10 Children's Book Everyone Should Read

10 Children's Book Everyone Should Read

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

— 1 Corinthians 13:11

Putting away childish things is all well and good, but sometimes the things that made your childhood so great can work just as well as an adult.

So whether you're 10 years old or 57, these books are definitely worth a read. They're also a great starting point if you're searching for books to read to your children while secretly enjoying them yourself.

1. The Hobbit

Written By: J.R.R. Tolkein

Set in a time "Between the Dawn of Færie and the Dominion of Men", The Hobbit tells of the adventures of the home-loving Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit living in the Shire, who goes out on a quest to gain a fair share of the treasure of Smaug the dragon. His quest leads him from the cheery lands of the Shire into the more sinister lands where the dragon lives.

This precursor to The Lord of the Rings is a tale of adventure that can completely absorb the reader, both young and old. If you picked it up as a child and couldn't stick with it, try reading it again as an adult – it will be well worth your time.

2. The BFG

Written By: Roald Dahl

There is no greater answer to the question "Where do dreams come from?" than The BFG (The Big Friendly Giant). The story tells the tale of Sophie, a little girl who cannot fall asleep and her friendship with the friendly giant who collects good dreams to distribute to sleeping children.

Like all Roald Dahl's children's stories, the combination of humor and wild flights of fantasy will enchant you. The book is written for children but adults can definitely enjoy Dahl's wit, creativity and penchant for the ridiculous. 

3. Little Woman

Written By: Louisa May Alcott

Little Women, written during the Civil War in America, is a story about four girls and their journey through childhood and into adulthood. While getting to know the characters, the reader learns about the inner conflicts that each girl experiences – conflicts that still affect most women today.

4. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time

Written By: Mark Haddon

The book is written from the point of view of Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old boy with an autistic spectrum condition who investigates the death of his neighbor's dog. The novel is less about who killed the dog, and more about the way in which the fascinating central character explores his world.

This novel moves both children and adults alike, and is sprinkled with a bitterly funny humor and a sweet insight into the world seen from a new perspective.

5. The Adventures Of Captain Underpants

Written By: Dav Pilkey

The book follows the adventures of George and Harold, pranksters and comic book aficionados, and their shenanigans at school. Mr. Krupp, their strict principal, devises a scheme to catch them in their tracks, but he never took into account Captain Underpants, the superhero who leaped off the comic pages of the kids to help save the day! Not your average superhero story, Captain Underpants will have you laughing, no matter how old you are.

6. The Tale Of Peter Rabbit

Written By: Beatrix Potter

The book takes place from the point of view of Peter, a mischievous young rabbit and his widowed mother who cautions Peter and his siblings from entering the vegetable garden of Mr. McGregor. The disobedient Peter enters the garden to try some vegetables where he is spotted by Mr. McGregor, and must now escape.

This is a beautifully illustrated book (as are all of Beatrix Potter's stories) that grips young readers with suspense and tension. Other books by Beatrix Potter that everybody should read include The Tale of Benjamin Bunny and The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.

7. The Enchanted Wood

Written By: Enid Blyton

The first in a series of books about the magic faraway tree, The Enchanted Wood follow the adventures of Jo, Bessie and Fanny when they move to the country and discover the enchanted wood in the garden behind their new home. Together with their new friends who live in the tree; Moonface, Mr Watzisname and Silky the fairy, they discover the worlds at the top of the faraway tree in adventures that will tickle your imagination pink.

8. Harry Potter

Written By: J.K. Rowling

The book is set in a world quite similar to our own, with one distinction: in addition to the Muggles, who are normal people,  there are also magical beings like witches and wizards. The books chronicle the adventures of Harry Potter, who discovers at the age of eleven that he is in fact a Wizard, and his friends at Hogwarts, a school for the magically gifted.

While Harry Potter may be seen as children's book, the story actually becomes darker and darker as you proceed in the series of seven novels. They're great to start reading at any age, even as an adult, although if you start when you're eleven and wait a year between reading each book, you can actually grow up at the same pace as the characters do.

9. Charlotte's Web

Written By: E.B. White

The story tells of a spider named Charlotte and a pig named Wilbur and the unlikely friendship between the two. When Wilbur's fate is to be slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte starts writing praise about Wilbur in her web for the farmer to see, with the hope that these "miracles" will convince the farmer to spare Wilbur's life.

Charlotte's Web is a beautiful story of friendship found blossoming in unusual places, and teaches young children the value of true friendship. It's written in White's low-key, dry manner, often resulting in hilarious and outrageous sequences which can be appreciated by children and adults alike.

10. The Chronicles Of Narnia

Written By: C.S. Lewis

Set in the fantasy world of Narnia, where the animals talk, and magic abounds, The Chronicles of Narnia tells the stories of various children who are called upon by Aslan, the lion to help protect Narnia from the evil forces that inhabit it, and bring peace to the world.

While it's the magic that initially grips children and adults alike, the friendships, loyalty and inner conflicts that characters deal with are what make readers fall in love with the books.