40 Books Your Kids Should Read

Remember how a few days ago we gave you a list of 100 Things to Do This Summer? Well, I realize that not every child LOVES to read, and so I purposefully didn't put that on the Summer list. (Because if that is your child, then prodding him or her to read every day over the summer will be like pulling teeth. During the school year? Yes! During the summer? Not so much . . . .)

However, whether or not your child loves to read, I DO believe that there are certain books that you can suggest that will help foster a love of books. And, hey, maybe one or two over the summer wouldn't kill anybody. Worth a shot, right???

And if your child loves to read, then dive right in:

These are the classics, and I would hate to think that any one of them has fallen out of rotation in favor of the Junie B. Jones and the Diary of a Wimpy Kids of the world (although I'm sure those books have their place).

Ages 3-5

1.       Puff, the Magic Dragon – Peter Yarrow, Lenny Lipton

2.       Mr. Men & Little Miss series – Roger Hargreaves

3.       Corduroy – Don Freeman

4.       Harold and the Purple Crayon – Crockett Johnson

5.       The Story of Ferdinand – Robert Lawson

6.       Blueberries for Sal – Robert McCloskey

7.       Green Eggs and Ham – Dr. Seuss

Ages 4-8

1.       Amelia Bedelia series – Peggy Parish

2.       Paddington Bear series – Michael Bond

3.       Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak

4.       Stellaluna – Janell Cannon

5.       The Tale of Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter

6.       Harry the Dirty Dog – Gene Zion

7.       Frog and Toad series – Arnold Lobel

Ages 7+

1.       The Bobbsey Twins series – Laura Lee Hope

2.       Choose Your Own Adventure series

3.       Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing – Judy Blume

4.       Encyclopedia Brown series – Donald J. Sobol

5.       Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great – Judy Blume

6.       The Velveteen Rabbit – Margery Williams

7.       The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame

8.       Tales of Mr. Pengachoosa – Caroline Rush

9.       The Lorax – Dr. Seuss

Ages 8+

1.       Nancy Drew mystery series – Carolyn Keen

2.       The Hardy Boys series  – Franklin W. Dixon

3.       Ramona Quimby series – Beverly Cleary

4.       The Indian in the Cupboard – Lynne Reid Banks

5.       Bunnicula series – Deborah and James Howe

6.       The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – L. Frank Baum

7.       The Little House series – Laura Ingalls Wilder

8.       The Chronicles of Narnia series – C. S. Lewis

9.       How to Eat Fried Worms – Thomas Rockwell

10.     Magic Tree House Series – Mary Pope Osborne

11.     Charlotte’s Web – E. B. White

Ages 9+

1.       Charlie & The Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl

2.       Robinson Crusoe – Daniel Defoe

3.       Because of Winn-Dixie – Kate DiCamillo

4.       Watership Down – Richard Adams

5.       Little Women – Louisa May Alcott

6.       Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stephenson

So, don't be afraid to dust off some of the books that you yourself read when you were younger and hand them down to your child. You'll be glad you did!

Feel free to leave comments below with any of your personal favorites from growing up.

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