For all of you who requested… here ’tis! And for all of you who didn’t, well, have fun anyway. You can never know about too many good books now can you? I began this list for the talks I did at the WHM conferences this year. I tend to talk too quickly in my speeches for people to write everything down, so here is the list in its completed glory:
Picture Books
1. When I Was Young In the Mountains (Cynthia Rylant)
2. When the Relatives Came (Cynthia Rylant)
3. Bunny Bungalow (Cynthia Rylant)
4. Miss Rumphius (Barbara Cooney)
5. Roxaboxen (Barbara Cooney)
6. Only Opal (Barbara Cooney)
7. The Brambly Hedge Series (Jill Barklem)
8. The Boy Who Held Back the Sea (Thomas Locker)
9. The Young Artist (Thomas Locker)
10. Fritz and the Beautiful Horses (Jan Brett)
11. The Bear Who Heard Crying (Natalie Kinsey Warnock)
12. All the Places to Love (Patricia MacLachlan)
13. A Song for Lena (Hilary Horder Hippely)
14. Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown)
15. Make Way For the Ducklings (Robert McCloskey)
Children’s Classics
1. Peter Pan (J.M. Barrie)
2. The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame)
3. The Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
4. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
5. The Tales of Winnie the Pooh (A.A. Milne)
6. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Beatrix Potter)
7. The Anne Series (L.M. Montgomery)
8. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
9. Little Men (Louisa May Alcott)
10. Kidnapped (Robert Louis Stevenson)
11. Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)
12. The Water Babies (Charles Kingsley)
13. The Railway Children (E. Nesbit)
14. The Treasure Seekers (E. Nesbit)
15. Heidi (Johanna Spyri)
Children’s Fiction
1. The Little Britches Series (Ralph Moody)
2. All of A Kind Family (Sydney Taylor)
3. Caddie Woodlawn (Carol Ryrie Brink)
4. The Winter Cottage (Carol Ryrie Brink)
5. Johnny Tremain (Esther Forbes)
6. The Good Master (Kate Seredy)
7. Carry On Mr. Bowditch (Jean Lee Latham)
8. Ellen (E.M. Almedingen)
9. Across Five Aprils (Irene Hunt)
10. I, Juan de Pareja (Elizabeth Borton de Trevino)
11. The Journeyman (Elizabeth Yates)
12. Escape from Warsaw (Julian Padowicz)
13. The Trumpeter of Krakow (Eric Kelly)
14. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Joan Aiken)
15. Because of Winn Dixie (Kate DiCamillo)
Fairy Tale/Fantasy
1. The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis)
2. The Princess and the Goblins (George MacDonald)
3. The Princess and the Curdie (George MacDonald)
4. At the Back of the North Wind (George MacDonald)
5. The Light Princess (George MacDonald)
6. The Lost Princess (George MacDonald)
7. Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
8. The Redwall Series (Brian Jacques)
9. Dangerous Journey (John Bunyan)
Delightful list … just in time for cozy afternoons spent under a quilt. I see one or two our shelving lacks. Hmmmm …
Thank you for the list…I can’t wait to dig in and read some new ones we haven’t gotten to yet. We checked out many Kim Lewis books per your suggestion…her illustrations are lovely!
I have three books I thought you would enjoy checking out. They are delightfully illustrated stories. I’d love to know what you think!
1. The Scarlet Stockings Spy by Trinka Hakes Noble
2. Dance in the Desert by Madeleine L’Engle
3. Rachel Field’s Hitty Her First Hundred Years by Rosemary Wells (it is a wonderfully adapted version of the original. I always love introducing the adapted versions when my kiddos are small)
Thank you, thank you, Clarkson Family for your ministry and just your love for the Lord and good books. I am slowly letting go of my expectations about our schooling and the children and I are so much less stressed out! Thank you Sally for your real heart sharing about your experiences in Austria and how the Lord moved in your life…You have brought so much hope to this heart.. I am so very encouraged by your family. Love, Carrie.
What a wonderful sounding list! I have read some of them and look forward to exploring more classics with my child(ren) when they get older. If anyone is interested, I have a list of excellent toddler age books on my blog.
I am delighted by your lovely and well-thought blog. I think we would be fast friends. Happened upon this link when I was searching for an image of The Railway Children for my most recent post, and so glad I did.
A few questions — I think I may have you pegged (only because you seem so much like me).
1. were you homeschooled?
2. you are a Christian, yes?
3. Are you married, but no children? (or perhaps in a courting relationship).
I am a Seminary Wife in the states working as a bookstore manager to pay for my husband’s classes — but what I really love is children’s literature (the good stuff) and educating my own little ones (future though they may be).
Hey there. Thank you so much for posting such a wonderful listing of children’s books.
Are any of these books recommended for preschool aged children? I have a 2 1/2 year old that loves to be read too and always feel so blessed when I find good children’s literature for her.
Thanks again.
Jessica
Please oh please keep writing! Your articles are wonderful!
Would love for you to do more on this blog. I absolutely adore getting wonderful children’s book recommendations. The ones you have mentioned so far are fabulous. My daughter loves them. She really enjoys the books you listed from Kim Lewis. She does exceptional work. The illustrations are really breathtaking.
Sarah,
Have you seen the My First Little House books? They are tiny stories taken from the original series and beautifully illustrated as children’s books. Our 2 and 1/2 yr old just loves them!!
Also wanted to mention the MET’s mini art series Dancing with Degas, Sharing with Renoir, Sunday with Seurat and more… They are little board books with simple rhymes. The illustrations are, of course, famous paintings by whichever artist. I was so proud when our little 2 yr old recently saw some Van Gough stationary and recognized the painting “Mommy, we have that at home!”
And I’d bet you have seen Carl R Sams II and Jean Stoick’s amazing photographic nature books such as Stranger in the Woods and Lost in the Woods. We love those too!
From one book lover to another… just had to share.
tongues says : I absolutely agree with this !