series by Betty G. Birney
4. Stupendous Timetelling Superdog by Himanjali Sankar
5. Books by Julia Donaldson
6. Scaredy Squirrel by Mélanie Watt—“he totally related to this one”
7. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
8. The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl
9. Books by Roald Dahl
10. Books by Roger Hargreaves

Early-Literacy Favorites Recommended by Praba Ram

Praba Ram, founder of Saffron Tree, is a children’s writer, story-time specialist and early-literacy advocate. This chai-and-travel-loving mother raised her daughters in the culturally rich—and forever hot and humid—city of Chennai.

1. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
2. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
3. The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss
4. Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman
5. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
6. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
7. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
8. Grace Lin’s Year of the Dog series
9. Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
10. Colour-Colour Kamini by Praba Ram—“of course!”

Classic Books Recommended by The Mad Momma

The Mad Momma loves words—both reading and writing—along with chocolate, her garden, steaming mugs of something comforting and the company of friends.

“This list is going to be about me, not the kids!”

1. Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
2. All the Enid Blytons ever
3. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame—“love!”
4. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
5. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
6. Most books by Dr. Seuss
7. King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard
8. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo (older readers; mature themes)
9. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
10. A lot of Roald Dahl

Imaginative Favorites Recommended by Sheela Preuitt

Sheela is an incurable dreamer who refuses to be boxed into a well-defined category. Alongside developing software, she has written about cooking at Delectable Victuals, crochet and crafts at RarelyThere, and family life at Joy of My Life.

1. Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
2. The Witches by Roald Dahl
3. Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann (contains old-fashioned and potentially frightening cautionary tales)
4. What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
5. Alphabeasts by Wallace Edwards
6. The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood
7. Down, Down, Down by Steve Jenkins
8. I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew by Dr. Seuss
9. Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems
10. Flap Your Wings by P. D. Eastman

Middle Grade Books Recommended by Tanu Shree Singh

This second collection from Tanu is better suited to confident middle-grade readers. Several titles explore grief, danger or other emotionally complex themes, so adults may wish to preview them.

1. Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
2. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
3. Belle Prater’s Boy by Ruth White
4. Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes
5. Coraline and Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
6. Tamburlaine’s Elephants by Geraldine McCaughrean
7. The Girl Mechanic of Wanzhou by Marjorie Sayer
8. Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin (mature themes)
9. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
10. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (includes grief and loss)

Books for Teens Recommended by Tanu Shree Singh

These selections are intended for teens and older readers. Themes and suitability vary across each series, so parents and teachers should preview individual books.

1. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
2. The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare
3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
4. Mirror World series
5. The Wordkeepers trilogy by Jash Sen
6. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (mature political and historical themes)
7. Shadow
8. CHERUB series by Robert Muchamore
9. Zombiestan by Mainak Dhar
10. Ingo by Helen Dunmore

Indian Children’s Books in This Collection

One of my favorite things about this list is the mix of much-loved international classics and books connected to Indian childhoods, languages and storytelling traditions. Look out for Moin and the Monster, Jalebi Curls, Ranganna, Sunu-Sunu Snail, Colour-Colour Kamini, Tiger by the Tail, The Wordkeepers trilogy and G. P. Rajaratnam’s Kannada poems for children.

For more reading from India, explore our collection of children’s books about India and Independence Day.

How Parents and Teachers Can Use This List

For family reading: Let your child choose one book from two or three age-appropriate options. A child does not have to read every word independently to enjoy a book together.

For classroom read-alouds: Picture books, humorous stories and short chapter books work especially well. Pause for predictions, invite children to notice illustrations and follow the story with a drawing or craft.

For independent readers: Consider interest, stamina and text complexity—not age alone. A familiar series can help a hesitant reader build confidence.

For older readers: Preview books involving prejudice, war, bereavement, violence or other mature themes so you can decide whether they suit your child or class.

Turn Reading into a Creative Activity

A simple craft can extend a story without turning reading into homework. Children can design a new cover, draw a favorite scene, create a character puppet or make a bookmark inspired by the book.

Try one of these 30 DIY bookmark crafts for bookworms, browse our picture books that inspire young artists, or pair the Dr. Seuss selections with these Dr. Seuss crafts for kids.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these 150 different children’s books?

These are 150 personal recommendations rather than 150 unique titles. Repeated books have been retained because each contributor chose her favorites independently. Those repetitions also show which books made an impression across several families.

What are good books from this list for preschoolers?

Good starting points include The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Gruffalo, Handa’s Surprise, Guess How Much I Love You, The Runaway Bunny, Sandra Boynton’s board books and books by Eric Carle.

Which books work well as classroom read-alouds?

Charlotte’s Web, The BFG, The Gruffalo, Elephant & Piggie books, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and The Phantom Tollbooth can all support discussion, vocabulary and creative follow-up activities. Choose according to the age and needs of your class.

Are all these books suitable for younger children?

No. The collection stretches from baby board books to young adult fiction. Teen titles and books involving war, grief, prejudice, violence or other sensitive themes are labeled where possible, but an adult should still review an unfamiliar book.

How do I choose the right reading level?

Look at the child’s interests, comprehension, confidence and reading stamina rather than relying only on age. For more help, see our guide on how to choose the best books for your child.

What Would You Add?

That is one exhaustive list, isn’t it? How many of these books do you own? Are any of them family or classroom favorites? Which book would you add if you had the chance?

I am permanently bookmarking this collection! A BIG thank-you to all the wonderful moms and book lovers who took the time to share their favorites and the happy memories attached to them.

For more ideas, browse our complete Reading Corner or discover simple ways busy families can make more time for reading.