(I earn from qualifying purchases through Amazon affiliate links, so you can directly purchase books our family loves at no additional cost.)
Favorite BOOKS FOR BABIES (0-2 years)
Shop affiliate links in blue for some of our family’s favorite board books for babies. (Look for * to find our favorite Authors)
Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson, This is Not my Hat by *Jon Klassen Do You Want to be my Friend? By *Eric Carle, Peekaboo Morning by Rachel Isadora Time for Bed by Mem Fox
Babies and toddlers are learning about their new world through ALL their 5 senses! So choosing books for littles is about finding age-appropriate books that can handle the wear and tear of little hands and mouths. Let them have fun interacting with the book: pulling, poking, feeling, and listing up flaps.
Littles love and thrive on:
- books with textures (such as touch-and-feel books) like Fuzzy little ducklings by Matthew Van Fleet, and Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt,
- books with flaps to lift like Little Critter’s Where’s Kitty by *Mercer Mayer, or looking for animals with things that move like I thought I saw a Dinosaur by Lydia Nichols, Where’s Spot by Eric Hall
- holes to poke fingers through like The Very Hungry Caterpillar by *Eric Carle
- repetition Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? (Slide and find) by *Bill Martin and *Eric Carle, and especially My First Nursery Rhymes by Iona Opie and *Rosemary Wells with rhythm that fosters language development.
Reading Reframe TIP: Reading these books together is more about building your bond with your baby than reading. So the best books for babies are those that spark their curiosity and happy interaction with the book. This short reading time together can give you a glimpse into seeing the wonder of the world through their little eyes. Have fun asking questions about the pictures: i.e. Can you find the mouse? Remember reading together is about building your relationship so when you’re connecting to each other, smiling or laughing, you’re doing it “right” even if you’re not reading the words…”Reading” together is much more than reading the words on a page: Any positive interaction with the book or spontaneous play that springboards from the book, all count as “reading” together!
Favorite BOOKS FOR TODDLERS (2-3 yrs)
Remember: Good children’s literature offers thoughtfully chosen words, with illustrations that tell as much of the story as the words.
Shop affiliate Links in blue: Goodnight Gorilla By *Peggy Rathmann, Freight Train by *Donald Crews, The Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by *Bill Martin and John Archembault, Baby Beluga by Raffi, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, Blue Hat, Green Hat by *Sandra Boynton, From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
Toddlers are a combo of finding their independence while also needing reassurance that they will always be loved Snuggle Puppy! a little love song,I Love you Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt and “Mommy/Daddy will always come back” Owl Babies by *Martin Waddell, “Whose Mouse are you” by *Robert Kraus. Building a daily routine where BOTH parent and child enjoy this reading time together fills that need! Simple stories with lift the flaps, repetition and rhyming words, capture the curiosity of toddlers. Hearing the predictability and rhythm of the language, also helps them develop language skills. (So when they ask you to read that one story…over and over and over, remember their little developing brain is creating new language synapses each time! )
+Connecting through the story TIP: Once you’ve read their favorites a bunch, pause and let them finish the last word in a sentence. i.e. “Brown Bear Brown Bear What do you __”? This not only builds their confidence and budding language skills, but equally important, this predictability of knowing what comes next in the story, creates security and stability within your relationship and for their little developing nervous systems.
Want to SING the story? Try music by Raffi here, and more Raffi board books here.
Favorite BOOKS FOR PRESCHOOLERS
(3-5 YRS)
Shop affiliate links in blue: 10 Minutes ‘Till Bedtime by *Peggy Rathmann, Whistle for Willie by *Ezra Jack Keats, Cordoroy by Don Freeman, , Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina, You and Me Little Bear by *Martin Waddell, Snoozers by *Sandra Boynton, The Mitten by Jan Brett, Harry and the Lady Next door by Gene Zion, The day the Babies Crawled Away by Peggy Rathmann
Create positive ripples all day long! Seeing the world THROUGH the wonder of a child’s eyes when reading a story, can strengthen your relationship with your child in other ways. (See testimonials home page)
Curious preschoolers enjoy picture books with clever stories The Three Pigs by David Weisner,that capture their imaginative problem solving skills The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by *Audrey and Don Wood and budding sense of humor Max’s New Suit by *Rosemary Wells, Muncha Muncha Muncha by Candace Fleming. These books, written by real children’s literature authors, offer endearing characters, relatable simple plots, and illustrations that encourage children and parents to have fun sharing the story. Reading books that promote social-emotional learning (SEL) Leo the Late Bloomer by Leo Lionni, with feelings and friendship, can be a helpful tool for preschoolers developing social skills and empathy (See more in Stories by topic).
