Fifty Favorite Children’s Books
Fifty Favorite Children’s Books Several Rules: (1) I have listed these books in alphabetical order by the author’s last name, rather than in order of preference—though I’ve marked each of my ten very favorites with an asterisk. (2) I have chosen no more than one book (or series) per author, and only books that have been published in editions expressly intended for children. (3) I have tried to be honest, which is why there are so many works of fantasy on this list, along with so many books I read when I myself was a child. —Kevin Brockmeier, September 24, 2021
1. Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
2. Feed by M. T. Anderson (*)
3. The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley (*)
4. Superfudge by Judy Blume
5. The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily by Dino Buzzati (*)
6. Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino
7. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
8. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
9. Frindle by Andrew Clements
10. Matilda by Roald Dahl (*)
11. The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
12. The Transmogrification of Roscoe Wizzle by David Elliott
13. The Ear, the Eye and the Arm by Nancy Farmer
14. Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer
15. The Reappearance of Sam Webber by Jonathan Scott Fuqua (*)
16. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
17. A Kingdom Far and Clear: The Complete Swan Lake Trilogy by Mark Helprin
18. The Saggy Baggy Elephant by Kathryn and Byron Jackson
19. Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson
20. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
21. Collected Stories by Richard Kennedy (*)
22. King Matt the First by Janusz Korczak
23. Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
24. The Wrinkle in Time Quintet by Madeleine L’Engle
25. Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link
26. The Giver by Lois Lowry (*)
27. The Stones Are Hatching by Geraldine McCaughrean
28. Pills and Starships by Lydia Millet
29. Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison
30. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
31. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
32. Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars by Daniel Pinkwater (*)
33. King Dork by Frank Portman (*)
34. The His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman (*)
35. Klickitat by Peter Rock
36. Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
37. The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan
38. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
39. The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip by George Saunders
40. Meanwhile by Jason Shiga
41. Bone by Jeff Smith
42. Elephi: The Cat with the High IQ by Jean Stafford
43. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
44. The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart
45. The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone
46. Lost and Found by Shaun Tan
47. Smile by Raina Telgemeier
48. The Squirrel’s Birthday and Other Parties by Toon Tellegen
49. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
50. Complete Fairy Tales by Oscar Wilde