14 Children’s Classic Books You NEED to Read as an Adult

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My youngest child is in one of my favorite ages for kids when it comes to books. She is seven, going on eight, which makes her the perfect age for reading some of the best children’s classics, and honestly, I might be enjoying it more than she is.

That prompted me to put together this book list because I think a lot of adults may be seriously missing out.

There’s a very good chance you read at least some of these books as a kid in school or on your own, but there’s something about returning to these books as adults that is almost magical.

Why Should Adults Read Children’s Classics?

Here are just some of the reasons I think adults should consider reading children’s classic literature:

• You need a palate cleanser. Let’s say you’ve just finished reading a tome or an intense book, like a thriller, that was amazing, but you feel like you need a palate cleanser in between. These books are the perfect antidote.
• You are in a reading slump. Let’s say no book is doing it for you, and you are in one of those dreaded reading slumps. Grab one of the books below to pull you out.
• You’re trying to get back into reading. If you want to start making reading a regular part of your life again, these books are a perfect place to start. I think it’s because they are easy to read while also having enough depth to make it enjoyable, whetting the appetite and making you want more.
• You need a comfort read. I’ve been dealing with grief this year, and the last thing I want is a super heavy book. I’ve found that these books have been great during this time.
• They are fantastic books! Lastly, and probably the most important, they are really good books. They have great plots, great characters, and there’s almost a magical quality to them.

One of the things that has really stood out to me is just how well-written they are. Because they are written for children, they don’t use a lot of flowery language; instead, they employ very simple language. At the same time, sometimes they are quite poetic.

Here’s an example from Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White. This is from Chapter 15: The Crickets:

The crickets sang in the grasses. They sang the song of summer’s ending, a sad, monotonous song. “Summer is over and gone,” they sang. “Over and gone, over and gone. Summer is dying, dying.”

The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last forever. Even on the most beautiful days in the whole year—the days when summer is changing into fall—the crickets spread the rumor of sadness and change.

Hopefully, by now, you are convinced that these are books you shouldn’t ignore.

Here are some of my personal favorites.

Children’s Classic Literature for Adults