35 Classic Children’s Books Even Adults Love

By Real Simple
Updated June 25, 2018
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It can be said that some of the most formative books you'll read in your lifetime are read during your childhood. So many of us remember the books we loved—whether it was the phenomenon that was Harry Potter or classic picture books like Goodnight Moon—and asked our parents to read every night at bedtime. 

So we asked Real Simple readers to tell us what children’s books turned them on to reading and have stuck with them since. Here, dozens of readers reveal their favorites in their own words.
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The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats

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It was the first book that I encountered with characters whose skin color was the same hue as mine. It is also the first book that I have purchased for all of my great-nieces and -nephews. —Darlene Whi

To buy: Ages 4 and up; $6, amazon.com.

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The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein

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"As a child I loved the simple story and it has resonated with me more and more as an adult."—Samantha Sadler Layman 

To buy: Ages 1 to 8; $12, amazon.com.

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Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf

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"My dad read it to me as a baby girl recovering in the hospital. We read together until his grandsons were born. And then we read to them. 'Just quietly under the cork tree.'”—Cindy Lee Claplanhoo 

To buy: Ages 3 to 5; $4, amazon.com.

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Are You My Mother?, by P.D. Eastman

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"Are You My Mother? showed love and opportunities were everywhere."—Denise Thompson 

To buy: Ages 3 to 7; $8, amazon.com.

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Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson

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"I was so inspired by Harold’s imagination and realized that books could take me anyplace I wanted to go, just like Harold."—Leslie Fischer 

To buy: Ages 3 to 7; $5, amazon.com.

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The Poky Little Puppy, by Janette Sebring Lowrey

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"My mom would read The Poky Little Puppy to me when I was a kid. I was soon addicted to the written word." —Chrystal Hogan Hood 

To buy: Ages 3 to 7; $4, amazon.com.

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Go, Dog. Go!, by P.D. Eastman

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"I still want the houseboat the dogs jump into the water from!!" —Julie McQueen 

To buy: Ages 3 to 7; $8, amazon.com.

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Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans

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"I truly started imagining living all over the world—and so I have."—Karin Thompson 

To buy: Ages 3 to 8; $7, amazon.com.

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Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, by Judi Barrett

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"I have a master’s degree in English and it’s still one of my favorite books." —Jessica Kosowski Zandan 

To buy: Ages 4 to 8; $5, amazon.com.

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10 of 35

Raggedy Ann & Andy, by Johnny Gruelle

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"My mom ordered the Raggedy Ann & Andy series for me; they were my first hardcover books. I watched for them in the mail and devoured them, hiding from my five younger siblings." —Kim Bennett 

To buy: Ages 4 to 8; $9, amazon.com.

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Little Bear, by Else Holmelund Minarik

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"My first favorite book that I remember and still think about is Little Bear. There have been many books since then, but that is the one that I would read over and over and then read to my little sister. Sometimes I find it in a thrift store and have to open it up to see the pages." —Erin Almond 

To buy: Ages 4 to 8; $4, amazon.com.

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Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein

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"I carried it around with me and read aloud to anyone who would listen (and some who wouldn’t)!" —Meaghan Burke Proctor

To buy: Ages 6 to 8; $13, amazon.com.

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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst

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"I wanted to go to Australia some days too." —Adrienne Bartle 

To buy: Ages 6 to 9; $6, amazon.com.

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Amelia Bedelia, by Herman Parish

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"I just loved her and her simple thinking." —LaFaye Tapper 

To buy: Ages 6 to 10; $4, amazon.com.

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The Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann David Wyss

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"My mom read The Swiss Family Robinson to me. I don’t know what I enjoyed more: the story or curling up with Mommy. Thank you, Mommy, for reading to me! One of the greatest gifts she gave me!" —Tosie Simmons 

To buy: Ages 7 to 9; $7, amazon.com.

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The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame

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"First book I read in one sitting." —Renee Perovich 

To buy: Ages 7 to 14; $14, amazon.com.

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Superfudge, by Judy Blume

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"I can remember reading it and laughing out loud. After I read it, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on another Judy Blume book." —Jaime Centers Morganroth 

To buy: Ages 7 and up; $7, amazon.com.

