75 Classic Books We Shouldn’t Neglect In A Child’s Reading Repertoire

Updated 1/2019.

Having been a child myself in the early 50s, there are classic books I feel should never be neglected in a child’s reading repertoire.

Though I don’t have the space to mention them all, these were the stuff of our children’s early homeschool reading aloud experience. They are all still around and available today because they strike a chord in all who read them – parent and child alike.

They set an enriching foundation in the heart and mind of children age 2 through 7 or 8. In my opinion, reading aloud should continue even after a child has mastered reading on his or her own and beyond.

Parent – be honest – you’ve only got so much time for reading aloud with your children! The last thing you want to do is choose a dud. If you are new to this, I hope this reading list makes the choosing easier and provides many delightful reading hours for you and your child! Enjoy!

Early Reading Library:

• The Story about Ping by Marjorie Flack
• The Most Wonderful Doll in the World by Phyllis McGinley
• Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
• The Complete Adventures of Curious George: 75th Anniversary Edition by H. A. Rey
• Pretzel by Margret Rey
• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
• Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace
• Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
• The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
• The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
• Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day

• The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
• Little Bear by Elsa Holmelund Minarik
• Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

• Frog and Toad Storybook Treasury by Arnold Lobel
• The Paddington Treasury by Michael Bond
• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
• Corduroy by Don Freeman
• Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel
• The Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
• James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
• Autumn Story (Brambly Hedge) ( plus others in the series)
• Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Mitten or The Hat by Jan Brett
• The Snowy Day or Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats

• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Rod Campbell
• Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren
• Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
• Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett
• Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
• Amelia Bedelia (first in a series) by Peggy Parish
• Plain Princess by Phyllis McGinley (out of print, but worth a search to find it)

• Thornton Burgess Animal Stories by Thornton W. Burgess
• The Poky Little Puppy (Little Golden Book) by Janette Sebring Lowrey
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• Mr. Frumble’s Coffee Shop Disaster (A Little Golden Book) by Richard Scarry

• Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
• Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?: Dr. Seuss’s Book of Wonderful Noises by Dr. Seuss
• What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry
• Guess How Much I Love You Board Book by Sam McBratney
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Board Book by Bill Martin Jr.
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
• Lentil by Robert McCloskey

• The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
• Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
• A Beatrix Potter Treasury by Beatrix Potter
• Go, Dog Go by P.D. Eastman
• Animalia by Graeme Base

• The Boxcar Children, No. 1 by Gertrude Chandler Warner
• Green Eggs and Ham by Seuss
• The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen
• The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown
• Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
• The Elves and the Shoemaker by Jacob Grimm

• Classic Treasury of Aesop’s Fables by Don Daily
• Katy and the Big Snow or other classic books by Virginia Lee Burton
• Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
• I Am A Bunny by Ole Risom
• Best Word Book Ever by Richard Scarry

• Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
• The Saggy Baggy Elephant (Little Golden Book) by K. Jackson
• The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen
• The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
• How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills
• The Story of Babar by Jean De Brunhoff

• Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
• Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
• Doctor De Soto by William Steig
• Billy And Blaze by C.W. Anderson
• Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling C. Holling
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff

• The Milly Molly Mandy Storybook by Joyce Lankester Brisley
• A Birthday for Frances and Bread and Jam for Frances (a series) by Russell Hoban
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
• The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
• James Herriot’s Treasury of Stories by James Herriot
• Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry
• The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dalgliesh

“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”~C.S. Lewis

Print this booklist before going to the library!

And don’t forget the Angus books by Marjorie Flack:

Some other book lists here at Deep Roots with completely different content.

Dear readers, there are affiliate links in this post. If you are already planning to purchase, and if there is any way possible for you to use these links, it would be a blessing. It would help to cover some of the time it takes to write this free resource. All the links on this website are for products that I feel are wholesome and helpful. I would share these links for purposes of encouraging families even if not an affiliate. I sincerely thank you!