Children's Books to Inspire Reading and Foster Imagination
These books are aligned with Waldorf Education curriculum and principles. For more information on what I mean by that, please visit this page: What is Waldorf-Aligned?
Published: 2018
Theme: Women in Math
Best for: 7 and up
“Sophie discovered that mathematicians use numbers as poets use letters-as a language to question, explore, and solve the secrets of the universe.” Wonderful and inspiring illustrated biography of a woman mathematician from the 18th century.
Published: 2018
Theme: Biography; Science
Best for: 9 and up
“At the age of thirteen, Maria had watched, waited, and witnessed with her own eyes. And she had created a record of study, just as scholars did at universities.” This is a visually beautifully and factually rich children’s book about an important young woman who pursued art and science on her own.
Published: 2019
Theme: Fairness
Best for: 5 to 8
“Even if there is no trophy involved, I love winning. I am not a sore winner, no matter what Anna the Annoying says. I am the opposite of sore. I am a feel-great winner.” A fun second-grade excursion into alphabetic order, fairness, envy, and creativity.
Published: 2019
Theme: Speaking Up
Best for: 9 to 12
“Different isn’t wrong,” Pixit said with such utter certainty that Mina couldn’t help but believe him…Mina said, “I just need to find a different way, a way that works for me.” To get to the point, this is a must-read, about the power of children to change the world, finding their own voice along the way. Very inspiring fantasy that’s not so fantastical in the end!
Published: 2006
Theme: A Children’s Birth
Best for: 4 to 6
“Little Angel said to Great Angel, “Oh I want to go to Bountiful Earth.” “And so you shall, Little Angel, so you shall.” A Waldorf birthday story, beautifully illustrated and retold.
Published: 2011
Theme: Friends
Best for: 8 to 11
“Ms. Snoops’s memory, whispered the angel, was like the lacy antimacassars on the organ and green striped sofa’s arms. Ms. Snoops’s memory had little holes in it, here and there…” A simple and easy to read story about friendships, generations, and healing the past.
Published 1972
Theme: WWII refugee
Best for: 9 and up
“Next morning before school Anna ran into Papa’s room to see him. The desk was tidy. The bed was neatly made. Papa had gone.” Neither overly melodramatic nor depressing, this is an excellent look at the life of a WWII Jewish refugee family…
Published: 2019
Theme: Holocaust and Family Memories
Best for: 9 and up
“When Charlie asked how many of the people in the photo album had survived the Holocaust, Mom simply looked away.” A down-to-earth children’s book about the importance of sharing and remembering the past.
Published: 2013
Theme: Easy Reader
Best for: 5 to 8
Mole took up the oars. “Just this once, I’ll try,” he said, and he began to row. An easy reader version of the classic Wind in the Willows, done with care and beauty. What a great idea.
Published: 2019
Theme: Making a Difference
Best for: 5 to 8
“If you see someone lonely, say something by just being there for them.” In another wonderful children’s book from Peter Reynolds, children learn they too can be a positive change in the world, very simply.
Published: 2000
Theme: Power of Love
Best for: 9 to 12
“I put my hand beneath his should to steady him. I felt something there, something held in my his jacket. I reached across his back and felt something beneath his other shoulder as well. Like thin arms, folded up.” Children have the ability to see the miraculous, and to hope… and this book brings it home in a well-told story.
Published: 2011
Theme: Children’s Creativity
Best for: 9 to 12
“My name is Mina and I love the night. Anything seems possible at night when the rest of the world has gone to sleep.” The best thing to say about this children’s book is …read it. It will uplift your spirit and inspire creative teaching.
Published: 2017
Theme: Courage; Monarch Butterflies
Best for: 6 and up
“It took Kibble a few moments before he was ready to let go of that trunk again, but soon enough, he carefully walked over to me….” In this informative illustrated children’s book, Kibble overcomes his fear with the support of good friends…
Published: 2019
Theme: Fathers and Sons
Best for: 9 and up
“I decided to revolt. I mean, wiping up dog vomit, nearly drowning in an Australian tropical thunderstorm, drinking tea with mild and sugar, and I haven’t even told you about the forty-five minutes of Mr. Barkus’s word problems.” A great coming- of-age book, as well as dealing with family drama, with lots of humor.
Published: 2018
Theme: Nature’s Wonders
Best for: 5 to 8
“Once upon a time, words began to vanish from the language of children…You hold in your hands a spellbook for conjuring back these lost words. To read it you will need to seek, find, and speak.” A gorgeous, oversized illustrated children’s book that weaves magic of language, art, and nature.
