From picture books to middle-grade novels, here are the most popular children's books for every age and stage
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25 Best Children’s Books of All Time for Readers of All Ages
Updated on Jan. 13, 2025
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Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Recommended for ages: Birth to 5
Perhaps every kid’s first bedtime story, the 1947 classic Goodnight Moon still holds a soft spot in the hearts of many parents today. With its singsong refrain and sleepy-time theme, memorable characters and colorful illustrations, it’s one of the most popular children’s books of all time and still the perfect read to cozy up with before Baby goes down for the night. And check out the new soft, cloth edition that will give even the youngest readers something to hold on to.
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The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
Recommended for ages: Birth to 5
One hallmark of the best children’s books is standing the test of time. Well, The Little Engine That Could doesn’t just think it can do that—it did. Pick up this special 90th-anniversary edition of the inspirational classic, originally written in 1930 by Watty Piper. It’s illustrated by Dan Santat and introduced by none other than Dolly Parton. The classic picture book has motivated generations with its upbeat “I think I can” refrain, and this bright, poppy version of the inspirational book will continue to encourage kids—and adults—to put on that growth mindset and get to work. If you can believe it, you can achieve it.
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Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi
Recommended for ages: Birth to 5
Whether your kid is potty training or just enjoys potty humor, the science- and silliness-driven Everyone Poops is a must-read and makes a great read-aloud. First published in 1977, this beautifully illustrated classic picture book delves deep into the differences and similarities among us as it talks about how, when it comes right down to it, everyone poops—it’s just a matter of where and how. This children’s book is a fun way to introduce what can be a daunting concept for little ones, with lots of laughs built in.
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Corduroy by Don Freeman
Recommended for ages: Birth to 5
Little Corduroy has been stuck sitting on a department store shelf for far too long. First published in 1968, the children’s book about a lonely teddy bear—who’s missing a button—on the hunt for a home will resonate with today’s kids as much as it did with their parents (and grandparents). Some may find it a sad book, although it has a happy ending, but if your kid is sentimental like me and mine, I’d nab the Corduroy gift set, which comes complete with a cuddly little bear keepsake to snuggle and hug.
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Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
Recommended for ages: 2 to 7
If your kid is like mine, his favorite toy growing up didn’t come in a box—it was the box. Because as anyone with any imagination knows, a box can become a million things, from a house to a race car to a robot. That’s the lesson in Antoinette Portis’s beautifully drawn Not a Box, a 2006 picture book about playing pretend and the very power of creativity. If this book stokes your child’s imagination, follow it up with the popular children’s books Not a Stick and Not-a-Box City. The books also make great gifts for high school and college graduates, inspiring them to think “outside the box” in their future careers.
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And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson
Recommended for ages: 2 to 7
Some of the best children’s books of all time challenge prejudices in age-appropriate ways. First published in 2005, the beautiful picture book And Tango Makes Three—which is based on a true story—follows a pair of male penguins at the Central Park Zoo who fall in love and adopt an abandoned egg to form their own little family. The beloved book demonstrates the many ways to make a family, but it has been one of the most banned books in the past two decades.
Ganesha's Sweet Tooth by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes
Recommended for ages: 2 to 7
An eye-popping confection of a book, 2012’s Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth centers on a pint-size version of the Hindu deity Ganesha—destroyer of obstacles and bringer of success—who, in this book, is just your average, elephant-headed kid with a penchant for sugary sweets. Unable to control his candy cravings (relatable!), he chips his tusk on a jawbreaker of a delicious ladoo, an Indian sweet. But then Ganesha runs into a sage who shows him that one needn’t be perfect to make a meaningful contribution. It’s an inviting, beautifully rendered read for parents looking to add a bit of cultural diversity to the best children’s books in their kid’s library.
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Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin
Recommended for ages: 2 to 7
Want to hear your kid laugh out loud before bedtime? Then pick up the delicious Dragons Love Tacos by author Adam Rubin and illustrator Daniel Salmieri, the duo behind Those Darn Squirrels! In this silly story, a taco fiesta for a bunch of happy dragons goes horribly wrong when they get into some spicy salsa. Because as much as dragons love tacos (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?), they hate spicy salsa. The original 2012 picture book has inspired a slew of popular children’s books in the series, each as LOL funny as the first.