+Fun Interactive TIP: Have fun capturing your preschoolers natural curiosity and sense of humor by asking them to find hidden or funny repeating patterns in the illustrations. i.e. In 10 Minutes ‘Till Bedtime – Can you find the hamster with underwear on his head on EVERY page? or the one that is kicking the soccer ball on Officer Buckle or Goodnight Gorilla? Children love looking for these silly hamster patterns on every page! (Can you find the characters from other books overlapping in those 3 books by Peggy Rathmann?)
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library:
GET A FREE BOOK EACH MONTH FOR YOUR CHILD 0-5 YEARS OLD
Keep Scrolling below for our family’s favorite stories for older kids!
Favorite BOOKS FOR EARLY SCHOOL AGE
(5-7 YRS)
Shop affiliate Links in blue: Chrysanthemum by *Kevin Henkes, Officer Buckle by *Peggy Rathmann, I am every good thing by Derrick Barnes and Gordon James, Beautiful by Stacy McAnulty, The Cow who Climbed the Tree by Gemma Merino, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, Where the Wild Things Are by *Maurice Sendak, Frederick By Leo Leonni, When You are Brave by *Pat Zeitlow Miller.
Early Reader Chapter Books: The Mercy Watson Series by *Kate DiCamillo, Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel, Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel, Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
This age is excited about so many simple “big kid” parts of life like starting school and learning to read! These budding readers love storybooks that offer witty new twists on known stories Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox, Red Riding Hood By James Marshall or relatable or silly characters like George and Martha by *James Marshall, Dooby Dooby Moo by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin, and life lessons Remarkably YOU by Pat Zeitlow Miller, Imogene’s Antlers by David Small,A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon, A Sick Day for Amos McGee (By Phillip and Erin Stead. This daily reading routine can build excitement for learning to read while also re-centering –both parent and child– at the end of a busy day, to go to bed happy and wake up rested.
+LEARNING TO READ MYTH: reading to your child when they are learning to read will make them not want to learn to read.
Fact: Reading to your child in a fun enjoyable way will make them want to learn to read because they associate this reading time with happy, loving time with you, and fun and interesting stories! Having an enjoyable reading routine with kids encourages excitement about learning to read, knowing they won’t have to give up this close, bonding time with you when they do learn to read. (My teenage son and I still look forward to reading together because we love talking about the story and connecting through the story at the end of a long day)
Favorite BOOKS FOR DEVELOPING READERS
(7-9 YRS)
Shop affiliate links in blue: Somebody Loves you Mr Hatch by Eileen Spinelli, Island of the Skog by Stephen Kellogg, I am Every Good thing by *Derrick Barnes, Amos and Boris by *William Steig, Dancing Hands by Margarita Engle, Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o, I am Golden by Eva Chen, Same,Same but Different by Jemmy Sue Kostecki-Shaw, Trying by Kobi Yamada, The Magical Yet by Angela DiTerlizzi, Library Lion By Michelle Knudson, Wherever you are: My Love will find you by Nancy Tillman, Hazel’s Amazing Mother by Rosemary Wells
Favorite chapter books: Frog and Toad by *Arnold Lobel, Little Bear by Else Holmelund, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, The BFG by Roald Dahl, The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne, Clubhouse Mysteries series by Sharon M Draper, The Wild Robot series by Peter Brown and The Tale of Despereaux by *Kate DiCamillo.
Children this age still love to be read to. This happy association with books then makes it exciting for them to make the jump to wanting to read chapter books. In fact with their budding self image, and trying new things, Many of these stories can open the door to discuss and help them gain understanding into their emotions, friends, and a growth mindset about making mistakes.
+Meltdown Moment TIP: Sometimes reading a funny story from one of the younger sections can diffuse the situation with laughter so they can talk about it later. I have read many a story to help calm my child or help them feel heard to talk about how they are feeling; to see another perspective or be a kinder sibling or friend. Check out my parenting tools section in
Favorite Fiction BOOKS FOR ‘TWEENS’
(9-12 years)
Shop affiliate links in blue: Holes by Louis Sachar, Hatchet By Gary Paulson, Peak series by Roland Smith, Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes , Sophie Quire by *Jonathan Auxier, Chasing Redbird by *Sharon Creech, Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis, Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, The Harry Potter series by *J.K. Rowling, The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill, Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
At this age, tweens enjoy books with relatable characters, more complex adventure stories with fast moving plots, and thought-provoking exciting complex themes and social dilemmas.
