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63 Best Children's Books
We analyzed 4+ expert sources, curated book lists, and recommendations from successful people to find the 63 best children's books according to the internet — not just one person's opinion. Each book on this list was mentioned by at least two independent sources, and the ranking is based on how frequently each title appears across all sources studied. This consensus-based approach ensures you get recommendations backed by multiple experts, not a single reviewer's bias.
Goal: Find the best Children's books according to the internet (not just one person's opinion).
Method:
- Search for "best children's books" and study the top 4+ pages.
- Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
- Rank the results neatly here.
63 Best Children's Books
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1
Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown
Also recommended by
3 people
Arianna Huffington recommended this bookArianna Huffington
"We need an adult version of [this book]!" - Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington's recommendation of this book 
Hillary Clinton recommended this bookHillary Clinton
"I started reading to Chelsea with [this book] and all the favorites which led her to make her own reading choices." - Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton's recommendation of this book 
Krista Tippett recommended this bookKrista Tippett
Krista Tippett mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
Krista Tippett's recommendation of this book
2
The Snowy Day
by Ezra Jack Keats
Also recommended by
2 people
Michelle Obama recommended this bookMichelle Obama
"[About] a boy who happened to be black and who happened to live in the city. He’s a kid just being a kid, and that’s enough." - Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama's recommendation of this book 
Don Cheadle recommended this bookDon Cheadle
"Love love love this book!!" - Don Cheadle
Don Cheadle's recommendation of this book
3
Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak
Also recommended by
2 people
Richard Branson recommended this bookRichard Branson
Richard Branson recommended this book on his "70 must-read books" blog post.
Richard Branson's recommendation of this book 
Fred Wilson recommended this bookFred Wilson
"I loved [this book]." - Fred Wilson
Fred Wilson's recommendation of this book
4
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
by Judith Viorst
Also recommended by
1 person
Ev Williams recommended this bookEv Williams
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
Ev Williams's recommendation of this book
5
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
by Bill Martin Jr.
6
Corduroy
by Don Freeman
7
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
World of Eric Carle, Book 1
by Eric Carle
8
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Poems and Drawings
by Shel Silverstein
9
A Sick Day for Amos McGee
by Philip C. Stead
10
Frog and Toad Quartet
The Complete Collection
by Arnold Lobel
11
Go, Dog. Go!
by P.D. Eastman
12
Good Dog, Carl
A Classic Board Book
by Alexandra Day
13
Green Eggs and Ham
by Dr. Seuss
14
Harold and the Purple Crayon
by Crockett Johnson
15
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
If You Give..., Book 1
by Laura Joffe Numeroff
16
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse
by Kevin Henkes
17
Little Bear
by Elsa Holmelund Minarik
18
Madeline
by Ludwig Bemelmans
19
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
by Virginia Lee Burton
20
My Father's Dragon
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
21
Stellaluna
by Janell Cannon
22
The Little Engine That Could
by Watty Piper
23
The Story of Ferdinand
by Munro Leaf
24
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
by Beatrix Potter
25
The Giving Tree
by Shel Silverstein
Also recommended by
5 people
Mark Zuckerberg recommended this bookMark Zuckerberg
On the "books read" section of Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook profile.
Mark Zuckerberg's recommendation of this book 
Alexis Ohanian recommended this bookAlexis Ohanian
"Definitely choked up by the end of it... WHY?" - Alexis Ohanian
Alexis Ohanian's recommendation of this book 
Chris Sacca recommended this bookChris Sacca
"It's a good day for catharsis. And [this author] reading [this book] is a damn fine place to start." - Chris Sacca
Chris Sacca's recommendation of this book 
Jen Rubio recommended this bookJen Rubio
"A great story about unconditional giving, but it's also a good reminder to not be that selfish little boy." - Jen Rubio
Jen Rubio's recommendation of this book 
Michael Batnick recommended this bookMichael Batnick
Michael Batnick recommended this book on Twitter.
Michael Batnick's recommendation of this book
26
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
by Dr. Seuss
Also recommended by
3 people- Richard Branson recommended this book
Richard Branson
Richard Branson recommended this book on his "70 must-read books" blog post.