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Big by Vashti Harrison
Recommended for ages: 2 to 7
All of Vashti Harrison’s works are must-reads, but National Book Award finalist and Caldecott winner Big, a beautifully illustrated 2023 picture book, is truly a stunner. The story follows a small girl with a “big laugh and big heart and very big dreams” as she grows into who she is, which all too suddenly becomes too much and too big. As with many of the best children’s books of all time, this beautiful tale is about learning how to accept and love yourself no matter what others might say about you—a worthy lesson for people of all ages to embrace.
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The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone
Recommended for ages: 3 to 7
Everyone’s BFF, Grover from Sesame Street, beseeches readers not to keep turning the pages of this classic picture book because, as he mentions several times, they’ll find The Monster at the End of This Book! And by getting to the end, you’re ever closer to discovering that monster—and to learning a good lesson. First published in 1971 and now also available in a board-book edition for little ones, this pick is fun for kids of all ages. But it’s also a throwback favorite for adults who grew up watching the PBS hit and now like to snuggle in with their kids to revisit the beloved neighborhood.
If your children become as obsessed with this book as I am—uh, was—then get them the inevitable sequel, Another Monster at the End of This Book, guest-starring fan fave Elmo.
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The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
Recommended for ages: 3 to 7
Strike, strike, strike! That’s exactly what Duncan’s crayons decide to do, having had enough one unexpected day, in the colorful picture book The Day the Crayons Quit. Duncan opens his crayon box at school to find a batch of colorful—and decidedly funny—lamenting letters from each color. Orange and Yellow are in a standoff over what color the sun really is, Pink feels underutilized, and Black feels typecast (relegated to outlines only). Green, meanwhile, just wants everyone to get along. Can Duncan resolve his crayons’ issues in time to resume his coloring career in class? First published in 2013, this classic has spawned several popular spin-off children’s books that tell the stories of individual crayons to continue the fun.
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Watercress by Andrea Wang
Recommended for ages: 3 to 8
Published in 2021 and nominated for a Newbery, the beautifully illustrated, Caldecott-winning Watercress follows the story of a young Chinese immigrant who reconnects with a piece of her family’s past along the side of a road in Ohio. Visually stunning and lyrically written, the picture book unfolds the story of the history her family left behind, highlighting the misunderstandings that sometimes come with a cultural tug-of-war. That makes it especially poignant and one of the best books of all time for families with immigrant histories of their own, like mine.
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Recommended for ages: 5 to 8
Originally published in 1955 and the first of eight children’s books in Beverly Cleary’s beloved Ramona series, Beezus and Ramona is the very definition of a children’s book classic. Beatrice Quimby, aka Beezus, who is all of 9, lives on Klickitat Street (as a neighbor to Cleary’s Henry Huggins!) and is trying very, very hard to be a good big sister. But her kid sister, Ramona, doesn’t make it easy. She’s rambunctious and silly, with a wild imagination and some head-spinning antics that leave Beezus exhausted. I mean, who writes in a library book? Or invites a gang of 4-year-olds over for a party unannounced?
Perfect for early readers and read-alouds, this series starter is a lovely, low-stakes slice of life in the emotional battle between two very different sisters, emphasizing empathy as the path forward.
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Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein
Recommended for ages: 7 to 12
What kid wouldn’t love a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Night at the Museum mashup? That’s the idea behind Chris Grabenstein’s Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. Kyle Keeley gets the opportunity of his life when his hero, game maker Luigi Lemoncello, selects him as one of a dozen kids participating in a locked-in adventure at the new town library, which Lemoncello is designing. Can Kyle beat his nemesis, Charles Chillington, to win the big prize? Or will he realize the real win is learning to work with others?
Chock-full of literary references and fun riddles, this 2013 novel is an entertaining middle-grade mystery book that will have your kid itching to revisit your local library. And if your child is an avid reader, nab all six books in the series in one handy-dandy box set!
