Life Entertainment 34 Classic Children's Books Even Adults Love Connect with your child and encourage their love of reading with these classics. By Real Simple Editors Real Simple Editors Facebook Instagram Twitter An article attributed to "Real Simple Editors" indicates a collaborative effort from our in-house team. Sometimes, several writers and editors have contributed to an article over the years. These collaborations allow us to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available.The REAL SIMPLE team strives to make life easier for you. They are experts in their fields who research, test and clearly explain the best recipes, strategies, trends and products. They have worked for some of the most prestigious brands in lifestyle journalism, including Apartment Therapy, Better Homes & Gardens, Food & Wine, the Food Network, Good Housekeeping, InStyle, Martha Stewart Living, O: The Oprah Magazine, Parents, POPSUGAR, Rachel Ray Every Day, and Vogue. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 14, 2022 Fact checked by Isaac Winter Fact checked by Isaac Winter Isaac Winter is a fact-checker and writer for Real Simple, ensuring the accuracy of content published by rigorously researching content before publication and periodically when content needs to be updated. Highlights: Helped establish a food pantry in West Garfield Park as an AmeriCorps employee at Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center. Interviewed Heartland Alliance employees for oral history project conducted by the Lake Forest College History Department. Editorial Head of Lake Forest College's literary magazine, Tusitala, for two years. Our Fact-Checking Process Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: JGI/Getty Images It can be said that some of the most formative books you'll read in your lifetime are read during your childhood. So many of us remember the books we loved—whether it was the phenomenon that was Harry Potter or classic picture books like Goodnight Moon—and asked our parents to read every night at bedtime. So we asked Real Simple readers to tell us what children's books turned them on to reading and have stuck with them since. Here, dozens of readers reveal their favorites in their own words. 01 of 34 The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats amazon.com It was the first book that I encountered with characters whose skin color was the same hue as mine. It is also the first book that I have purchased for all of my great-nieces and -nephews. —Darlene Whi To buy: Ages 5 to 8; $6, amazon.com. 02 of 34 The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein amazon.com "As a child I loved the simple story and it has resonated with me more and more as an adult."—Samantha Sadler Layman To buy: Ages 4 to 8; $8, amazon.com. 03 of 34 The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf amazon.com "My dad read it to me as a baby girl recovering in the hospital. We read together until his grandsons were born. And then we read to them. 'Just quietly under the cork tree.'"—Cindy Lee Claplanhoo To buy: Ages 3 to 5; $5, amazon.com. 04 of 34 Are You My Mother?, by P.D. Eastman amazon.com "Are You My Mother? showed love and opportunities were everywhere."—Denise Thompson To buy: Ages 3 to 7; $5, amazon.com. 05 of 34 Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson amazon.com "I was so inspired by Harold's imagination and realized that books could take me anyplace I wanted to go, just like Harold."—Leslie Fischer To buy: Ages 4 to 8; $7, amazon.com. 06 of 34 The Poky Little Puppy, by Janette Sebring Lowrey amazon.com "My mom would read The Poky Little Puppy to me when I was a kid. I was soon addicted to the written word." —Chrystal Hogan Hood To buy: Ages 0 to 3; $5, amazon.com. 07 of 34 Go, Dog. Go!, by P.D. Eastman amazon.com "I still want the houseboat the dogs jump into the water from!!" —Julie McQueen To buy: Ages 3 to 7; $5, amazon.com. 08 of 34 Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans amazon.com "I truly started imagining living all over the world—and so I have."—Karin Thompson To buy: Ages 3 to 7; $9, amazon.com. 09 of 34 Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, by Judi Barrett amazon.com "I have a master's degree in English and it's still one of my favorite books." —Jessica Kosowski Zandan To buy: Ages 4 to 8; $7, amazon.com. 10 of 34 Raggedy Ann & Andy, by Johnny Gruelle amazon.com "My mom ordered the Raggedy Ann & Andy series for me; they were my first hardcover books. I watched for them in the mail and devoured them, hiding from my five younger siblings." —Kim Bennett To buy: Ages 4 to 8; $13, amazon.com. 11 of 34 Little Bear, by Else Holmelund Minarik amazon.com "My first favorite book that I remember and still think about is Little Bear. There have been many books since then, but that is the one that I would read over and over and then read to my little sister. Sometimes I find it in a thrift store and have to open it up to see the pages." —Erin Almond To buy: Ages 4 to 8; $5, amazon.com. 12 of 34 Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein amazon.com "I carried it around with me and read aloud to anyone who would listen (and some who wouldn't)!" —Meaghan Burke Proctor To buy: Ages 4 to 8; $11, amazon.com. 13 of 34 Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst amazon.com "I wanted to go to Australia some days too." —Adrienne Bartle To buy: Ages 2 to 4; $8, amazon.com. 14 of 34 Amelia Bedelia, by Herman Parish amazon.com "I just loved her and her simple thinking." —LaFaye Tapper To buy: Ages 6 to 10; $4, amazon.com. 