The votes are in, and Goodreads’ readers have selected the following list as the best 100 children’s books.
If you aren’t familiar with Goodreads, it is a social network site where members find and review books. It is a great way to get recommendations and see what your friends are reading. A reader’s candy store, in my opinion.
Be sure to pin or bookmark for your book club or reading needs.
Goodreads 100 Best Children Books To Read In A Lifetime
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
- The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Matilda by Roald Dahl
- Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
- The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne
- Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
- Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
- The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 1) by Rick Riordan
- The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson
- Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
- Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
- The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
- Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
- Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm
- Curious George by H.A. Rey
- Heidi by Johanna Spyri
- The Little House Collection by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
- From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
- Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
- The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
- The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
- Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss
- Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
- The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
- The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew, Book 1) by Carolyn Keene
- Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parrish
- The BFG by Roald Dahl
- The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
- Going Over by Beth Kephart
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien
- Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman
- Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
- Press Here by Herve Tullet
- The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
- The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
- Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
- The Bad Beginning or Orphans! A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
- Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London
- Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
- Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban
- A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
- Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
- A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
- Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judy Barrett
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
- Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Liobel
- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
- Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
- The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
- Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
- The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
- Corduroy by Don Freeman
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
- Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherry Dusky Rinker
- Are you there, God? It’s Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume
- The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
- Tuesday Tucks Me In by Luis Carlos Montalvan
- Beatrix Potter the Complete Tales by Beatrix Potter
- Flora and Flamingo by Molly Idle
- A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stephenson
- One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
- The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
- Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry G. Allard Jr.
- Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
- Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Also, be sure to check out Goodread 100 Books To Read In A Lifetime.
Goodreads 100 Mysteries to Read In A Lifetime
How many have you read? Do you agree with the Goodreads 100 Best Children Books to Read in a Lifetime? Which books would you add?
Awesome list. Great selection that I love. I am sharing this post on my FB page. 🙂 Found you on Embark on the Journey’s page. Hope to create community with you. 🙂
I found your post via Pinterest. This is an amazing list! I have read 3/4 or more of these as a kid, and I loved them all! I do wish Gathering Blue had been included. It is part of The Giver series by Lois Lowry. Also, I think especially for young boys that including Eragon by Christopher Paolini would be good. Wringer by Jerry Spinelli was also a very good book. I’m actually a little surprised that nothing from The Berenstain Bears or Mercer Mayer made the list. Also, Freckle Juice by Judy Blume! Sorry, it looks like I have a lot that I would add in if I could! 🙂 Thank you for sharing the list. I can’t wait to read some of these to my Little Buddy! He’s 2 right now.
These are great add-ons…thank you for sharing your favorites.