The best kids’ books

The best kids’ books

Reading books from a young age helps children get the hang of sentence structures and enrich their vocabulary. Additionally, for kids who struggle with reading, audiobooks are also a stellar choice.

However, the introduction of young readers to the world of books should be done at a modest pace. This means that you shouldn’t start them with books that may be too complicated for them. While more complex books might confuse them, they may also get bored and even lose interest in reading entirely. That’s why children’s books—be it classic storybooks, bedtime stories, engaging picture books and board books, or an entire box set of a young adult novel—are the best way to ease kids into reading.

Giving kids something interactive and appropriate to their reading levels will produce results, whereas big boring books will only be counterproductive. With that being said, let’s dive into the world of kids’ books and see what they’re all about. There’s much more to discover than just Disney books.

Best all-time kid books and authors

In the next section, we will discuss the best children’s book choices, but first, let’s briefly discuss the impact and popularity of children’s literature through these examples.

As is always the case, the best place to start is the beginning. So, let’s go back to the beginnings of children’s books and to the pioneer of it all—Dr. Seuss.

It’s important to note that, despite not being the first person to write children’s books, Dr. Seuss was the first to do it in a reliable and creative manner, adding witty humor and charming rhymes to the mix of it all. What made his books extra special were all the fun and original illustrations, all done in the same signature style.

When discussing more modern children’s literature, we have to mention Harry Potter by the famous British author J.K Rowling. Now, with the success of Harry Potter, it feels almost unnecessary to talk about the influence the series had on popular culture and several generations of children and young people. The series also had a huge influence on the concept of online fanbases, as well as the entire publishing industry.

Another children’s book, ideal for middle-school-aged kids is Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. It’s a series that the author spent 8 years working on, and despite being way more recent than some of the other books on this list, it’s already considered a staple work of kids literature.

Another fun piece of children’s literature is Dog Man by Dav Pilkey, which is actually a graphic novel series made up of cute and funny illustrations. It’s a series that gains strength from the author’s own experiences with neurodivergence through his ADHD and dyslexia. It has a strong positive message of kindness, empathy, and persistence while keeping a fun-loving tone that kids enjoy.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis is an absolute classic of children’s literature that cannot be overstated. Since the 1950’s it’s been beloved by both children and adults and has had several movie adaptations. It’s still very popular and one of the newer box sets includes illustrations done by Chris van Allsburg, who is a two-time winner of the prestigious Caldecott award.

Lastly, the last piece of kids’ media we will be discussing in the next section is Pokémon, even though Pokémon is most known for video games and animated series, there is also a series of graphic novels, and we shouldn’t even need to mention the influence Pokémon has had as a piece of children’s media.

Top kid books

Now that we’ve briefly discussed these series as a part of children’s media, let’s also go over what they’re each about.

Dr.Seuss

When it comes to Dr.Seuss and his work, it’s hard to pick only one—however, in this section, we have opted for the classic The Cat in Hat from 1957. It’s a fun and engaging book that starts with two siblings stuck at home taking care of their pet fish on a rainy day. All of a sudden, a strange tall cat in a hat appears and starts wreaking havoc in their home, and causing all sorts of shenanigans.

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a series of books that follows the titular protagonist as he discovers that he’s a wizarding prodigy on his eleventh birthday. His life changes drastically as he goes from an unwanted child in a hostile family to a wizarding school environment where he learns that he’s the orphaned son of two very powerful wizards. He becomes friends with two other students and the three set to discover past mysteries and take on evils that emerge.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid follows Greg Heffley as he begins his middle school life and experiences all unfairness that comes with it. His experience is detailed in the form of a journal, complete with little drawings and words that illustrate further the situations the somewhat mean-spirited Gregory goes through.

Dog Man

Dog Man is a graphic novel series that starts with a slightly unusual series of events that ultimately creates the protagonist, a half-dog half-man police officer whose main goal is to save the day and help the ones around him. The chapters mostly deal with Dog Man and his encounters with various villains, including his enemy Petey the Cat.

