What Are Some Of Your Favorite Children’s Books?

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Continuing this series on favorites authors and books, I thought it would be fun to compile a list of beloved children’s books.

Without further ado (with apologies to Shakespeare), here are my three offerings:

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Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Published in 1883, this tale of adventure and pirates is not only a wonderful read, but also it is an excellent book to draw in reluctant readers.

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Next on my list is The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Unlike his adult British mythology–The Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit is a lovely adventure story that was aimed at children. It is an excellent introduction to the world of fantasy.

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Last on my list, which I am sure is highly incomplete, is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Winner of the Newberry Medal for best children’s books, this tale deals with a young orphaned boy who is raised by the ghosts and other otherworldly creatures in a cemetery. It is delightful!

So, I ask all of you: what are some of your favorite children’s books?

136 thoughts on “What Are Some Of Your Favorite Children’s Books?”

  2. I liked E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web.” Kids like to imagine that the animals can talk, and this book goes a long way towards teaching children to have empathy for animals. A child who can empathize with animals will grow into a kind adult. We can all do with more of those in the world.

    Liked by 5 people

  4. A fun question. Thanks for posing it.

    1. William the Backwards Skunk. Chuck Jones authored & illustrated. Originally published 1986. William is a skunk but his white stripe in on his front side instead of his back. The others animals in the forest don’t know what to make of him. Who ever heard of a backward skunk? We follow William as he attempts to handle the situation so the other animals will know who he is.

    2. The 13 Clocks. James Thurber authored & Marc Simont illustrated. Pub date of Jan 01, 1950. A surreal fairy tale unlike anything else. “Time lies frozen there. It’s always Then. It’s never Now.”
    “The oyster is a blob of glup, but a woman is a woman.”
    “I am the Golux, the only Golux in the world and not a mere device.”

    3. Jacob Have I Loved. Katherine Paterson authors. Pub date 1980. A very realist view of what it is to be a girl coming of age in a crabbing town set on the fictional island of Rass in the Chesapeake Bay. Two twin sisters. The book traces Sara Louise’s attempt to free herself from Caroline’s shadow, even as she grows to adulthood.

    Liked by 2 people

  5. Shel Silverstein poetry (not really story, I know)… I love Tom’s Midnight Garden, Ender’s Game, The Giver, Tuck Everlasting, the usual Roald Dahl fare, the original Wizard of Oz, the Silverwing series..and I am sure many others that I am forgetting.. 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

  11. The Hobbit would have to be on my list too. I didn’t read it as a kid, but in primary school our teacher read it to the class every day for a half hour before the end of school. A magical story.
    Other than that, I loved the various adventure stories of Enid Blyton – particularly the Secret Seven series and the Famous Five series of books.

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  13. The Snow Queen (an anthology of fairy tales), the original, unexpurgated Grimms’ Fairy Tales; A Child’s Garden of Verses; the original Winnie the Pooh and House at Pooh Corner; the original Mary Poppins; The Cat in the Hat; Richard Scarry’s Busy, Busy World; Misty of Chincoteague. Those are just off the top of my head. There are many, many more!

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  16. I’ve had a hard time answering this question and was going to just like and go. It’s what I do most of the time with hard questions. But I think I have to answer this as honestly as possible. I didn’t have books available until much later in life. If I found a book anywhere it was a German tale at my grandparents apartment. They would keep one or two just for me. Until I was able to get to a library when I was 12 and 13 I had no books. My best Christmas around that time was when I was gifted with 8 books. Donna Parker and Trixie Belden series. I had them read before my mother ever wrapped them. I would devour any book that touched my hands and bought so many for my children when they went through what our library and the school library had. I would be embarrassed now about how many books are in my library but I’m making up for lost time. I read the Secret Garden to my daughter and read The Way of the Peaceful Warrior with my son. I read to them every single night until they in turn read their books to me. Then they left me in the dust with the voraciousness of reading. History, politics, science and science fiction. All the trilogies wandered through our home. Favorites? I don’t know if we can nail one down. I had one story that my mother read to me about dolls coming to life. I could not tell you the name of the book but it took hold of my soul and made books magic. That one story my mother read to me made me see the magic of what could happen when I read to my children. Mom never had time to read another to me but the fire had been lit. I often shed a tear when I read Jennies posts at how fortunate those children are. She is doing the world such a great service and I would send her a medal if I could. So many children grow up without books or being read to and what wonders they miss. Sorry about this but I couldn’t let this go. I still haven’t found a favorite book. I love most of them deeply. You can delete this, I won’t mind.

