The Best Children’s Books in the World
See also : Best Children's
Books of 2005
Yes, indeed! Here are my very favourite children’s books
divided into different age categories - I’ve limited myself
to five for each age group, which was no mean feat I can tell
you. I’ve also added some notes for parents - I hope you find these useful. Do let me know your own favourites -
sarah@sarahwebb.info - and I can list them on this page. (That
means you too, Caroline!)
I had a brilliant time compiling this list and revisiting old
friends, from ‘Charlotte’s Web’ to ‘Clarice
Bean’ (and not forgetting ‘Where the Wild Things
Are’) - hope you enjoy reading it! As well as being a list
of some of my favourites, I hope it’s also useful as a
recommends list for parents. For me - great children’s books
have to work on two levels - they must be enjoyed by children and
parents alike. But this list is strongly geared towards tried and
tested books that I know children love, hence no Lisbeth Zwerger
- however much I adore her illustrations. Or another brilliant
illustrator, Kveta Pacovska (‘The Little Flower Prince’
is an innovative dream of a picture book). I’ll do a
separate list for my favourite children’s book artwork at a
later stage.
I make no apologies for waxing lyrical about the following
titles - I love them all with a passion - for very different
reasons as I’ve explained below. Hell, what’s life
without passion, that’s what I say!
And my all time favourite children’s book (in fact
probably my very favourite book full stop or ‘period’
for my U.S. readers) is ‘Charlotte’s Web’. For me,
it’s the perfect story - a cracking plot and brilliantly
real characters; it’s thought provoking, kind, wise, funny
and utterly charming. Followed closely by ‘Love That
Dog’ by Sharon Creech, a newish book which really touched my
heart. And it’s clever, clever, clever.
My favourite picture book is Busy, Busy World; I adored it as
a child and still love it to this day. Not the most
‘arty’ of books, and not the best written by any
stretch, but the one book that fills my heart with joy whenever I
read it. And what better recommendation than that?
And can I just say that I loved writing this - I spent hours
pouring over it when I should have been writing and I don’t
feel any guilt whatsoever! Have I mentioned that I love
children’s books?
Personal Recommendations for Your Child
If you would like me to recommend a book for a particular
child, send me the child’s details - age; what they
like/dislike to read; reading level - average, above average etc;
general likes and hobbies, including films they enjoy and music
they like - and I’ll send you some titles that they might
enjoy. Email the details to sarah@sarahwebb.info
So here we go, the best children’s books in the world,
according to me!
Age 0 to 2
As Dorothy Butler says in her wonderful book, ‘Babies
Need Books’, children are never too little to look. My own
tiny, Amy-Rose, has already got the hang of turning pages herself
(she’s 10 months now) and this particular book list is
heavily influenced by her preferences.
And my advice to new parents - buy a decent nursery rhyme book
and use it, ask for books as presents (much better than plastic
toys and much easier to tidy away!), put the books in a box on
the floor within baby’s reach, and let your little one
discover the joy of books for his or her self. It really is a
gift for life!
| 1) ‘The Very
Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle |
 |
One of my very favourite picture books ever.
It’s available in several different editions -
including a giant board book with its own soft toy
caterpillar: Amy’s favourite at the moment.
It’s a simple tale, told in a straightforward manner
but there’s something magical about it all the same.
The quirky collage illustrations are full of colour and
movement and the eaten ‘holes’ in the food
pages are an inspired addition and perfect for tiny
fingers to explore. I also love ‘Brown Bear, Brown
Bear, What Do You See’ by the same
author/illustrator, a brilliant book to read aloud
because of its jaunty repetition. |
| |
|
| 2)
‘Where’s Spot?’ by Eric Hill |
 |
A delightful book to share with a young child. The
illustrations are very clever - brightly coloured animals
and objects set against a plain white background -
simple, uncluttered pages which are very easy on the eye.
Each page is carefully designed to appeal to young eyes
and the flaps add extra interest. I’m all in favour
of making books fun, and this book is the ultimate early
‘peepo’ book for youngsters - Amy loves opening
the flaps and finding out which animal is hiding beneath.
A really successful book, a modern classic. I’d
avoid the board book editions though as they are rather
small and the flaps are difficult for babies and toddlers
to open; the ‘normal’ paperback edition has
specially thick toddler proof paper which is ideal for
terrors who like to tear. And if all else fails there is
always sellotape! The perfect first ‘real’
book. |
| |
|
| 3) ‘Michael
Foreman’s Nursery Rhymes’ |
 |
Another brilliant collection, but sadly
only available from the US (www.amazon.com) is
called ‘Arnold Lobel’s Mother Goose’. In
fact it’s my very favourite but as it’s not so
widely available, the Foreman is a good substitute. Every
baby should be given a nursery rhyme book at birth - it
should be mandatory! Nursery rhymes are part of every
child’s literary heritage - but sadly many children
are growing up without ever having encountered Humpty
Dumpty or Incy Wincy, not to mention Little Boy Blue or
Little Miss Muffet and I think this is a crying shame. So
- stop the rot - read your baby or toddler a nursery
rhyme book immediately. And the BBC do a
slightly-less-annoying-than-average tape of nursery
rhymes for any parent who has forgotten the tunes to
their favourites. Be warned - don’t touch the cheap
tapes - the horrible tinny music and, in many cases, out
of tune singing may put you off nursery rhymes forever.
