37 Beloved Children’s Books That’ll Leave You Feeling Nostalgic

Happy 200th Birthday, HarperCollins!

HarperCollins Publishers is celebrating 200 years of great books in 2017. Check out our anniversary website to journey through the history of HarperCollins, explore significant moments in our past, take a look into the archives, browse a collection of 200 iconic titles from across the globe, and check out what your favorite authors have to say about why they read.

Read on to learn more about just some of our quintessential children’s books that’ll leave you feeling nostalgic!

· Little House on the Prairie

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams

Based on the real-life adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder growing up as an American pioneer, Little House on the Prairie is the third book in the award-winning Little House series. The original nine novels in the series have sold more than 34 million copies, and inspired a long-lived hit television show.

· Caps for Sale

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

This seventy-five-year-old classic book about a peddler and a band of mischievous monkeys is Slobodkina’s most famous work.

· The Carrot Seed

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Crocket Johnson

This book, first published in 1945 and never out of print, teaches children the patience needed and technique for planting a seed and helping it grow, and to never give up.

· Stuart Little

Stuart Little by E.B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams

E. B. White’s classic about a small mouse on a big adventure is a perennial bestseller and much beloved children’s book.

· Goodnight Moon

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd

In this classic of modern children’s literature, beloved by generations of readers and listeners, the quiet poetry of the words and the gentle, lulling illustrations combine to make a perfect book for the end of the day.

· Henry Huggins

Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary

Henry Huggins is the first novel from Newbery Medal–winning author Beverly Cleary about an average boy whose life is turned upside down when he meets a lovable puppy with a nose for mischief.

· The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

In the first book written by C. S. Lewis in the classic Chronicles of Narnia fantasy series, four adventurous siblings step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia. The series has sold more than 100 million copies in forty-seven languages.

· Charlotte’s Web

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams

Considered a classic of children’s literature, Charlotte’s Web is the story of a little girl named Fern who loved a little pig named Wilbur — and of Wilbur’s dear friend Charlotte A. Cavatica, a beautiful large gray spider. It is a tender novel of friendship, love, life, and death.

· Beezus and Ramona

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary

Newbery Medal winner Beverly Cleary’s humorous and beloved tale of the ups and downs of sisterhood. It is the first of Cleary’s books to focus on Ramona Quimby and her sister, Beatrice (Beezus).

· Harold and the Purple Crayon

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Never out of print since it was published in 1955, this classic story is about a boy who creates his own world through his imagination and a purple crayon.

· Harry the Dirty Dog

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham

This childhood favorite featuring a lovable white dog with black spots has charmed readers for more than fifty years.

· Old Yeller

Old Yeller by Fred Gibson

The beloved tale of a boy and his loyal, clever, “big yeller” dog. With Old Yeller, Fred Gipson secured his place as one of the finest novelists in America. This book was published to instant acclaim and has become one of the most beloved children’s classics ever written.

· Little Bear

Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak

The inaugural I Can Read! book, Little Bear has sold more than one million copies, remains in print today, and inspired a long-lived television show. This classic from Else Holmelund Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Sendak was published in 1957 and remains as beloved today as it was then.

· A Bear Called Paddington

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond

Paddington Bear has delighted readers with his earnest good intentions and humorous misadventures for more than fifty years. Featuring in more than twenty books written by Michael Bond and illustrated by Peggy Fortnum, he is published in thirty languages across seventy titles, with more than 30 million copies sold to date.

· Danny and the Dinosaur

Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff

This I Can Read! classic about the adventures of Danny and his friend the dinosaur was acquired by legendary Harper Children’s editor Ursula Nordstrom. It was a 1958 New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year.

· Amelia Bedelia

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish, illustrated by Fritz Siebel

This first book featuring the classic, zany character Amelia Bedelia is still in print and has sold in the millions of copies. Books featuring Amelia Bedelia are still being written today by Peggy Parish’s nephew, Herman Parish.

· Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Though many parents and librarians thought the book too scary, it won the 1964 Caldecott Medal and has become a beloved classic that has sold more than 19 million copies worldwide. It was one of the first “books for kids” to address the poignancy and complexity of parent/child relationships head-on.