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Recommended for ages: 7 to 12
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing may be a throwback pick—after all, 53-year-old Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, said it inspired him to write books—but it’s due for a big-time revival.
In this 1972 Judy Blume book, we are first introduced to young Peter and his impossibly annoying and adorable little brother, Farley Drexel Hatcher, the 2-year-old terror, aka Fudge. Peter’s got it pretty good: He’s a New York City kid, his friends are cool and he just won an awesome turtle named Dribble. But Fudge is the bane of Peter’s fourth-grade existence, and when he swipes Dribble, well, all bets are off. Peter and pals continue their antics throughout the Fudge series, which is laugh-out-loud funny despite the vintage vibes. This is a great collection for kids dealing with fraught sibling dynamics and reluctant readers.
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The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles
Recommended for ages: 7 to 12
There’s something weird going on in Logan county, and if your kids are fans of mysteries, then they’re going to want to unravel exactly what it is. The Last Last-Day-of-Summer is the kind of time-travel book adventure parents will find familiar and kids will devour. The 2019 starter book for Lamar Giles’s Legendary Alston Boys series, it follows the antics of a pair of cousins, Otto and Sheed, who are antsy for some fun on the last day of summer. They have a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger who has a camera that stops time—literally!—and they have to work together to figure out how to start it again before the whole town (and their whole lives) are destroyed for good. Keep your kids on the edge of their seats with the two sequels in the trilogy.
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Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo
Recommended for ages: 8 and up
Published in 2013, Flora & Ulysses is a Newbery-winning flighty and funny novel with illustrations and other graphic elements. Superhero-obsessed smartie pants Flora, 10, saves Ulysses the squirrel from a near-fatal run-in with a vacuum cleaner—and finds her new pal imbued with special powers, like flying and penning poorly spelled poetry. Unfortunately, Flora’s romance-writer mom isn’t as excited about finding a supersquirrel in her home. With big words aplenty and lots of heart, this tome, written by Kate DiCamillo (author of another of the best children’s books of all time, Because of Winn-Dixie), is fast-paced fun for your precocious young reader.
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Melissa by Alex Gino
Recommended for ages: 8 and up
When Melissa’s teacher announces the class is going to put on the play Charlotte’s Web, she really wants to try out for the role of Charlotte. But her teacher tells her she can’t—because when people look at her, they see a boy. Can Melissa win the role and show people how to accept who she really is? Alex Gino’s beloved middle-grade contemporary book, Melissa, has been frequently banned since it was first published in 2015, but teachers and librarians, fighting book bans, know how important the story is in helping kids embrace differences—in others and themselves.
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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Recommended for ages: 8 and up
Perhaps the most famous retelling of Greek mythology and legend, 2005’s The Lightning Thief is the first book in Rick Riordan’s groundbreaking Percy Jackson series, which has since spun off sequels, companions, movies, a TV series and a whole publishing imprint of Riordan-approved myth- and folklore-based read-alikes written by authors from other cultures. But kids still gravitate toward the original series, which infuses humor and high jinks into an epic hero’s journey of one very confused but adventurous ADHD kid (much like mine!).
If your children are into mythology, history, gods or monsters, this is just the series to get them hooked on reading. And if they start reading now, they’ll be caught up in time for Season Two of the Disney+ TV show.
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The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Recommended for ages: 8 and up
A startling and refreshing read from 2012, Newbery Award winner The One and Only Ivan centers on Ivan, the Ape at Exit 8, who’s lived his life behind the plexiglass of his cage at the strip mall zoo for as long as he can remember. He stares out at the gawking humans, not even thinking about the place he once called home—until baby elephant Ruby arrives with memories and a mission.
Based on a real gorilla named Ivan, held captive at a shopping mall zoo for more than 30 years, this is a story about courage and resilience, the importance of remembering who you truly are despite your current circumstances—and, of course, learning how to change them.