15 of 34 The Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann David Wyss amazon.com "My mom read The Swiss Family Robinson to me. I don't know what I enjoyed more: the story or curling up with Mommy. Thank you, Mommy, for reading to me! One of the greatest gifts she gave me!" —Tosie Simmons To buy: Ages 7 to 9; $7, amazon.com. 16 of 34 The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame amazon.com "First book I read in one sitting." —Renee Perovich To buy: Ages 7 to 14; $20, amazon.com. 17 of 34 Superfudge, by Judy Blume amazon.com "I can remember reading it and laughing out loud. After I read it, I couldn't wait to get my hands on another Judy Blume book." —Jaime Centers Morganroth To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $7, amazon.com. 18 of 34 The Giver, by Lois Lowry amazon.com "As a preteen it was the first book to give me a sense of the world in the future. Since then I've been drawn to books and novels that deal with a postapocalyptic society. Would you remain moral and civil? Does humanity remain when rules are lost? I've enjoyed reading similar books like the Divergent and Hunger Games trilogies with my preteen children and posing the same questions." —Stacey Grim Zappacosta To buy: Ages 7 and up; $15, amazon.com. 19 of 34 Encyclopedia Brown, by Donald J. Sobol amazon.com "I paid attention to details and felt so smart when I could figure out the mini-mysteries. Encyclopedia Brown taught me it was okay to be smart." —Marcy Strohecker-Polletta To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $6, amazon.com. 20 of 34 The Incredible Journey, by Sheila Burnford amazon.com "I read it a dozen times. Was mesmerized by the strength and challenges [the characters] faced. That book sucked me in and made me want to read more and more! One of those "flashlight under the covers" late-night reads when you were supposed to be sleeping." —Julie Schroeder Standley To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $7, amazon.com. 21 of 34 Goosebumps, by R.L. Stine amazon.com "I loved the whole series." —KE Higgins To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $6, amazon.com. 22 of 34 Henry Huggins, by Beverly Cleary amazon.com "In third grade I discovered Beverly Cleary—Henry Huggins, Ribsy, Beatrice, and Ramona. Henry was always my favorite, but now as an adult reading to my own daughter, she loves Ramona's books best." —Eileen Downey Fleming To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $6, amazon.com. 23 of 34 The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden amazon.com "I grew up in the Little Apple (Manhattan, Kansas), not the Big Apple. The Cricket in Times Square transported me to a whole new world: a big city, public transportation, different ethnicities. I would read under the covers at night with a flashlight." —Angie May Priddle To buy: Ages 6 to 9; $7, amazon.com. 24 of 34 Ramona the Pest, by Beverly Cleary amazon.com "I hadn't read a chapter book on my own before, and I went through half the book in one night! I loved the book so much, I forgot about being an "early reader." I started reading my brother's "baby books" to him, probably mostly to show off. I felt so confident as a reader, I started picking up technical books about dog training and other things that interested me." —Bethany Ann Hagensen To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $7, amazon.com. 25 of 34 Bambi, by Felix Salten amazon.com "The original Bambi, not the Golden Book or the Disney version. I read it when I was 6. Still have it—57 years later!" —Susan M. Sanders To buy: Ages 10 and up; $16, amazon.com. 26 of 34 The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster amazon.com "I cried when it was done." —Erin Hennessy Passmonick To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $8, amazon.com. 27 of 34 Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfeild amazon.com "Loved this; read it until the cover fell off. I danced, too, so it was very special." —Lauren Leahey To buy: Ages 3 to 7; $7, amazon.com. 28 of 34 Betsy-Tacy, by Maud Hart Lovelace amazon.com "I received the first book in the series when I was 9. I reread them last year and they are just as sweet as I remembered. I cherish those stories for building my love of books." —Melissa Kate Hjelle To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $7, amazon.com. 29 of 34 Lassie Come-Home, by Eric Knight amazon.com "Got it when I was 10 years old. Still have it." —Pegg Allen To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $11, amazon.com. 30 of 34 The Borrowers, by Mary Norton amazon.com "My mom read to us all the time. This book was a favorite." —Katharine Holt Campbell To buy: Ages 9 to 12; $8, amazon.com. 31 of 34 Mary Poppins, by P.L. Travers amazon.com "I wanted her magic carpetbag!" —Christy Long To buy: Ages 10 to 12; $15, amazon.com. 32 of 34 Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson amazon.com "I must have read it every other month as a kid." —Walt Nickell To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $8, amazon.com. 33 of 34 Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter amazon.com "I think I read it 50 times." —Tammy Tunis Graves To buy: Ages 10 and up; $9, amazon.com. 34 of 34 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor amazon.com "As a preteen I read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. I liked reading before, but that book was the first one that had a deep impact on me." —Jeanenne Reid Robinson To buy: Ages 10 and up; $8, amazon.com. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit