The best kids' books, age-by-age

best children's book best children's book
  • Baby

  • The Going-To-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton

  • Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

  • Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

  • Peek-A-Zoo! by Marie Torres Cimarusti 

  • Time for Bed by Mem Fox

  • Kitten’s First Moon by Kevin Henkes

  • Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill

  • Where is Baby’s Belly Button by Karen Katz 

  • Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt 

  • Little Blue & Little Yellow by Leo Lionni

  • Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr. 

  • Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney 

  • Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh  

  • Ages 2-4  

  • My Friend Bear by Jez Alborough 

  • ’m the Best by Lucy Cousins 

  • Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney  

  • Big Dog... Little Dog by P.D. Eastman

  • Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert 

  • Corduroy by Don Freeman 

  • My Garden by Kevin Henkes

  • The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

  • A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na 

  • If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff  

  • Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

  • No, David! by David Shannon

  • Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea

  • Art & Max by David Weisner 

  • Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems  

  • Ages 4-8 

  • The Mitten by Jan Brett 

  • Ramona by Beverly Cleary 

  • Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo 

  • Bread and Jam for Francis by Russell Hoban 

  • The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norman Juster 

  • Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann

  • Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor 

  • Of Thee I Sing by Barack Obama

  • Paula Deen’sMy First Cookbook 

  • Amelia Bedelia series by Peggy Parish 

  • Chicken Butt by Erica Perl 

  • Duck! Rabbit! By Amy Krouse Rosenthal

  • Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

  • Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner 

  • Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst  

  • Ages 9-12

  • Mr. Poppers Penguins by Richard Atwater

  • SuperFudge by Judy Blume  

  • The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett  

  • Charlie & the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

  • The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies 

  • Hardy Boys series by Franklin W. Dixon 

  • Guinness Book of World Records

  • Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene

  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

  • When Life Gives You O.J. by Erica Perl 

  • 39 Clues series by Rick Riordan

  • Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling  

  • Wayside School series by Louis Sachar 

  • Stuart Little by E.B. White 

  • Charlotte\'s Web by E.B. White  

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