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Books, For the Kids, Tanglewood Moms
You Voted, We Listened: 20 Children’s Books Your Kids Must Read
It’s a new school year, and we have literacy on our minds. Although we all understand the importance of reading, not all of our kiddos are natural born book-lovers. We’ve polled our savvy Tanglewood Moms once again and asked what their favorite children’s books are. Here’s a list of our top picks along with some other recommended books that are sure to get your kiddos (no matter what their age) excited about reading!
Toddlers-
These books are ideal for children learning to listen and follow along. The illustrations are eye-catching and the stories simple and predictable.
- Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
- Barnyard Dance! and others by Sandra Boynton
- Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
- A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault
Children
These books are ideal for children who have a longer attention span. In addition to being entertaining, they often teach a lesson.
- The Berenstain Bears: Spooky Old Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstain
- Elephant and Piggie, Pigeon, and Knuffle Bunny series by Mo Willems
- The Gruffalo and others by Julia Donaldson
- The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
- Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes and others by James Dean and Eric Litwin
Slightly Older Kids
These books are recommended for beginning independent readers. They have short chapters and fast-paced, humorous plots.
- Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park
- The Fly Guy series by Tedd Arnold
- Ivy and Bean series by Annie Barrows
- Ready, Freddy! series by Abby Klein
Even Older
These are novels written for a more mature reader. Each is very different, but they all deal with more adult themes including love and loss.
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
- Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
We hope you and your family enjoy these selections as much as we do. To help you in your quest to promote a love of reading in your home, we have another fabulous giveaway! Leave a comment below with the title of your favorite children’s book for a chance to win a $35 gift card to Monkey and Dog Books. Comments are open until noon on Monday, September 12 at noon. The winner will be announced that evening at 8 pm. Happy reading!
Christy Ortiz is a Fort Worth native and is proud to say so. She earned her bachelor’s degree from UT Arlington in Interdisciplinary Studies. She taught for FWISD for eight busy years before switching gears and staying home with her two small children. Her hobbies are interior decorating for friends, photography, and flying kites with her kids. Her South American roots and love for the Spanish language and Latin cultures add to the diverse voices of our group.
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Comments 
We live Max Lucados children’s books! Specifically “You are Special”.The cute story of the Wemmicks perfectly delivers a message that is wonderful for kids and parents!
Love love Go Dogs Go! Loved having it read to me when I was little and now love reading it to my boys.
We love the Pigeon books by Mo Willems!
I love “The Giving Tree.” 🙂
LIKE SHE SAID! “The Giving Tree” is quite possibly one of the top three children’s books to date. If not THE top. IMHO.
The House at Pooh Corner by AA Milne
For some of our older (4th-7th gr or so) kids- love the Dead City Trilogy, any of the James Patterson YA novels, Neptune Project and Challenge…. These are high interest and quick moving to keep the older reader wanting more.
All of Kevin Henkes’ books are great and some can be started as early as age 4 in my opinion.
Our favorite book at the moment is, A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead
Love this list! My daughter’s favorites change often, but she consistently loves Goodnight Moon!
We love if you Make a moose a muffin
Our little ones love Pete the Cat and anything Dr. Seuss especially Wacky Wednesday and Fred and Ted.
My favorite childhood book was I love you forever, but my daughters favorite at the moment is Duckling gets a cookie by Mo Willems. All the Mo Willems books are great for learning readers and help with learning their sight words.
My favourite slightly older kid book was Emily of New Moon.