Your Favorite Children’s Books

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Education Briefing

A speechmaking list, from our readers.

Amelia Nierenberg

Oct. 20, 2021, 11:59 a.m. ET

This is the Education Briefing, a play update connected the astir important quality successful U.S. education. Sign up present to get this newsletter successful your inbox.

Today, the newsletter is taken implicit by you — our readers — and your gobsmacking recommendations for children’s books.


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Reading successful  a treehouse successful  North Dakota.
Credit...Jenn Ackerman for The New York Times

Thank you, convey you. Almost 350 radical wrote successful to stock beloved books, and I loved speechmaking done your suggestions. There were truthful galore books I remembered from my ain puerility and from speechmaking to my small cousins.

Readers wrote successful with plentifulness of classics — “Charlotte’s Web,” the “Magic Tree House” series, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” — that should beryllium portion of each speechmaking list.

But we besides were amazed astatine the scope of titles, with gems for each property group. This newsletter couldn’t perchance database each large choice. But I’ve plucked retired much than a fewer — enough, I hope, to delight conscionable astir each reader. (The comments person been edited for magnitude and clarity.)

I anticipation you get arsenic overmuch joyousness retired of this database arsenic I did!

The Book With No Pictures,” by B.J. Novak. If the big speechmaking it is consenting to beryllium silly, the kids you are speechmaking to volition beryllium rolling connected the level laughing. — Janet Mogel, Berks County, Pa.

Good Night, Gorilla,” by Peggy Rathmann. My lad loved it. There was a play of months erstwhile helium plucked it from his stack of books each night, asking “Go?” for “gorilla.” We’d constituent to the antithetic animals unneurotic and look for the small rodent carrying Gorilla’s banana connected each page. — Hallie Rich, Cleveland

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!,” written and illustrated by Mo Willems. Young children are capable to some place with and laughter astatine the pigeon. The pigeon is surviving retired their dreams — and expressing their frustrations — and kids consciousness joyousness some astatine seeing the pigeon enactment retired those desires and astatine knowing amended than the pigeon. The publication enables readers to beryllium loud, quiet, exhilarated. Renee Marousis, Barrington, Ill.

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes,” written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. I emotion the diverseness of the babies and settings successful the illustrations, the sweetness of the communicative and the simple, rhythmic rhyming that infants respond to agelong earlier they recognize the words. I’ve fixed it to the parents of dozens of newborns, and it’s a smash deed each time. — Dale Russakoff, Montclair, N.J.

The Paper Bag Princess,” written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko. An fantabulous publication for kids of each ages who could basal to spot a princess not successful request of rescue by a prince. — Maureen Ann O’Malley, Boston

Mula and the Fly,” written by Lauren Hoffmeier and illustrated by Ela Smietanka. I emotion the elemental but engaging communicative and that it helps young children larn astir the contented and worth of yoga. — Hildy Simmons, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Where Are You From?” written by Yamile Saied Méndez and illustrated by Jaime Kim. The question “Where are you from?” is often asked with genuine curiosity but tin travel crossed arsenic othering. I emotion this publication due to the fact that it helps kids larn astir inclusion and the conception of individuality for some themselves and others. — Alli Hearne, Plymouth, Minn.

Show Way,” written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Hudson Talbott. This publication helped my girl consciousness connected to and grounded successful her individuality arsenic an African American, a descendant of enslaved women successful America, and it besides encouraged age-appropriate conversations astir atrocities specified arsenic the merchantability of children from their siblings and mothers, and generations of unit against Black Americans. — Phoebe, Bronx, N.Y.

Julián is simply a Mermaid,” by Jessica Love. This publication is stunningly elemental and beautiful, and I’ve seen it excite and animate young students. It offers anticipation for those looking beyond sex stereotypes and binaries, and it encourages readers to research their passions and interests. — Anna Grace Guercio, Tulsa, Okla.

When Sophie Gets Angry — Really, Really Angry …,” by Molly Bang. With beautiful, originative illustrations, this representation publication captures the feeling of being overwhelmed by choler (or immoderate beardown emotion). It was soothing to my girl erstwhile she was excessively young to enactment her feelings into words. — Marie Harris

Jabari Jumps,” written and illustrated by Gaia Cornwall. Jabari conquers his fears of jumping disconnected the diving board. My 3-year-old girl often references the book, saying, “I’ll beryllium brave similar Jabari.” — Kellee M., Brooklyn, N.Y.

The Ugly Vegetables,” by Grace Lin. This communicative features an Asian American household planting a garden. It connects culture, nutrient and families. I emotion that it’s astir vegetables due to the fact that it’s usually the kids’ slightest favourite food. So, it lends itself to galore antithetic conversations. — Linda Quan, San Diego

Be Good to Eddie Lee,” written by Virginia Fleming, illustrated by Floyd Cooper. The main quality successful this book, Eddie Lee, has Down syndrome. His neighbor, Christy, learns to admit Eddie Lee’s differences arsenic they sojourn a magical pond together. I emotion this publication due to the fact that it allows readers to genuinely measurement wrong the characters’ shoes. — Anne Chalcraft, Shoreline, Wash.

The Sign of the Seahorse,” written and illustrated by Graeme Base. About the information of pollution. Also beautifully illustrated. The publication rhymes truthful it is amusive to work aloud successful a group. — Jennifer Strabley

The Hundred Dresses,” written and illustrated by Eleanor Estes. It has stuck with maine each my life. Published successful 1944, it is simply a timeless communicative of the powerfulness of teasing and bullying, and the feeling of shame erstwhile the protagonist doesn’t basal up for an outsider. While the details of children’s lives contiguous are different, the problems and emotions are the same. — Sylvia Rortvedt, Arlington, Va.

Guts,” and different graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier. My girl is simply a dyslexic 5th grader. She plowed done each of these books successful a time oregon two. They were engaging, applicable and accessible. — Kim Swords, Foster City, Calif.

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole successful the Sky,” by Kwame Mbalia. This publication has everything: adventure, folklore, Black history, a hilarious sidekick, hard choices, and a how-to connected dealing with guilt and grief. The communicative burns itself into your memory. — B. Sharise Moore, Baltimore

Dealing With Dragons,” by Patricia C. Wrede. The main character, Cimorene, is strong, autarkic and precisely everything I person ever wanted to be. It’s a large inspiration for girls. — S. Asra Husain, Naperville, Ill.

Singularity,” by William Sleator. Frightening, jaw-dropping, and intimate each astatine the aforesaid clip — and based connected existent science. Twin teenage boys, an isolated farmhouse, antithetic skeletons that don’t *quite* marque sense, an charismatic neighbor:No 1 I’ve ever recommended the publication to has ever forgotten it. — Amelia Baisley, Pittsburgh

Turtles All The Way Down,” by John Green. Great for immoderate tween oregon teen, particularly those who acquisition anxiousness successful general, oregon obsessive-compulsive upset specifically. As a intelligence wellness therapist who has agelong observed inaccurate portrayals of obsessive-compulsive upset successful civilization (and likewise, the frustrations astir this contented of individuals surviving with O.C.D.), I admit the close and eloquently-captured experience. Jackie

I’ll extremity with my ain plug here, which galore of you echoed: “The Phantom Tollbooth,” written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer. It’s afloat of wordplay, it’s got existent moments of literate hostility and it’s 1 of the fewer kids’ books I’ve ever work astir boredom. My precise worn transcript is ever the archetypal happening I enactment connected a caller bookshelf erstwhile I move.

If you person an thought of different crowdsourced question similar this, we invited ideas astatine educationbriefing@nytimes.com! Thank you, again, to everyone who sent successful specified delightful suggestions.


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