Best children’s books that kids will love for years
Reading to our children is a beautiful gift we can give as parents/carers. But reading good, appropriate books is better.
We still read stories to all of our children, even the older ones who are in their early teens!
It took me a while to find good books to read to my young children. Here is a list of book recommendations and short reviews of what are, for me, the best gentle books for young children.
Include these books in your bedtime routine!
For young children age 0-3
Seasons by Gerda Muller
https://amzn.to/41NzLBL
These four board books with beautiful illustrations and text-free, short enough for young children. Each book goes through seasonal activities.
You can use the pictures to recreate your stories! my little ones just love them.
My small children would never tire of it!.
Hello Farm How do you do? by Marjolein Thiebout & Loes Botman
This is a beautiful board book with short, rhythmic, and repetitive verses on each page. Greeting all the animals on the farm, and the farm animals greet back with their respective noises. Little children just love that!
Night is near by Astrid Lindgren
This is a lovely short story with beautiful drawings, following a cat’s nocturnal walk and how all the creatures are going to sleep.
It can be a Bedtime story.
Billy blue socks by Sibylle Von Olfers:
Billy Blue Socks is a simple short story about the day in the life of a little boy, Billy Blue Socks. From waking up, playing, picking apples, having dinner and going to bed, all written in verses and with beautiful illustrations.
My first Root Children by Sibylle Von Olfers:
The Root Children, another book by Sibylle Von Ofers, is the short version of The Story of the Root Children, which makes it perfect before bed for young children. It’s about the root children that live under the earth, and Mother Earth wakes them up in spring, and they all get ready to go up into the outside world. At the end of the story in autumn, they go back under the earth with Mother Earth for their winter sleep!
For children age 4-9
Any book by Elsa Beskow is one of our favourites:
Peles new suit by Elsa Beskow:
I personally love this story about a little boy and his sheep, and how he makes his own clothes out of the sheep’s wool.
The king of blueberry land by Elsa Beskow:
My children love this story, and they also love blueberries! It’s about a little boy who turns small and goes to blueberry land and has a lovely time with the king’s sons
Teddy Robinson by Joan G. Robinson:
This book by Joan G. Robinson about Teddy Robinson features many simple and entertaining short stories about a little girl and her teddy bear, told from the perspective of the teddy bear (Teddy Robinson)
We have three books, and they are all lovely, for children from around 4 and up.
The Tomten
It is a lovely winter book about the Tomten that walks around at night looking after the farm when everybody is sleeping. My children love this book!
For children 7-12
7-year wonder book by Isabel Wyatt
The books of Isabel Wyatt are just so beautifully written with original stories!, This book is perfect to read to your children when they turn 7! It’s about a little girl and her wonder book, which every morning has a new verse, related to the story her mum told her the night before.
All the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
These stories are so beautifully written, Laura Ingalls Wilder describes her life with such detail, how they lived in those days and all the things they did, the closeness of the family. It really submerges you in the story.
We love the audiobook collection narrated by Cherry Jones; they are great for car journeys!
For Christmas:
Mary’s Little Donkey by Gunhild Sehlin
A very nicely written story of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. This story is lovely to read to children near Christmas.
Very recommended!
For Parents:
You are your Child’s First Teacher, by Rahima Baldwin Dancy
If you are looking for a bit of guidance on how to raise your child, inspired by Waldorf education, this book has lots of ideas on what to do with and for your children from birth until 6 years old.
Why Cleaning Has Meaning: Bringing Wellbeing Into Your Home by Linda Thomas
I found this book opened my eyes to the importance of how and why we clean our surroundings.
Resourses:
You can purchase most of these books in Floris Books, which has a wide selection of many more wonderful books!