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  17. Your choices are good. The Graveyard Book is a great audio book, read by the author himself.

    Where the Wild Things Are. The illustrations make that story.

    Wind in the Willows. I have made a pilgrimage to Kenneth Grahame’s grave in Oxford. Even now, there are flowers.

    Sword in the Stone by T H White. The later books are increasingly dark, but the first is tremendous.

    Liked by 2 people

  22. For a chapter book, it would have to be the first mystery I read beyond Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew (which I also love), and it was “Mystery of the Golden Horn” by Phyllis Whitney. In a picture book, my clearest childhood memories are of the “Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka” or “Snipp, Snapp, and Snurr” books by Maj Lindman. From an adult perspective, I’m drawn to Beverly Cleary’s books and picture books by Patricia Polocco.

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  25. Pingback: Comment Oops | insearchofitall

  30. I volunteer in my local library. We have lots of pre-schoolers and infants and junior readers, but teenagers seem to avoid the library even though there are special shelves full of teenage literature. How does one encourage teenagers to use their libraries.
    As for books I enjoyed as a child, I have to give a shout out for The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton, the first book I read by myself. I also loved the Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham. I also recall a series of books about The Family from One End Street.

    My sons, loved Roald Dahl, Fantastic Mr Fox. Also Dr Zeus, The Indian in the Cupboard, Each Peach,Pear Plum was a favourite picture book.

    Interesting question, thank you.

    Liked by 1 person

  31. I arrived here because of Marlene’s blog suggesting that she regretted leaving her comment, although I think her comment well worth writing and reading.
    Anyway, I want to mention a trilogy of books you might not have come across: The Snow Spider, Emlyn’s Moon and The Chestnut Soldier by Jenny Nimmo. It’s a wonderful series that draws on Welsh legends. She’s written lots of great children’s books, but these are my favorites. Oh, and Alan Garner’s The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and The Owl Service are also brilliant.

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Charlotte’s Web and The Secret Garden are hard to beat. However, I am all for getting the kids hooked on books long before they could follow those stories. When my eldest was born, someone gave him a small book called The Gorilla Did It. Yes, much of the charm was in the illustrations but it really made those storytimes magical and produced several readers. The earlier they are hooked on reading the better.

    Liked by 1 person

      • Whatever it takes. When working in Child Protection, I often picked up copies of Harry Potter and some even donated copies. My own kids always got a book regardless of the occassion and whatever else they might get. Thanks Charles. These days I look for books for the wee neighbors. However, they must be in French. Fortunately, Beatrix Potter has been most helpful.

        Liked by 2 people

    • Your response reminded me of a book I read recently advocating the reading of poetry to infants as soon as they’re born. What Shall We Read to the Children was published in 1915, hence the flowery language (which I quite like):

      “The baby’s first taste of poetry should be given not later than a month after he alights, trailing his clouds of glory and with the music of his heavenly home attuning his ears to a delight in rhyme and rhythm long before mother’s songs convey word meanings to his mind. There never was a normal baby born into this world who did not bring with him a love for poetry; and the fact that so few adults retain a trace of this most pure delight points to the need of conscious effort on the parent’s part to foster the child’s natural gift.”

      You can find the full text of the book on Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/whatshallwereadt00hunt2/page/n6.

      Liked by 1 person

  33. Winnie the Pooh and Dr Suess’ books were a winner early on, but later I got in to a Nursing series, Sue Barton, Student Nurse. Oh how I loved these, but I blame them for sending me into that career, which ultimately wasn’t that suited to me. What a good idea for a post.

    Liked by 2 people

  34. Winnie the Pooh has always been my favorite. How could anyone not love that chubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff? I even had my class perform some Winnie the Pooh shows at school. A Winnie the Pooh book with a bear is one of my favorite baby shower gifts.

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  37. Dr. Suess is at the top of my list, but fairy tales and nursery rhymes are must-reads for children of all ages. As a retired teacher in upper elementary and middle school,two of my contemporary favorites include Mojave by Diane Siebert and The Wagon by Tony Johnston. Three cheers for books and reading to children and students of all ages!

    Liked by 2 people

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