|
| |
|
| 4) ‘Guess How
Much I Love You’ by Sam McBratney, illustrated by
Anita Jeram |
 |
This picture book is touch sentimental
but great all the same. A modern classic written by a
Northern Irish writer, it has been a huge success all
over the world. And for good reason. It’s carefully
and economically written, reassuring for young children
and a delight to share with a child. It’s a feel
good read for parent and child alike, brings a smile to
the lips and for this reason alone should be on every
child’s bookshelves. |
| |
|
| 5) ‘Fuzzy
Yellow Ducklings’ by Matthew Van Fleet |
 |
I had trouble getting my hands on this
as both Amy-Rose and Sam (nearly 10) are big fans. You
never know whose room you might find this book in. Each
page has a well designed ‘touchy feely’ panel
for the child to run his or her fingers over - from fur
and wool, to sticky lines (frogs’ tongues don’t
you know) and scratchy sandpaper (sharks’ skin).
It’s simple, easy on the eye and great fun to share.
It’s also lasted through my tow children plus
assorted nephews - quite a feat I can tell you. Do search
it out as it’s not readily available but I did find
it on the UK (and the US) Amazon site. |
Age 2 to 4
Toddlerdom - don’t you just love it? (Yes and no,
I’m sure you’re saying through gritted teeth.) Books
are a fantastic diversionary tactic for this age group - ideal
for doctor’s waiting rooms, bus or trains rides or quiet (?)
time before bed. Children do start to show gender
preferences at this age - but these titles will be enjoyed by all
- boy or girl.
| 1) 'Ten Minutes Till
Bedtime' written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann |
 |
Funny, funny, funny. And blissfully
short for tired parents to read. A busload of hamsters
arrives at a little boy’s house for the special
‘Hamster 10 Minute Bedroom Tour’. They follow
the boy’s bedtime routine - teeth brushing, story,
bath - and witness the mad dash to the finish (bed) at
‘One minute till bedtime!’ My son still loves
joining in the bedtime countdown and the pages are a
joyful riot of colour and movement. I love the boy’s
shock of black hair and his perky, expressive face. This
book is a real winner, and a delight for both adult and
child. I can’t recommend it highly enough. One of
the best picture books I’ve come across in a long
time. Buy it in hardback if you can, as it’s one
your child will want to ‘read’ over and over
again. And do try it with younger children too: I’ve
just started reading it to Amy-Rose and she loves it! |
| |
|
| 2) ‘The
Elephant and the Bad Baby’ by Elfrida Vipont |
 |
A delightful book all about a bad baby
who is rude to everyone but who learns to say
‘please’ by the end of the book. The
illustrations are by Raymond Briggs and as the book is in
Amy-Rose’s room and she’d asleep (thank
goodness) I’ll fill in more about this title at a
later stage. |
| |
|
| 3) ‘The Cat in
the Hat’ by Dr Seuss |
 |
A well loved children’s classic. I
love the good Doctor and this is by far his most popular
book. But come to think of it, I like ‘The
Sneeches’ even better. Or maybe ‘The
Grinch’, or ‘Horton’, or even ‘Yertle
the Turtle’. The man’s a rhyming genius and
always manages to make me smile. Sam’s favourite was
always ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ for obvious
reasons. I wonder which Seuss will be Amy’s
favourite?
|
| |
|
| 4)
‘Peter’s Chair’ by Ezra Jack Keats |
 |
For years I had a vague memory of a book
featuring a little pink chair which I’d been read
when I was very young. When I came across
‘Peter’s Chair’ by this celebrated
American author/illustrator it all clicked into place. My
mum and dad were reading this to me for good reason -
there was a third baby on the way and I wasn’t well
pleased apparently! It’s a remarkable book,
deceptively simply written and ideal for the child who
thinks he or she has been usurped (like the toddler me!).