· Bread and Jam for Frances

Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban

This beloved story about Frances, a feisty badger who is a picky eater with a huge aversion to eggs, has garnered much acclaim, including at least two “top 100 picture books of all time” lists.

· Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown, illustrated by Tomi Ungerer

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown, illustrated by Tomi Ungerer

Stanley is just a regular boy, but when a bulletin board falls on him, he’s made flat and goes on many exciting adventures. In 2014, HarperCollins celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the series, which has sold more than one million copies.

· The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

A poignant picture book for readers of all ages that has been a favorite for generations. The book’s fresh realism helped forever change the face of children’s literature.

· Sounder

Sounder by William H. Armstrong

The Newbery Award–winning book about the beloved dog of a sharecropper’s family in the Deep South that became an influential children’s work on race and class. This classic novel shows the courage, love, and faith that bind an African-American family together despite the racism and inhumanity they face.

· Freaky Friday

Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers

A classic comedic children’s novel in which a teenager realizes she’s turned into her mother. Freaky Friday has been adapted into film three times.

· Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by John Schoenherr

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by John Schoenerr

This Newbery Medal–winning classic about an Eskimo girl lost on the Alaskan tundra is a staple in the canon of children’s literature and the first in the Julie trilogy.

· Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

This Newbery Medal–winning modern classic is a tale of friendship and loss. It was also named an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book and has become a touchstone of children’s literature.

· A Light in the Attic

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

This classic collection of poems is accompanied by illustrations also created by Shel Silverstein. It is an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book.

· The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by James Stevenson

The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by James Stevenson

This book, illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist James Stevenson, includes more than 100 funny, short, clever, silly poems, accompanied by hilarious line art on each page. Jack Prelutsky was named America’s first Children’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation.

· Sarah, Plain and Tall

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

This Newbery Award winner and children’s literature classic explores themes of loss, the power of family, and love. It has sold over 4.5 million copies.

· If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond

The award-winning If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is one of the most beloved children’s books of all time. It is a great first introduction to Mouse, the star of the If You Give series and a perennial favorite among children. The series has sold more than 15 million copies.

· Howl’s Moving Castle

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

This preeminent fantasy writer’s most popular novel stars one of the most beloved and charismatic characters in children’s literature, the Wizard Howl, and was turned into an Oscar-nominated film.

· Journey to Jo’burg

Journey to Jo’burg by Beverley Naidoo, illustrated by Eric Velasquez

Banned by the apartheid government in South Africa, this is the story of two children’s courage and determination to find their mother and bring her home.

· Sabriel

Sabriel by Garth Nix, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon

Garth Nix exploded onto the fantasy scene as a rising star with this novel, the first installment in the Abhorsen trilogy, that takes readers to a world where the line between the living and the dead isn’t always clear — and sometimes disappears altogether.

· Red Scarf Girl

Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Jiang

In the tradition of The Diary of Anne Frank, Ji-Li Jiang’s searing memoir tells of her coming-of-age during the height of the Cultural Revolution in China.

· Monster

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award and a Coretta Scott King Award, and finalist for a National Book Award. A provocative coming-of-age story about Steve Harmon, a teenager facing prosecution for armed robbery and murder.

· Kitten’s First Full Moon

Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

A Caldecott Medal–winning picture book whose classic text, layout, and luminescent pictures play second fiddle to its star — lucky Kitten! It is Kitten’s first full moon, and she thinks it is a bowl of milk in the sky. Does she get it? Well, no . . . and yes.

· The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This children’s novel by Neil Gaiman, about an unusual boy who is the only living resident of a graveyard, won the Newbery and Carnegie Medals and is a Hugo Award for Best Novel winner.

· Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth

This is the first book in Veronica Roth’s number one New York Times–bestselling Divergent trilogy, a dystopian series set in a futuristic Chicago that captured the hearts of millions of teen and adult readers. More than 32 million copies of the Divergent series have been sold worldwide.

· Dodger

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

This Printz Honor book from beloved and bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett combines high comedy with deep wisdom in a tale of one remarkable boy’s rise in a fantasy-infused Victorian London.