Movies Books Travel Food Other
Trending
New
Popular

The 50 Best Books for Kids

In honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday (he'd be 108 this year) and the NEA's Read Across America Day on Friday, March 2, we decided it was time to put together the definitive list of best books for children. The task wasn't easy: After all, children's books are among the most indelible sources of memory—and therefore opinion—on the planet. We knew we didn't want only 20th-century classics, and also that we wanted to mix in a few graphic novels and nonfiction works, genres that have come a long way in recent years. And of course we wanted something for every child, from tots and emerging readers to middle-grade kids and middle-school students. (We stopped at roughly age 12, though many in the oldest age category are teen and adult gems as well.) A lot of our personal favorites made the cut (Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat, Harry Potter, A Wrinkle in Time) but we're also thrilled that the top 50 include some new classics we'd never heard of.
38,637 users · 183,478 views
 
from timeout.com · made by Eli Dragen
avg. score: 19 of 50 (38%)
required scores: 1, 11, 16, 21, 27 

How many have you read?

Page 1 of 2
Where the Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendak)
Where the Wild Things Are
1
Maurice Sendak
Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
Charlotte's Web
2
E.B. White
Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown)
Goodnight Moon
3
Margaret Wise Brown
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (J.K. Rowling)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
4
J.K. Rowling
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
5
Eric Carle
The Cat in the Hat (Dr. Seuss)
The Cat in the Hat
6
Dr. Seuss
A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L'engle)
A Wrinkle in Time
7
Madeleine L'engle
The Snowy Day (Ezra Jack Keats)
The Snowy Day
8
Ezra Jack Keats
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
9
C.S. Lewis
Knuffle Bunny
Knuffle Bunny
10
The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
The Secret Garden
11
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Harriet the Spy (Louise Fitzhugh)
Harriet the Spy
12
Louise Fitzhugh
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
13
Roald Dahl
Madeline (Ludwig Bemelmans)
Madeline
14
Ludwig Bemelmans
The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The Hobbit
15
J.R.R. Tolkien
Phantom Tollbooth (Norton Juster)
Phantom Tollbooth
16
Norton Juster
The Complete Adventures of Curious George
The Complete Adventures of Curious George
17
Holes (Louis Sachar)
Holes
18
Louis Sachar
Ramona the Pest (Beverly Cleary)
Ramona the Pest
19
Beverly Cleary
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
20
Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
The Arrival
The Arrival
21
Matilda (Roald Dahl)
Matilda
22
Roald Dahl
The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Beatrix Potter)
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
23
Beatrix Potter
Bark, George
Bark, George
24
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Brian Selznick)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
25
Brian Selznick
Anna Hibiscus
Anna Hibiscus
26
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse
27
A Light in the Attic (Shel Silverstein)
A Light in the Attic
28
Shel Silverstein
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Judy Blume)
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
29
Judy Blume
George and Martha
George and Martha
30
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 (Christopher Paul Curtis)
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963
31
Christopher Paul Curtis
Caps for Sale
Caps for Sale
32
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (E. L. Konigsburg)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
33
E. L. Konigsburg
The Paper Bag Princess (Robert Munsch)
The Paper Bag Princess
34
Robert Munsch
Number the Stars (Lois Lowry)
Number the Stars
35
Lois Lowry
Olivia
Olivia
36
Coraline (Neil Gaiman)
Coraline
37
Neil Gaiman
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
38
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
39
Are You My Mother? (P.D. Eastman)
Are You My Mother?
40
P.D. Eastman
Page 1 of 2
Click books you've read
Newsletter · Help/Contact · Privacy · Copyright Claim   © 2025 App Spring, Inc. · This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Seen It - Movies & TV 
Android & iOS
Seen It is a new app from the creators of List Challenges. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. In addition, you can see the most watched/liked stuff amongst your friends. Learn more at SEENIT.FUN