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of books, though the gist of it deals with the titular fictional realm called Narnia, and the first book is The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Once a place filled with all sorts of talking animals, giants, dwarves, and fauns, it has since deteriorated due to the spell of eternal winter cast by the White Witch. The main characters, with the help of Aslan, a mystical lion, lead a war against the White Witch in hopes of restoring peace in the realm.

Pokémon

The Pokémon graphic novels follow the main character Ash, his companion Pikachu, and their friends, as they constantly find themselves in new adventures. The graphic novels are rather episodal and easy to follow, making them great for kids since each new volume or chapter deals with new fun situations.

Top authors for children’s books

After discussing their works, it’s only fair to discuss some of the authors that have written them. So let’s get into the best children’s book authors.

Theodor Seuss Geisel

Don’t be too surprised at the name, I think we all knew his name wasn’t actually Dr. Seuss, however, it was his pen name and title he adopted after attending college. While he did become a professional in Philosophy and English literature, his true passion was his career as a cartoonist and children’s writer, which drove him to publish over sixty books for children, some of which are considered the best children’s books ever made.

J.K. Rowling

Joanne Rowling, mainly known under her pen name J.K. Rowling, is a British author known for her famous book series, Harry Potter. The story goes that she thought of the idea for the book series while on a train to London. In the years while she was writing the first book, her life saw many abrupt changes, and eventually, she ended up in a financial struggle. However, now she’s one of the world’s highest-paid authors and is actively working on other series.

Jeff Kinney

Jeff Kinney is known for creating Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and aside from being both a writer and a cartoonist, he also created the website Poptropica, which is essentially an online roleplay game for school-aged children. Despite going through different majors in college, he was always interested in creating comics and writing stories, which was something he later dedicated himself to, working on Diary of a Wimpy Kid for eight years before finally approaching his publisher.

C.S.Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis, known as Jack to friends and family, was a British writer known largely as the author of The Chronicles of Narnia. Always a lover of animals, his fascination with anthropomorphic animals was partially what inspired him to create the famed series, along with his own empathy for children amidst the events of WWII.

Improve your child’s reading skills by listening to audiobooks in Speechify’s audiobooks platform

The best way to show love to your little ones is by giving them access to knowledge and creative development. Despite Valentine’s day coming to a close, it’s never too late to show your little ones some love with all the fun audiobooks that Speechify has to offer. After all, one of the best and most enjoyable ways to improve reading skills is by discovering new books and listening to them.

What makes Speechify ideal for this purpose is accessibility, after all, the platform was made with the intention to assist with dyslexia and other reading disabilities. So, to help young readers with literacy, Speechify makes listening to an audiobook and reading it at the same time a piece of cake. Additionally, you can highlight and bookmark various parts of the text.

The platform is also very easy to use, making it possible to find the new releases you’re looking for in just a few seconds. Once you buy an audiobook in the Speechify app, it’s yours forever, and much more accessible than a hardcover boxed set. So, shop now and have fun bringing the world of books to life with your little one.

FAQ

What is the #1 children’s book?

A current Amazon best-seller is I Love You to the Moon and Back by Amelia Hepworth.

What is the best book for 7-year-olds?

Really cute books for your 7-year-old, especially if they like animals or fantasy, would be The Tale of Despereaux, or perhaps The Night Fairy.

What books can a 10 year old read?

10-year-olds are one of the hardest age groups to find books for since their reading level is too advanced for kids’ books, but they’re not mature enough for literature aimed at teenagers. But, we’ve got you covered. Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #6, The Baby-Sitters Club, Percy Jackson & the Olympians (or the entire book box of the series) are all great options.

What book is about animals?

There are many fun books about animals that your little one will love. A stellar first choice when it comes to books about animals is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, which is the most-read children’s book by the way.

Other engaging books include Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle, pretty much any book by Bill Martin Jr, and many more.

Cliff Weitzman

Cliff Weitzman

Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.

Dyslexia & Accessibility Advocate, CEO/Founder of Speechify Dyslexia & Accessibility Advocate, CEO/Founder of Speechify

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