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The Giver, by Lois Lowry

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"As a preteen it was the first book to give me a sense of the world in the future. Since then I’ve been drawn to books and novels that deal with a postapocalyptic society. Would you remain moral and civil? Does humanity remain when rules are lost? I’ve enjoyed reading similar books like the Divergent and Hunger Games trilogies with my preteen children and posing the same questions." —Stacey Grim Zappacosta 

To buy: Ages 7 and up; $13 amazon.com.

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Encyclopedia Brown, by Donald J. Sobol

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"I paid attention to details and felt so smart when I could figure out the mini-mysteries. Encyclopedia Brown taught me it was okay to be smart." —Marcy Strohecker-Polletta 

To buy: Ages 7 and up; $5, amazon.com.

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The Incredible Journey, by Sheila Burnford

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"I read it a dozen times. Was mesmerized by the strength and challenges [the characters] faced. That book sucked me in and made me want to read more and more! One of those “flashlight under the covers” late-night reads when you were supposed to be sleeping." —Julie Schroeder Standley 

To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $6, amazon.com.

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Goosebumps, by R.L. Stine

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"I loved the whole series." —KE Higgins 

To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $7, amazon.com.

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Henry Huggins, by Beverly Cleary

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"In third grade I discovered Beverly Cleary—Henry Huggins, Ribsy, Beatrice, and Ramona. Henry was always my favorite, but now as an adult reading to my own daughter, she loves Ramona’s books best." —Eileen Downey Fleming

To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $5, amazon.com.

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The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden

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"I grew up in the Little Apple (Manhattan, Kansas), not the Big Apple. The Cricket in Times Square transported me to a whole new world: a big city, public transportation, different ethnicities. I would read under the covers at night with a flashlight." —Angie May Priddle 

To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $7, amazon.com.

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Ramona the Pest, by Beverly Cleary

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"I hadn’t read a chapter book on my own before, and I went through half the book in one night! I loved the book so much, I forgot about being an “early reader.” I started reading my brother’s “baby books” to him, probably mostly to show off. I felt so confident as a reader, I started picking up technical books about dog training and other things that interested me." —Bethany Ann Hagensen 

To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $7, amazon.com.

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Bambi, by Felix Salten

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"The original Bambi, not the Golden Book or the Disney version. I read it when I was 6. Still have it—57 years later!" —Susan M. Sanders 

To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $7, amazon.com.

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The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster

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"I cried when it was done." —Erin Hennessy Passmonick 

To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $8, amazon.com.

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Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfeild

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"Loved this; read it until the cover fell off. I danced, too, so it was very special." —Lauren Leahey 

To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $7, amazon.com.

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Betsy-Tacy, by Maud Hart Lovelace

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"I received the first book in the series when I was 9. I reread them last year and they are just as sweet as I remembered. I cherish those stories for building my love of books." —Melissa Kate Hjelle 

To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $6, amazon.com.

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Lassie Come-Home, by Eric Knight

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"Got it when I was 10 years old. Still have it." —Pegg Allen 

To buy: Ages 8 to 12; $13, amazon.com.

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The Borrowers, by Mary Norton

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"My mom read to us all the time. This book was a favorite." —Katharine Holt Campbell 

To buy: Ages 9 to 12; $6, amazon.com.

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Mary Poppins, by P.L. Travers

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"I wanted her magic carpetbag!" —Christy Long 

To buy: Ages 9 to 12; $11, amazon.com.

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Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson

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"I must have read it every other month as a kid." —Walt Nickell 

To buy: Ages 10 and up; $10, amazon.com.

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Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter

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"I think I read it 50 times." —Tammy Tunis Graves 

To buy: Ages 10 and up; $9, amazon.com.

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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor

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"As a preteen I read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. I liked reading before, but that book was the first one that had a deep impact on me." —Jeanenne Reid Robinson 

To buy: Ages 11 and up; $8, amazon.com.

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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor

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"As a preteen I read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. I liked reading before, but that book was the first one that had a deep impact on me." —Jeanenne Reid Robinson 

To buy: Ages 11 and up; $8, amazon.com.

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