+Connecting Tip: This is a pivotal time to keep your reading routine going so that as your child enters their teen years they will have a safe built in time to talk to you about their fears and worries. Let your child take more of the lead in what they choose for you to read together during your nightly reading routine. Let this be a doorway into understanding their interests and fears, even if it’s not your favorite story. +(See Meredith’s testimonial Homepage)
“CHILDREN’S BOOKS CAN BE
DOORWAYS TO CONNECT:
To build relationships. To feel seen. To find words for feelings and experiences.
To learn. To laugh. To love.”
– Sarah Randall –
Keep Scrolling below for our teen and family read-aloud favorites!
Favorite BOOKS FOR TEENAGERS
Shop affiliate links in blue: The Giver series by *Lois Lowry, The Crossover series by *Kwame Alexander, Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga, Peak by Roland Smith, Riyria Revelations Series by Michael J Sullivan, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Echo by *Pam Munoz Ryan, The War that Saved my life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, and Ramie Nightingale series by *Kate DiCamillo.
Fiction books that explore coming-of-age themes, and relationships are important with this age group. These books offer engaging stories with memorable characters, authentic dialogue, and valuable life lessons that encourage teenagers to explore their personal beliefs. Classic literature, such as The Boy in the striped Pajamas by John Boyne, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry by Mildred D Taylor, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, can spark open ended conversations about the complexities of society, war, human rights and how we treat each other.
Non-fiction books that explore topics such as war, social issues, the earth and personal development can be helpful in connecting to your teen as you both expand your knowledge and understanding of the world and eachother. The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey, There is no Planet B by Mike Berners-Lee, The boys who challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose, Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges.
+Teen Tip: If your teen doesn’t want to read together, ask your teen what their favorite book they’ve read (or listened to) lately is and read it separately so you can ask about or share your favorite parts from it. Don’t “judge” them by what they’re reading; just let this be a window to understand, to ask what their favorite part was and why. Keeping this conversation open, neutral and loving will go a long way in showing them they can talk to you about other more serious things like mental health, or relationship issues.
Favorite Family Read-Alouds
As children increase their independence you may think your reading aloud days are done but I have found – especially during traumatic events or times of change –that kids crave even more this stable reading routine of connection and comfort. One easy way I’ve found to keep connected to my busy kids during the Summer is picking a book for our family read aloud time a few evenings a week. Even now as the kids are teens, they still enjoy gathering and settling into hear these funny and timeless stories before bed. I find it interesting that they usually want me to be the reader even though they are all now excellent readers; perhaps it is a comforting thread connecting them to their childhood…
Shop affiliate links in blue: Because of Winn Dixie by *Kate DiCamillo, The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, The World of Pooh by AA Milne, The Ichabog by J.K. Rowling, The Beatryce Prophesy by Kate DiCamillo, Walk two Moons by Sharon Creech, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox ,and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
For a fun 5 min read aloud try a Poetry collection: The Complete Poems of Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne, A Child’s Anthology of Poetry Edited by Elizabeth Hauge Sword, Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every child’s book of poems Selected by Beatrice Shenk De Regniers, Snoozers By Sandra Boynton
To choose a family book to read together, look for engaging yet simple, timeless stories that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages; Stories that are relatable, inspiring, endearing or funny. This read aloud time can create a safe place to discuss difficult topics and open the door for kids to share their thoughts and feelings in natural ways. +(see Meredith’s testimonial front page)
+ReadAloud tip: For this to work everyone needs to have a say. Try listening to an audio book on car trips (this one is our absolute favorite real “Winnie–the– Pooh” by A A Milne narrated by Peter Dennis). If everyone likes that author choose another book by them for your family read a loud. This is NOT a time to force reading “The Classics” (unless your kids actually want to read Moby Dick). If the family is not enjoying the book, just choose a different book. There is no rule that says you must finish a book no one wants to read. If you want this to be safe, happy, connecting family time then the kids need to WANT to hear the book you’re reading;)
Search stories by topic for many more family favorites including my ‘parenting toolbox’ books like Seven Spools of Thread by Angela Medearis or Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young to help kids get along and appreciate differences.
