Top 50 Children’s Books of all Time (did yours make the cut?)
Today is Read Across America Day, coinciding with Dr. Seuss’ birthday (he would have been 108 years old!). To celebrate, Time Out Kids has named the Top 50 Children’s Books of All Time!
Their Top 50 picks are:
50. Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming
49. My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Gannett Stiles, illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett
48. Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier
47. Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley
46. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
45. Doctor De Soto by William Steig
44. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
43. Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Josee Masse
42. Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak
41. The Bone series by Jeff Smith
40. Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
39. Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe
38. Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
37. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
36. Olivia by Ian Falconer
35. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
34. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
33. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
32. Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
31. The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
30. George and Martha by James Marshall
29. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
28. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
27. Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
26. Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke
25. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
24. Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
23. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
22. Matilda by Roald Dahl
21. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
20. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Lois Ehlert
19. Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
18. Holes by Louis Sachar
17. The Complete Adventures of Curious George by H.A. Rey
16. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
15. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
14. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
13. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
12. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
11. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
10. Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
8. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
7. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
6. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
5. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
3. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd
2. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
1. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Did your favorite children’s book make the cut?
Oh no! How can they leave out the BFG by Dahl? It is one of my all time favs. Greg
Curious George, Peter Pan, Pigs Is Pigs, Black Beauty, Chicken Soup With Rice, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, Story Of A Bad Boy, Treasure Island, Cinderella, Snow White, Robin Hood, Three Musketeers, Where’s Waldo, Eloise, Madeleine, … so quickly we forget (and there’s probably 30 more great children’s books. But iots nice to see the list.
Good Grief! Wizard of Oz
Great list! Of course, we all have our favorites and the list would have to reach around the globe to include each one.
I would add Mike Mulligan, Little Toot, Millions of Cats. Glad to see the list had old favorites as well as new ones that will one day be considered picture book classics.
No matter which book a parent picks, reading every day with young children is crucial.
well that was a great list but i have just read a book called Bewitched by Kate Saunder and it was a damn good book. Consider adding it to your list.