The mixed media illustrations are a delight - Keats uses
all kinds of material for his collages, from wallpaper to
newspaper - a Lauren Child of the 60’s. An utterly
charming book. (Available on the US Amazon site). |
| |
|
| 5) ‘Farmer
Duck’ by Martin Waddell |
 |
‘How goes the work?’ Ah, the
wonderful ‘Farmer Duck’. A favourite of Janet
Cooke’s (my partner’s mum - who was a Primary
School teacher, so she should know!) and of mine. And
also in Amy-Rose’s room. Ho, hum. |
| |
|
| 5) ‘Where the
Wild Things’ Are by Maurice Sendak |
 |
Two 5’s I hear you ask? Well, no, I
haven’t gone mad - I had to sneak this one in
somewhere. I love Maurice Sendak, always have, always
will - no matter how odd his books can sometimes be (no
offence, Mr Sendak but ‘The Miami Giant’ really
was strange). This one’s my favourite but I also
love ‘The Sign On Rosie’s Door’ and
‘In the Night Kitchen’, which was my son,
Sam’s favourite when he was younger. He especially
liked the naked picture of the little fellow, Mickey in
the milk bottle! A genius of an illustrator. Don’t
be put off by the monsters in ‘Wild Things’,
Sam always found them funny. What colours, what
etching, what a man!
|
Age 4 to 5) 6 (pre readers)
Again - a great age for picture books but don’t forget to
read aloud to your child also. For reading aloud you can choose
books that you might think are ‘too old’ for them -
you’ll be surprised how much they take in. For Example,
‘Charlotte’s Web’ is a fantastic book for reading
aloud to a bright child of 5) 6 ish. As are ‘The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe’ and ‘The Borrowers’.
| 1) ‘Busy, Busy
World’ by Richard Scarry |
 |
This book was a huge favourite when I
was a child and I still love it. It’s made up of 33
different illustrated short stories featuring animal
characters from all over the world - from Ah-Choo of Hong
Kong, to Happy Lappy from Lapland and Shalom of Israel.
My favourite has always been the story of Nurse Matilda
of Australia who feeds all the Koala babies in the
nursery including her own little baby, Billybong.
I’ve never met a child who doesn’t take to this
book. It’s not exactly PC - the Irish pig is called
Patrick and he talks a lot after kissing the Blarney
stone. And yes, he does day ‘Begorra’,
‘Toora, Loora La’, ‘Mother Machree’
and ‘Erin go Bragh’ but it’s all done in
such genuine good humour that you couldn’t but smile
at it all. The cartoon illustrations are full of detail
and will keep any child entranced while you read the
accompanying text. Childhoods are made of such books - do
read it! HarperCollins recently republished it, so it
should be widely available - hurrah! |
| |
|
| 2) ‘Winnie the
Pooh’ by A A Milne |
 |
Pooh is such a favourite of mine. For
those who like books on tape (and I’m a big fan)
Alan Bennett’s reading of Winnie the Pooh is simply
wonderful; his Eeyore is spot on and I could listen to
this tape over and over again. Pooh was born to be read
aloud and don’t deprive your youngster of this very
special pleasure. And don’t forget to play Pooh
sticks at every available opportunity too. |
| |
|
| 3) ‘Clarice
Bean, That’s Me’ by Lauren Child |
 |
Lauren Child is simply wonderful and her
zany picture books are a joy to the eye. ‘Clarice
Bean’ was her first, and she’s gone on to write
many more including my current favourite ‘I Am Too
Absolutely Small for School’, featuring the
delectable Charlie and his little sister, Lola. I wanted
to call my own little daughter Lola, but wasn’t
allowed (Boo I say!). Little Lola in this book is
‘small and very funny’. Her mum and dad say
it’s time for her to go to school but Lola
isn’t so sure. She says ‘I am still really
quite small’ but eventually her brother persuades
her. Child’s illustrations are unique - she uses a
combination of collage, photography and illustration in a
most unusual manner. I look forward to meeting Ms Child
in person one day; and I do hope she’ll sign my
rather large pile of her super-wonderful picture books. |
| |
|
| 4) ‘The Alfie
Books’ by Shirley Hughes |
 |
Alfie is a darling four-year old and the
star of these wonderfully warm and gentle picture books
by Shirley Hughes (OBE no less!). Alfie’s Feet is
probably my favourite. Being fond of puddles,
Alfie’s feet are always wet so his mum buys him a
new pair of shiny yellow wellies and he is the picture of
happiness splashing and jumping into puddles in the park.
Hughes’ books are always full of kind people doing
kind things. A bit like the next titles on my list which
she also illustrated. |
| |
|
| 5) ‘The My
Naughty Little Sister Series’ by Dorothy Edwards,
illustrated by Shirley Hughes |
 |
When I was a little girl I adored the
little sister in these books. She did all kinds of really
naughty things and I was most impressed with her
boldness. From digging up the lawn to eating all the
trifle and calling Santa a ‘horrible old beardy
man’, she’s the best naughty girl around. And
when she meets Bad Harry, well you can imagine! They
still make me laugh out loud and are great fun to read
out loud. Just hope you own little darlings aren’t
quite so bad. The line drawings by Shirley Hughes are
just perfect. |
And finally some Irish picture book author/illustrators to
look out for - Niamh Sharkey, Marie Louise Fitzpatrick and Mary
Murphy - these women are producing some excellent books for
younger children. I especially love Mary Murphy’s recent
‘Little Owl’.
And so ends the first half of my list - I hope you enjoyed it.
I’m currently writing the text for the older age groups, so
do check again in a couple of months for Part 2!
