The Best Kids Books
Most kid's books aren't that good. You're going to be reading them a lot so it pays off if they're good. These are the best ones using fun, beauty, whimsy, joy and of course a good story with a positive theme as the criteria.
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21 Books
Goodnight Moon
Illustrated by Clement Hurd
Ages 012
A venerable classic. Flows beautifully. It’s silly, cute, tender and just the right amount of non-sensical. Multiple references to itself and other Wise Brown books. Still fun to read for the 100th time.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Ages 2345
Far and away the oldest book on this list at well over 100 years old but still excellent. A rich and illustrative story. Full consqueqences for the naughty Peter Rabbit in the conclusion. It's old enough now to be in the public domain with many differently illustrated options. We like the one linked here.
City Lullaby
Illustrated by Carll Cneut
Ages 123
A vibrant and realistic picture of city life. Poetic verses. Detailed illustrations with bonus searches for a hidden stroller. Cathartic capture of the pain of keeping a baby asleep while fun to read for kids.
Let’s Build a Clubhouse
Illustrated by Timothy Bush
Ages 2345
What’s better than a group of kids working together to build a clubhouse? This book doesn't dumb down the process or descriptions of the tools required for building at all. Lot’s of fun stuff happening in the illustrations and a great theme of teamwork.
Digger, Dozer, Dumper
Illustrated by David Slonim
Ages 2345
There’s so many good Hope Vestergaard books on this list but this is my favorite. Each page is a unique poem for a all sorts of heavy machinery. Truly fun to read. No repetition. Rich imagery and beautiful illustrations with bonus hiding dog on every page.
Driving Daddy
Illustrated by Thierry Courtin
Ages 12
The companion to Wake Up, Mama: a thrilling ride on Dad’s shoulders around the neighborhood. Short and sweet with a cute surprise ending.
Wake Up, Mama!
Illustrated by Thierry Courtin
Ages 12
The companion to Driving Daddy a little boy playfully cuddles in bed with his Mama. After reading this book we’ve played out a lot of mama mountain ourselves.
Cars and Trucks and Things That Go
Illustrated by Richard Scarry
Ages 12345
You can read this book 100 times and still find something new. The pig family’s adventure is one of so many interwoven stories. Equal parts real life cars and trucks and completely wild imaginative creations like the toothbrush car and bug bus. You can spend 5 minutes on each page exploring the detail and finding Goldbug is often legitimately tough. One of the best ever.
Father Cat's Christmas Tree
Illustrated by Richard Scarry
Ages 345
One of Richard Scarry’s most grand narratives. It’s a subtle introduction to life’s phases and rites of passage following Father Cat all the way from childhood through parenthood. Hits so many big themes: community, birth, friendship and family. I also love Sally’s completely irrelevant impatience with Huckle.
The Runaway Bunny
Illustrated by Clement Hurd
Ages 345
The sweet story of a mother bunny's unconditional love for her little bunny isn’t even best part. The illustrations of both bunnies transforming into things like the wind, rocky mountains or trout in a stream is creative and fun. I especially love the little sail boat bunny with ears for sails.
If Animals Kissed Good Night
Illustrated by David Walker
Ages 012
My favorite thing about this one is the way the writing invites dramatic reading. The sloths want you to read sslloooowww and the hippos get a deep thick voice for their mud happy heap. A great book to finish the night with.
Franklin's Bad Day
Illustrated by Brenda Clark
Ages 2345
You can’t go wrong with any book from the Franklin series. There’s a lot and they're all excellent at telling a full story with a real message. Franklin’s bad day happens to be a favorite. The illustrations are so lush and detailed I want to live in their little town.
Sleepyheads
Illustrated by Joyce Wan
Ages 012
There’s a lot of 'bedtime' books but none have a vibe as sleepy as Sleepyheads. The illustration style can only be described as snuggly. As the reader you’ve got to fight to stay awake yourself.
Rain!
By Linda Ashman
Illustrated by Christian Robinson
Ages 12
We read this one a lot in the middle of a very rainy winter. It’s a little different with few words and mostly illustration and sounds funny when overheared but not seen. Mostly great because it makes fun of a grumpy old man.
I'm Sticking with You--and the Chicken Too!
Illustrated by Steve Small
Ages 2345
An even better follow up to I’m Sticking with You. Funny, cute and a nicely flowing story about being inclusive.
Wombat Stew
Illustrated by Pamela Lofts
Ages 234
An Australian classic about a bunch of animal friends working together to trick a dingo out of eating a wombat. Full of funny Australian slang and manerisms.
Koala Lou
By Mem Fox
Illustrated by Pamela Lofts
Ages 234
A young koala completes for her mother’s love, loses but finds she still loves her anyway. A great Australian story about the folly of trying to win someone’s love.
Potty Animals: What to Know When You've Gotta Go!
Illustrated by Valeria Petrone
Ages 23
100 times more fun than any kind of explicity potty training book. Runs through a bunch of different bathroom scenarios and how to get it right: washing hands, closing the door, peeing before bed, etc. Poetic, funny and super engaging.
I Don't Want To Clean My Room: A Mess of Poems About Chores
Illustrated by Carol Koeller
Ages 234
Poems about chores. Not at all preachy or paternalistic. Just fun, short, realistic stories about cleaning including the good parts and bad parts.
Amazing Machines: Colossal Cranes
By Tony Mitton
Illustrated by Any Parker
Ages 23
The scope seems narrow but our 2yo got extremely into this book and started noticing different kinds of cranes across the city. I love that it doesn’t shy away from diving into the real details of crane machinery: slewing gears, jib, trolley, etc.
Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
Ages 234
There’s a lot of books in the goodnight X category but this one is the favorite. I find it so sweet thinking about heavy machinery laying down their sleepy hydraulic arms and snuggling into sleep.