Top Ten Children’s Books

While typing up this post, I realized how much fun it can be to go down memory lane. This is a list of my favorite children’s books that I cherished as a kid (beware: nostalgia ahead). They are in order from my least favorite favorite to my most favorite favorite.

10. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by: Judith Viorst

Goodreads description: “Alexander knew it was going to be a terrible day when he woke up with gum in this hair. And it got worse… His best friend deserted him. There was no dessert in his lunch bag. And, on top of all that, there were lima beans for dinner and kissing on TV!”

Many people know about this book, today, because of the movie that came out. I read it way before it was hip. Haha! This is a funny book for kids.

9. The Giving Tree by: Shel Silverstein

Goodreads description: “There once was a tree and she loved a little boy. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk…and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave.”

This book was one of my absolute favorites as a kid. I don’t think I fully grasped it then, though. It is such a sad story!

8. Goodnight Moon by: Margaret Brown

Goodreads description: “In a great green room, tucked away in bed, is a little bunny. ‘Goodnight room, goodnight moon.’ And to all the familiar things in the softly lit room — to the picture of the three little bears sitting on chairs, to the clocks and his socks, to the mittens and the kittens, to everything one by one — the little bunny says goodnight.”

This board book is sooo adorable! It’s so perfect for bedtime and teaches kids about rhymes. I read it many a time.

7. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by: Eric Carle

This is a picture book that goes through the life cycle of a caterpillar and all the crazy things he ate.

This book is so much fun for kids! The bright pictures and holes to stick little fingers in are perfect.

6. But Not the Hippopotamus by: Sandra Boynton

A shy hippo makes friends and decides not to be shy anymore.

I loved reading this board book over and over as a kid. I think it is really helpful for teaching about shyness and how to approach other children when they won’t play with them. It teaches great friendship skills.

5. Scooby-Doo! Storybook Collection by: Jesse McCain and Gail Herman

Goodreads description: “Wherever there’s a mystery to solve, Scooby-Doo is there to crack the case! Follow Scooby and the gang from Mystery, Inc. as they track down spooks of all shapes and sizes in this collection of Scooby-Doo storybooks. It’s sure to delight mystery lovers big and small.”

I still have my copy of this book, and wow is it worn out! My favorite thing to do was take out my tiny toys, walk them around on the pages, and pretend they were in the story with Scooby and Shaggy. I adored all eight of the stories inside, but my favorite had to be “The Alien Invaders.”

4. Leaf Magic by: Margaret Mahy

Leaf Magic is the story of a boy who wishes deeply for a dog. One day, a huge leaf blows behind him. He realizes that leaf is following him! He runs home and the leaf comes with him. With a swirl of magic, that leaf turns into the dog he has always dreamed of.

This was such a whimsical book for me as a kid. Still to this day, I’ll occasionally glance behind me to see if that big leaf could be following me home.

3. A Porcupine Named Fluffy by: Helen Lester

Goodreads description: “Should Mr. and Mrs. Porcupine name their baby Lance? Needleroozer? Quillian? Perhaps they should, but they don’t. Instead they decide on the unlikely name of Fluffy. Fluffy’s name is a source of sorrow to the sharp-quilled youngster, until he meets and befriends a rhinoceros named . . . Hippo!”

This is such an adorable story! It teaches that sometimes there are things we don’t like, but can’t change in life, and it’s okay to laugh at ourselves.

2. The Monster at the End of this Book by: Jon Stone

Grover heard that there was a monster at the end of the book! He tries everything to get the reader to not turn another page. What monster could it be? As the pages are turned, Grover discovers the monster is really… himself!

I can’t even describe the overwhelming love I have for this book. I remember getting so excited to see the monster and thinking how silly poor little Grover was to be so worried!

1. Ultra-Violet Catastrophe by: Margaret Mahy

Sally and her great-uncle are far from the prim and proper people their families want them to be. So, when they get together, an adventure is the only thing to do! What will Aunt Ann say?!

This book is pure nostalgia for me. It makes me happy just looking at it. I suppose it is my favorite because I wasn’t necessarily a prim and proper child. A good ole’ adventure was just the thing to read about.