BOOKS FOR KIDS
A free resource for you!
This list is by no means comprehensive. It’s a list of some of the books that we had and loved. Some are well known and some are not. Some are still in print and some you’ll find used. All have been read…and reread, by me. They come with my recommendation.
BOOKS FOR VERY YOUNG KIDS:
Sandra Boynton: All her books are great! Here’s a few titles we had and loved.
Going to Bed Book, Sandra Boynton;
Happy Hippo, Angry Duck
Pajama Time
Horns to Toes and In Between
Birthday Monsters
Opposites
Night Night Little Pookie
Eric Carle:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Baby Faces, by DK – a great board book of emotions and facial expressions
Margaret Wise Brown: All her books are great!
Good Night Moon
The Little Fur Family
The Noisy Bunny Book
The Runaway Bunny
Peek-a-WHO? By Nina Laden
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie?, by Laura Numeroff
Richard Scary: A wide variety of great books for different ages.
I am A Bunny; beautiful illustrations of spring with lots of detail for little kids to pour over.
Guess How Much I Love You, by Sam McBratney
Gossie, Olivier Dunrea
Gossie and Gertie
Fiona Watt:
That’s Not My…It’s too… : This is a broad and great series of look, touch, and word books. All great. We had several.
That’s Not My Truck…
Mouse Paint ,Ellen Stoll Walsh
Calm Down Time, Elizabeth Verdick
I Love You All Day Long, by Frances Rusackas
The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn
Llama, Llama Misses Mama, by Anna Dewdney
Oh My Baby, Little One, by Kathi Appelt (mommy goes to work and baby is surrounded by her love thru his day)
Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You, by Nancy Tillman. (a little less direct but still lovely and loving)
Everyone Poops, Taro Gomi
Softy the Poop: Helping Families Talk About Poop, by Thomas DuHamel PhD.
PICTURE BOOKS FOR YOUNG KIDS:
The Paper Bag Princess, Robert Munsch
Babette Cole: an answer to traditional fairy tales
Prince Cinders,
Princess SmartyPants
Corduroy, by Don Freeman
Sherry Duskey Rinker:
Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
Steam Train, Dream Train
Alice Schertle:
Little Blue Truck
Little Blue Truck Leads the Way
Giraffes Can’t Dance, Giles Andreae
Goodnight Gorilla, Peggy Rathmann
Dragons Love Tacos, Adam Rubin
A Balloon for Isabelle, Deborah Underwood
Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
Mercer Mayer: Little Critter Series – lots of topics, great illustrations, you pick
Just Going to the Dentist
Liza Lou and the Yeller Belly Swamp, - Mercer Mayer (not a Little Critter book) this one has scary parts so make sure your kids are past that stage. But it’s a great book. Liza Lou does errands for her grandma and out smarts all the swamp monsters.
The 3 Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, Eugene Trivizas – great book, you will enjoy it too!
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Judi Barrett
Violet the Piolet, Steve Breen
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Judith Voirst
The Story of Ferdinand, Munro Leaf
Virginia Lee Burton: classic tales survive test of time.
Mike Muligan and His Steam Shovel
Katy and the Big Snow
Maybelle the Cable Car
CHOO CHOO
The Little House
Madeline, Ludwig Bemelmans
Make Way for Ducklings, Robernt McCloskey
The McDuff Stories, Rosemary Wells and Susan Jeffers. Pick the compilation book (4 stories) or separate titles. Great stories, georgeous illustrations.
Kami and the Yaks, Andrea Stenn Stryer
Rosie’s Magic Horse, Russell Hoban
The Night Before Christmas, Clement Clark Moore; illustrated by Charles Santore
I Stink!, Kate McMullan
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten, by Joseph Slate
Natasha Wing: The Night Before…series. Patterned on The Night Before Christmas. Great illustrations, fun, here are a few we liked. There are more.
The Night Before Kindergarten, By Natasha Wing
The Night Before First Grade,
The Night Before Summer Vacation
EARLY READERS:
Fly Guy, a series by Tedd Arnold
Splat the Cat, a series by Rob Scotton
OLDER READERS:
about 8+ for content, with good reading skills. Don’t be afraid of the many new graphic novels for kids. It’s all reading. It’s all visual comprehension. It’s all executive function skills. If it makes them want a book in their hands, it’s a good thing!
I Survived…a series by Lauren Tarshis:
Just be sure your kid understands this is historical-FICTION. At first my son was very worried about the kids in the stories who had “been through soooo much!” ie shark attacks AND the Hindenberg AND the Titanic AND….:)
Warrior Cats, By Erin Hunter:
This series is very extensive, constantly growing and wildly popular with kids. My girl carries her books around and young adults everywhere notice it and comment on how much they too loved the series when they were younger. Chapter series and graphic novel editions.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney:
Hugely popular series, my boy reread these over and over.
Dog Man,by Dave Pilkey:
Super popular series. My kids prefer DogMan over Captain Underpants but…
Pheobe and Her Unicorn, Dana Simpson. A great graphic novel type series. Very funny and full of irony.
Wings of Fire, Tiu Sutherland. Chapter book series. Has violent parts. For older kids 8-9y/o.
Wings of Fire:Graphic novel series.Kids often like to read both the chapter version and the graphic.
Hilo, Judd Winick. Great graphic novel series.
Hardy Boys, Franklin Dixon. Both the original and the new (with older boys) series.
Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle. Classic series with continued appeal. My husband says he learned to be less inwardly focused and more aware of what was happening around him from reading Sherlock Holmes stories.
JOKE BOOKS:
These are great for road trips and will get taken to school to share with friends. Be prepared for 95 MILLION “knock-knock” jokes! There are a ton of these out there and kids love them.
Knock Knock Jokes for Kids, Rob Ellliot.
Laugh Out Loud Jokes for Kids, Rob Elliot
Silly Jokes for Silly Kids 5-12y/o, Silly Willy.
National Geographic Just Joking…, by Nat. Geo.
OTHER GREAT TYPES OF BOOKS FOR KIDS:
Nat. Geographic 125 Stories of Amazing Animals…,by Nat. Geo
Nat. Geo. Why? 1,111 Answers, Nat. Geo.
Nat. Geo. 5,000 Awesome Facts, Nat. Geo.
Human body books. Some kids love them others can be put off. Look in the discount section of book stores.
How Things Work, TJ Resler.
Vet Academy: Are You Ready for the Challenge?, Steve Martin. Full of activities and info.
Piolet Academy: Are You Ready for a Challenge? Steve Martin. A series of professions.
READ TO THEM CHAPTER BOOKS:
My Side of the Mountain, trilogy, by Jean Craighead Moore
Julie of the Wolves, Jean Craighead Moore
Magic Treehouse, Mary Pope Osborne. Huge series, for bedtime stories or 1st-3r grade reading.
Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
Stuart Little, E.B. White
Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lingdren
FUN POEMS: for reading to your kids.
Beware the Jaberwocky, by Lewis Carroll
The Walrus and the Carpenter, by Lewis Carroll
Fog, by Carl Sandberg
Birches, by Robert Frost
The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe. Use a spooky voice. They won’t understand the story but may love the sound. You don’t need to read all the stanzas every time.
The Night Before Christmas, by Clement Clark Moore
