Children's Books to Inspire Reading and Foster Imagination
Children’s books by current writers which are both well-written and captivating. We use 1975 as the cut off date for calling something ‘contemporary’ or classic; however, contemporary generally means today’s kids can identify with the characters.
Published 1991
Theme: Freedom of Expression
Best for: ages 11 and up
Five Stars
This brilliantly written story by Salman Rushie both enchants children and makes adults think deeply about the importance of stories, writers and freedom in keeping a culture alive…
Published 2003
Theme: Courage to Love
Best for: 9 and up
“Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make some light.” A story that doesn’t shy away from the dark, but brings the beauty of light into the world…
Published 1994
Theme: Loss and Healing
Best for: 12 and older
“Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins.” If young readers came away from this profoundly moving children’s book with only the above as their understanding, that alone could change the world. Imagine how our culture would develop…
Published 1992
Theme: Expectations
Best for: 5-6 years old
“There was a man called the Thinking Man of Moha, and there was a woman called the Writing Woman of Maho, and they were friends.” Thus begins this very small, simple book by Le Guin, combining fantasy and reality seamlessly…
Published 2000
Theme: Fairies
Best for: 5 – 8 years old
I love the Fairy Realm series, stepping from our human world into the world of the fairies, where magic, beauty, goodness, and yes, also a bit of evil, mingle together…
Published 2009
Theme: Nature
Best for: ages 5 – 8
This small little children’s book has the best elements of combining fiction and non-fiction into a little tale. It is lyrical, it is sensitive, it is keenly accurate, and it is accompanied by the most delicate illustrations one could find in a children’s book…
Published 1999
Theme: Selfless Service & Humility
Best for: Boys 11 and up
That is why the rare human who is truly good is so remarkable. And the rare human who acquires true wisdom…is so magnificent.”. Yet again, Gerald Morris has taken a classic, Arthurian literature and created an inspirational children’s book…
Published 2008
Theme: Innate Wisdom of Children
Best for: 11 and older
“It was because of the king. Because he was brave and true to what he believed in and wouldn’t let himself be bullied. Because he knew that if you have power you must use it well and not be afraid.” A book that celebrates the power of independence in children’s lives..
Published 2001
Theme: Adventure and self-discovery
Best for: ages 10 and up
Five Stars
“Perhaps I’m mad–and the professor, too–but I think children must lead big lives…if it is in them to do so.” What is the mark of a great children’s book, really? For me, it is the feeling of immense goodness about the world that rises up when I finally read the last word of the book…
Published 2012
Theme: Relationships – Humans and Animals
Best for: ages 9 and up
The tears are barely dry on my cheeks as I write this. Reading The One and Only Ivan was both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. You get to experience their fullness of heart, their magnificence as animals. And at the end, it’s impossible not to cry–out of joy, out of relief…
Published; 1995
Theme: Women’s Historical Fiction
Best for: Girls, age 12 and up
A wonderful book to use as class reading for bringing history, especially women’s history, alive. Set in fourteenth century England, the story of an impoverished orphan and her role in the society of the day is compelling…
by Jeanne Birdsall, published 2005 “This is what made a book great, she thought, that you could read it over and over and never get tired of it.” The Penderwicks is another children’s book recommended by my young friend Meera. It …
by Shelley Davidow, published 2006 “Wisdom is fading in the world. Words are disappearing. The brightness in the sky is vanishing and the dark Cloud of Ignorance has grown suddenly dense.” If I could use only one book to introduce …
The Wise Enchanter: A Journey Through the Alphabet Read more »
by Gerald Morris, published 2005 “To have arrived for an indefinite stay in this luxurious castle, where she would wear the finest clothes and most of all get to know a real enchantress, was more than Luneta could ever have …
By Gerald Morris, published 1998 “To forgive the unforgivable is the breath of life in this world.” A brilliant retelling of some of the stories from Le Morte D’Arthur, author Morris begins his series of children’s books about knights with this …
by Gerald Morris, published 2001 “As you have now learned, the things you achieve by your own mighty deeds have no value until they are thrown away. But the things worth keeping—those things are yours for the asking.” Parsifal’s Page …