Published: 2000
Theme: Thoreau’s Simplicity
Best for: 5 to 7
“I’ll walk,” said Henry. “It’s the fastest way to travel.” “I’ll work,” Henry’s friend said, “until I have the monty to buy a ticket to ride the train to Fitchburg. We’ll see who gets there first!” A very simple, sweet illustration of a passage from Walden about the benefits of walking rather than high-speed travel.
Published: 2018
Theme: Beavers (Natural History)
Best for: 6 and up
“This is a beaver. Just an ordinary beaver. But even ordinary beavers are extraordinary. In fact, even ordinary beavers are superheroes.” A great way to present facts of natural history to young readers; enjoyable yet fact-filled.
Published: 2002
Theme: Nature Adventure and Adoption
Best for: 9 to 12
“I felt unbound. I was free as the wind. And I wasn’t in just any old canoe, but one I had made myself. She floated, she sped, she was unreal.” A great book by a classic children’s book author, about adoption, and self-sufficiency in nature.
Published: 2002
Theme: Storytelling
Best for: 6 to 9
“The class stared at the new girl with admiration. They had never met anyone like Gooney Bird Greene…Her clothes were unusual. Her hairstyles were unusual. Even her lunches were very unusual.” This fun first-chapter book explores how easy it is to tell a good story, with imagination.
Published: 2018
Theme: Thomas Edison
Best for: 5 to 8
“Behind the shelves lay the University of Mice. Here any inquisitive mouse could learn everything there was to know about the history of mice: mice who had traveled the world, mice who had made great discoveries…” A beautifully illustrated, large-size children’s book with a fanciful story about Edison’s invention.
Published: 2007
Theme: Historical Fiction; French Revolution
Best for: 11 and up
“I know how to make needle lace and sew and hem and build a fire and tend it and clean the ashes out. I can make tea and toast and cook a chicken if I have to. I can empty chamber post and scrub floors…” This very well-written historical fiction about the French Revolution is based on a true incident…
Published: 2009
Theme: Community
Best for: 4 to 7
“Night after night/Fox walked alone,/came home to a bed made of feathers and stone/” A very sweet and simple illustrated children’s book, blending independence with sharing with others. Nicely told in rhyme.
Published: 2018
Theme: Breaking Stereotypes
Best for: 8 to 11
“Ellie hated it when her friends got in trouble in front of her, especially when she had something to do with it. She thought about what her dad said – that engineering was supposed to help people- and her stomach went squiggly.” . Let’s hear it for books that let girls be engineers, boys like dolls, and old people doing more than just drinking tea…
Published: 2018
Theme: Saving the World
Best for: 8 to 11
“Max didn’t have a mother or father to tell her when it was time to wake up, go to bed, do her homework, eat her vegetables, turn off the TV, or hurry because she’d miss the subway. Max was completely on her own.” An odd and quirky book that tries to have children solve the mess of the world, with a bit of adventure thrown in.
Published: 2018
Theme: Healing through books
Best for: 9 and up
“It’s better to read in the library. Sitting at my favorite table… reading and listening to the sound of other folks turning pages makes me feel I’m in a house full of company I don’t have to talk to.” A beautiful and lyrical small book set in 1946, exploring the loneliness that comes from being uprooted from South to North.
Published: English: 2018 (original: 1945)
Theme: Imaginative Tale
Best for: 6 to 9
“At first Moominmamma was frightened too, but then she said soothingly: “It’s really a very little creature. Wait, and I’ll shine a light on it. Everything looks worse in the dark, you know.” This is wonderful way to be introduced to the family of Moomintrolls, since it is the story where they first came to life…
Published: 2013
Theme: Biography
Best for: 10 and up
“We must melt the hearts of the Government with love… Remember, we can only win the opponent over by love, never by hate. Hate is the subtlest form of violence. Hatred injures the hater, never the hated.” This very thorough biography of Gandhi in graphic novel form is a pleasure to read.
Published: 2018
Theme: Refugees, Compassion
Best for: 9 and up
“The middle school cafeteria always makes me wish for the school in Istanbul. We often shared meals there, seated on the ground, with little to give. But most important, it was quiet.” It is time, past time, to bring our children into the conversation about religious tolerance, and immigration. This book is a start.
Published: 2018
Theme: Optimism
Best for: 10 and up
“No one knew where the Mona Lisa was hiding. Chantal made a fist. How she hated the war. It had scared all the art way from the city.” A truly uplifting story about hope even during the direst of times, this will make your heart smile.
Published: 2018
Theme: Fantasy Adventure with Books
Best for: 10 and up
He’d been trained as a solider, after all. He knew how to fight. The same rules applied, if you thought about it, to books and to swords. For one thing, you didn’t run away from a challenge. You met it head-on. This is a non-stop, action packed books about libraries and librarians, and if you thing that’s an oxymoron, you’ll need to read this yourself…