A woman with short hair shouting or laughing while holding two young girls, one with blonde hair and a red hair bow, the other with blonde hair and a hand on her face, outdoors in front of a wooden wall and plants.

Book Recommendations

Brother and sister standing in a field with rolling hills and farmland in the background.
“Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself.”
— George Bernard Shaw
A woman in a red shirt and red headband reading a children's book to two young children seated beside her on a sofa. The girl has blond hair and is holding a pink water bottle, and the boy has dark, curly hair and is wearing pajamas with a holiday pattern.
A green metal chair casting a shadow on a stone wall and gravel ground.

For children

2-4 years:

  • Bark George by Jules Feiffer, 1999

  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle, 1999

  • Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann, 1994

  • Richard Scarry Books

4-10 years:

  • Mr. Putter and Tabby Series by Cynthia Rylant

  • Henry and Mudge Series by Cynthia Rylant

  • The Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne

  • The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld, Lori Gardner, et al.

Middle school:

  • The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson, 2008-2014

  • Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier, 2018

  • The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo, 2021

Children's book cover titled 'Good Night, Gorilla' by Peggy Rathmann. It shows a cartoon gorilla in black holding up a small pink key, and a cartoon zoo keeper in green uniform shining a flashlight.
Cover of the children's book titled 'Ready to Read Level Two: Henry and Mudge The First Book,' showing a cheerful boy with a striped green and white shirt running toward a happy dog in a grassy field with blue flowers, under a bright orange sun.

For parents and educators

Book cover of 'The Beatyce Prophecy' by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, featuring a young person with a shaved head, a goat, and a large tree in the background.
Group of anthropomorphic animals dressed as hikers, with a pig holding a sign that says 'Eat at Joe's', standing on a balance pole.