Top 10 Children’s Story Books

1. Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are is a children’s picture book written as well as illustrated by American author Maurice Sendak in 1963. As of 2011, this book had sold more than 20 million copies across the world.

The book brings a blend of suspense, fun and action of Max, who, in one evening, plays around his home wearing a wolf costume. His mother orders him to go to bed without supper as punishment. His real adventure starts here from his imagination. He surprisingly sees a mysterious wild forest and the sea right in front of him, and sails to the land of the Wild Things including fearsome-looking monsters, but Max shows his courage and looks fiercer than those wild animals and monsters and conquers over them; he spends longer hours playing, dancing with them. However, he soon finds himself homesick and comes back to his bedroom where he finds his delicious hot supper waiting for him.

2. The Giving Tree

Published by Harper and Row in 1964, The Giving Tree is a children’s book written and demonstrated by an American author of children’s books Shel Silverstein. It was one of Silverstein’s best children books that has been translated into over 30 languages.
The Giving Tree is an example of true love and affection, portrayed through a young boy and a tree. The tree provides him with whatever he requires: The branches to play, swing, long leaves, shade to shelter him from the sun, and delicious apples to eat. When he grows, the tree permits him to cut it down to make a boat to sail. Then the boy leaves the tree, which is just a stump. Years pass by and one day the boy, who is an old man now, returns to the tree. The tree welcomes him and says that there is nothing left for him to offer. But the boy replies: “I do not need much now, just a quiet place to sit and rest.” The three happily offers him rest, peace and quiet place to sit and be happy. This amazing story inspires everybody to share selfless love and affection.

3. Goodnight Moon

Goodnight Moon, an American children’s book and a bedtime story of all age groups was written by Margaret Wise Brown, demonstrated by Clement Hurd, and published in 1947.
It describes a bunny’s bedtime practice of saying “goodnight” to the parents, and various favorite objects including red balloon, the bunny’s dollhouse, and the kittens in rhyming verse for a goodnight and peaceful sleep. It’s been over 6 decades, the book continues to be the favorite of parents, grandparents who use the rhyming verses to say goodnight to their children and grandchildren. The book comprises of various attractive pictures that children love the most.

4. Green Eggs and Ham

Green Eggs and Ham is known to be one of the most critically acclaimed books ever written by American writer, poet, and cartoonist Dr. Seuss. The book was first published on August 12, 1960 and according to Publishers Weekly in 2001, it was the fourth-best-selling English-language children’s book across the world.
An eccentric, dog alike creature is annoyed by a smaller creature “Sam I Am” who asks him to taste a weird kind of food “green eggs and ham” but he does not accept his offer. Sam I Am is determined to make him taste and he will not stop trying until he agrees. At the end, the dog-like creature gives up and agrees to taste to satisfy Sam I Am. He tastes green eggs and ham for himself and explores that the food was really tasty.

5. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a children’s book written by an author of numerous picture books Judi Barrett and illustrated by a cartoonist and artist Ron Barrett. It was published by the Simon & Schuster in 1978.
The story is about a gentle and older grandfather who informs his grandchildren about the town named Chewandswallow, where there is no grocery store, and the weather comes with delicious foods for three times a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. He offers juice through rain, ice-cream through snow and provides hamburgers through the wind. When the weather is bad, it gives people some horrible things like soggy green beans, pea soup fog, and brussels sprouts cakes. When the weather becomes worst then it gives massive amount of food that can cover buildings, squeeze homes, and block traffic. Finally, the people of Chewandswallow decide to run away from the town and very soon, they arrive in a new town, where weather does not help in getting food; it is their responsibility to get them and they struggle to adapt to their new lives in the real struggling world.

6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a children’s picture book written as well as illustrated and designed by Eric Carle. In 1969, the book was published by the World Publishing Company for the first time and later it was re-published by Penguin Putnam.
With a wonderful imagination, the writer illustrates a story where he describes the life of a caterpillar from the moment of its place in an egg to the transformation into a beautiful butterfly. The book has been translated into more than 50 languages and has been titled with “one of the greatest childhood classics of all time.”

7. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is an ALA (American Library Association) Children’s Book first published in 1972. The book was written by an American author, newspaper journalist, Judith Viorst and illustrated by Ray Cruz.
It is a tale of a little boy Alexander who firmly believes that all the things go wrong with him. Even before he solves a problem; he finds many more to be waiting for him. One day, his nightlight burns out at his bedtime, he bites his tongue, and his family cat thinks to sleep with Anthony, Nick takes away his pillow back and many more. He wants to move to Australia and the book ends with the assurance of his mother that everybody in this world has their own bad days as well as good ones after the bad.

8. Guess How Much I Love You

Guess How Much I Love You is a British children’s book published in 1994. The book is written by Sam McBratney and illustrated by Anita Jeram. According to its publishers, the book has received several honors with selling over 20 million copies across the world, published in total 37 languages.
This is the story of two Nutbrown Hares, a Big Nutbrown Hare as well as a Little Nutbrown Hare. The significant part starts with the question of Little Nutbrown Hare to Big Nutbrown Hare “Guess how much I love you?”, and the tale continues as the two use big and bigger measures to evaluate how much they love each other in answer to the question.

9. Pat the Bunny

Pat the Bunny is a book for small children and babies written by successful children’s author Dorothy Kunhardt and published by Golden Books publisher in 1940. Ever since, Pat the Bunny has sold more than 6 million copies, which makes it the number-6 bestselling children’s book of all-time. The author wrote the book for her 3-year old daughter, Edith.
It is a story of two young children Paul and Judy who do the things they like from smelling flowers to interacting with every small thing around them. With wonderful illustration, this book inspires children to love and explore the beauty of nature and the things we encounter in our daily lives.

10. Love You Forever

Love You Forever is a classic story of sentiment and humor written by an American-born Canadian children’s writer Robert Munsch. The book was first published in 1986. It tells the story of the evolving relationship between a boy and his mother. It is one of the All-Time Bestselling Children’s Books worldwide.
This is the story of a mother and her son. The story begins when the son has just been born and continues with how his mother takes care of him until the boy grows up. The mother swings her son to sleep singing “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.” Later, when his mother grows old he holds his elderly mother’s hand and sings “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my Mommy you’ll be.” At the end of the story his mother dies and he is the father of a little girl, and singing the same song, his mother used to sing for him.