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Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Recommended for ages: 8 and up
A classic with a languid and winding rhythm, 1908’s Anne of Green Gables may feel a bit staid by modern middle-grade standards, although today’s adolescents might know her from the recent Netflix TV adaptation, Anne with an E. But she’s a generational fave for many parents and a timeless staple of popular children’s literature, so the novel is well worth sharing with any rambunctious, bookish kids who are always making mischief. Because let’s face it: Red-headed, little orphan Anne changed the lives of many a preteen when she smashed that slate over charming Gilbert Blythe’s head after he dared to call her Carrots.
With gumption, smarts and plenty of sass, Anne showed girls everywhere they didn’t have to be quiet, mousy creatures who accepted circumstance—they could dream big and change things—in this ahead-of-its-time, quietly feminist book.
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Stargazing by Jen Wang
Recommended for ages: 8 and up
There’s more than one way to be a friend. That’s the lesson at the heart of 2019’s Stargazing, a gorgeous graphic novel about two Chinese American girls who couldn’t be more different if they tried. While Moon is confident and carefree, Christine is buttoned up and down to earth. But when they start hanging out, they’re like two halves of a whole. When Moon confesses to Christine about her celestial visions, though, Christine’s not sure what to do. And when Moon ends up in the hospital, Christine must decide whether to confess what she knows, even if it means betraying her best friend. Deftly drawn, literally and figuratively, Jen Wang’s story shows kids that no culture is a monolith and that friendship can bloom anywhere, even where you least expect it.
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Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
Recommended for ages: 8 and up
One of the first books to be published by the imprint Rick Riordan Presents, the 2018 fantasy book series starter Aru Shah and the End of Time follows a misfit 12-year-old who has a penchant for lying and literally lives in a museum with her archeologist mom, who frequently disappears on work trips. Trying to one-up a school frenemy, she accidentally freezes the world using the cursed lamp of the legendary emperor Bharata … and kicks into motion a series of events that will maybe, quite possibly, end life as we know it. So she embarks on a mission to save the world from the Sleeper, the ancient demon she’s inadvertently awoken.
My kids find this series uproariously funny and randomly quote it to each other all day long. Plus, it’s rich in Hindu mythology and shows brown kids that they too can be the heroes of the story. Bonus: It’s also available in graphic novel format.
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Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Recommended for ages: 8 and up
Technically, National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson’s melodic memoir Brown Girl Dreaming is a 336-page poem. But trust that you and your kids will gulp it down in a single sitting—it’s that riveting. Following a young, naive and curious Woodson through her post-Jim Crow American childhood in the 1960s and ’70s, we meet a girl confounded by things she can’t change yet equally determined to succeed. Rhythmic and mesmerizing, this 2014 short book is full of quiet spirit and insights as a young girl discovers herself as a reader, a writer and so much more.
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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Recommended for ages: 8 and up
The Newbery Honor winner Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a stunningly illustrated collection of stories inspired by Chinese folklore from inimitable Asian American author Grace Lin. Young Minli is on a mission to find the old man on the Moon, hoping to revive her family’s fortunes. Along the way, she encounters creatures from myth, legend and the childhood tales her father has shared with her.
Follow up this 2009 book with Lin’s companion novel, Starry River of the Sky, which features stories of old wise men, wives transformed into toads and the old Magistrate Tiger from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Lin’s interwoven tales will have kids reading and rereading as they make astounding connections between the stories.
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At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite books for over 100 years. We’ve worked with bestselling authors including Susan Orlean, Janet Evanovich and Alex Haley, whose Pulitzer Prize–winning Roots grew out of a project funded by and originally published in the magazine. Through Fiction Favorites (formerly Select Editions and Condensed Books), Reader’s Digest has been publishing anthologies of abridged novels for decades. We’ve worked with some of the biggest names in fiction, including James Patterson, Ruth Ware, Kristin Hannah and more. The Reader’s Digest Book Club, helmed by Books Editor Tracey Neithercott, introduces readers to even more of today’s best fiction by upcoming, bestselling and award-winning authors. For this piece on the best children’s books of all time, Sona Charaipotra tapped her experience as a young adult author, the former vice president of content and a board member for We Need Diverse Books, the former books editor at Parents magazine and the co-founder of Cake Literary to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