Richard Branson's recommendation of this book 
Lisa Ling recommended this bookLisa Ling
"As a child of humble means, this book allowed me to believe that I could go anywhere and do anything." - Lisa Ling
Lisa Ling's recommendation of this book 
Twinkle Khanna recommended this bookTwinkle Khanna
"I read this Dr Seuss book to the baby but it truly is a guide to life for grownups as well." - Twinkle Khanna
Twinkle Khanna's recommendation of this book
27
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 1
by C. S. Lewis
Also recommended by
3 people
Chris Anderson recommended this bookChris Anderson
"As a child, they exploded my imagination." - Chris Anderson
Chris Anderson's recommendation of this book 
Gretchen Rubin recommended this bookGretchen Rubin
"How many times have I read [this book]? Easily could be 40. Could be more." - Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen Rubin's recommendation of this book 
Russell Moore recommended this bookRussell Moore
Russell Moore recommended this book on Twitter.
Russell Moore's recommendation of this book
28
Charlotte's Web
by E. B White
Also recommended by
2 people
Taylor Swift recommended this bookTaylor Swift
One of Taylor Swift's favorite books picks for "You are What You Read."
Taylor Swift's recommendation of this book 
Peter Attia recommended this bookPeter Attia
"[My earliest memory of reading is] sitting in the back of the beat up old station wagon reading a paperback of [this book] while my mom was driving us to the mall." - Peter Attia
Peter Attia's recommendation of this book
29
Love You Forever
by Robert Munsch
Also recommended by
2 people
Evan Goldberg recommended this bookEvan Goldberg
"A beautiful book that I give to anybody who has a kid." - Evan Goldberg
Evan Goldberg's recommendation of this book 
Melinda Gates recommended this bookMelinda Gates
Melinda Gates recommended this book on Likewise.com.
Melinda Gates's recommendation of this book
30
Winnie-the-Pooh
Winnie the Pooh, Book 2
by A. A. Milne
Also recommended by
2 people
Dr. Gabor Maté recommended this bookDr. Gabor Maté
"One of the seminal books of my childhood. [...] What struck me about Pooh, of course, [was that] there was this bear of little brains who was so much wiser than everybody else." - Dr. Gabor Maté
Dr. Gabor Maté's recommendation of this book - Hillary Clinton recommended this book
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton mentioned reading this book as a child.
Hillary Clinton's recommendation of this book
31
A Wrinkle in Time
Time Quintet, Book 1
by Madeleine L'Engle
Also recommended by
1 person
Sheryl Sandberg recommended this bookSheryl Sandberg
"I wanted to be Meg Murry, the admittedly geeky heroine [in this book]." - Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg's recommendation of this book
32
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
Also recommended by
1 person
Ann Patchett recommended this bookAnn Patchett
Ann Patchett recommended this book on the Parnassus Books website.
Ann Patchett's recommendation of this book
33
The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking
by Astrid Lindgren
Also recommended by
1 person- Michelle Obama recommended this book
Michelle Obama
"What I loved most [about the main character] was that she was a girl, and she was a little different, and she was still the most powerful character." - Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama's recommendation of this book
34
The Cat in the Hat
The Cat in the Hat, Book 1
by Dr. Seuss
Also recommended by
1 person
Thomas Frank recommended this bookThomas Frank
"The greatest productivity book of all time." - Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank's recommendation of this book
35
Amelia Bedelia
by Peggy Parish
36
Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey
37
Bread and Jam for Frances
by Russell Hoban
38
Elephant & Piggie Series
Complete Collection 25 Books Set
by Mo Willems
39
Eloise
The Ultimate Edition
by Kay Thompson
40
Extra Yarn
by Mac Barnett
41
Grandfather's Journey
by Allen Say
42
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter, Book 1
by J.K. Rowling
43
Knuffle Bunny
Knuffle Bunny, Book 1
by Mo Willems
44
Lon Po Po
A Red-Riding Hood Story From China
by Ed Young
45
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
46
Matilda
by Roald Dahl
47
Millions of Cats
by Wanda Gág
48
Miss Nelson Is Missing!
by Harry G. Allard Jr.
49
Miss Rumphius
by Barbara Cooney
50
Mr. Popper's Penguins
by Richard Atwater
51
Olivia
by Ian Falconer
52
Out of My Mind
Out of My Mind, Book 1
by Sharon M Draper
53
Owl Moon
by Jane Yolen
54
Press Here
by Herve Tullet
55
Strega Nona
by Tomie dePaola
56
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
by William Steig
57
The Day the Crayons Quit
Crayons, Book 1
by Drew Daywalt
58
The Gruffalo
Gruffalo, Book 1
by Julia Donaldson
59
The Lorax
by Dr. Seuss
60
The Mitten
by Jan Brett
61
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
by Jon Scieszka
62
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
by Jon Scieszka
63
Tuesday
by David Wiesner
Sources
Edited by
Richard Reis
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Follow@richardreeze
Anurag Ramdasan
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
Follow@anuragwho
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