The Best Books for Grandparents to Share with Grandchildren

One of my sweetest early childhood memories is my grandmother reading bedtime stories to my sister and me. My grandmother was an English teacher and a longtime correspondent for her local newspaper. Both she and my grandfather loved reading and even had a library in their New York farmhouse. The childhood bedroom Grandma redecorated for my sister and I had bookshelves under our windows, filled with children’s classics. Grandma knew that it was never too early to introduce her grandchildren to the wonderful world of books.

In fact, a 2019 study revealed that babies who are read to every day are exposed to around 78,000 words each year. Reading to young children provides the building blocks they need for language development. Although Grandma was our bedtime reader, Grandpa often read comics to us in his living room recliner and his favorite book series, Babar the Elephant. As we snuggled in his lap, my grandpa sometimes read himself to sleep instead of us. I never forgot the childhood books that soothed me to sleep or the adventures that shaped my young dreams. Here are just a few books that you can read to your grandchildren.

Little Golden Books 

The first formative books of my toddlerhood were Little Golden Books. The books were the brainchild of Western Publishing. They debuted in the early 1940s and were an instant success. At twenty-five cents per book, they were also affordable. Some came as premiums (much like Depression glass) in grocery store products. Others were included in children’s meals at various fast-food restaurants. The first twelve Little Golden books are among some of my favorites and include the following:

• Three Little Kittens (1942)
• Bedtime Stories (1942)
• The Alphabet A-Z (1969)
• Mother Goose (1978)
• Prayers for Children (1999)
• The Little Red Hen (2001)
• Nursery Songs (1943)
• The Poky Little Puppy (2001)
• The Golden Book of Fairy Tales (1999)
• Baby’s First Book (2007)
• The Animals of Farmer Jones (2018)
• This Little Piggy And Other Counting Rhymes (1992)

One of my earliest memories is of my grandfather reading Prayers For Children. When I had my children, I rekindled my fondness for the series and quickly developed a love for the endearing illustrations of Eloise Wilken. For children and collectors alike, this glinting spined series is still golden!

The Real Mother Goose 

The first song I played by ear on my grandparent’s piano was the tune to the nursery rhyme Three Blind Mice. I was four years old. Nursery rhymes were a cherished part of my childhood. My grandparents read them to me when I was very young.  Over the past seventy-five years, The Real Mother Goose collection has been considered to be the “standard” for nursery rhymes. It contains more than three hundred works such as Little Bo Peep, Pat-a-Cake, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Jack and Jill, and Jack Sprat. Reading nursery rhymes, with their metered versing, is a wonderful way to help a toddler learn language patterns and ultimately…fall asleep.

Winnie-the-Pooh Series

At a young age, I knew Winnie, Tigger, and his friends from the books my grandparents read to me. I adored these early childhood friends and was thrilled to hear about their adventures. In 1926, Winnie-the-Pooh was published in England and America. The collection of stories about a short, naive, and honey-loving bear was an immediate success. The author A. A. Milne wrote the stories for his young son, Christopher Robin. In fact, he placed his son in the stories as Winnie the Pooh’s best friend. Pooh Bear, Eeyore, Piglet Kanga, Roo, Owl, and other characters were based on Christopher’s toy animals. Almost 90 years later, the world of Winnie-the-Pooh continues to enchant readers of all ages with simple but whimsical stories.  

The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter

Peter Rabbit, the cute and cunning bunny who wears a bright blue jacket, is the best-selling creation of English author Beatrix Potter. Originally published in 1902, the Tale of Peter Rabbit–the first of twenty-three tales in the series–has since been translated into more than 45 languages and sold over 45 million copies. Beatrix Potter served as both author and illustrator of her treasured tales like The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher, The Tale of Tom Kitten, and The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.  I often wonder how many other children wanted a bunny of their own after reading about Peter, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail. My grandfather bought my sister and me a bunny during our childhood. Thank you, Peter!

Dr. Seuss Books

I wonder how many children (and grandparents) could finish the rest of this phrase, “One fish, two fish ____ ____, ____ ____.”   Doctor Seuss is an iconic part of American culture. It almost didn’t come to be. After graduating from Dartmouth College and receiving his Master’s from Oxford, Theodore Geisel began as an illustrator and humorist for magazines such as Life and Vanity Fair. His first book was rejected nearly thirty times. A chance meeting with an editor friend led to the publication of his first book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street in 1937. In 1940, with a new pen name, he published Horton Hatches the Egg.  Two decades and a lot of books later, Dr. Suess published two of his most popular works: The Cat in the Hat and  How the Grinch Stole Christmas! In total, Dr. Suess wrote more than 60 books, many of which have been a part of my or my children’s childhood. 

Richard Scarry Books

Born in Boston, Richard Scarry was a graduate of business school and attended various fine art schools. Much like Theodore Geisel, he was illustrating for a magazine when he got his life-changing break. He became an illustrator and writer for Little Golden Books before venturing out on his own. Today, he is a renowned early childhood author with over 300 books. He is noted for his Best Ever book series which takes place primarily in the fictional town of Busytown. With bright colors and superb graphics, Busytown books are a delight for every young child.

Clifford the Big Red Dog Series

When Scholastic first published Clifford the Big Red Dog in 1963, the book’s creator, Norman Bridwell, could have never foreseen that his childhood fantasy of a red hound larger than a horse would capture the hearts and imaginations of children. A struggling commercial artist in New York City, Bidwell’s dream was to become a children’s book illustrator. After countless rejections, an editor at Harper & Row gave him a piece of advice that changed the course of his career. He told Bidwell to write a story to go along with his illustrations. In a single weekend, Bridwell turned his drawing of a little girl and a large red dog into a complete children’s book. Clifford the Big Red Dog was published soon after and became a colossal success. The Clifford books are a sweet and imaginative storytime selection for your grandchildren. 

More Beloved Books

So many books played a part in my childhood. I remember each story like a treasured friend and was blessed to be able to share many of my “friends” with my children. I’m forever grateful to my grandmother and grandfather for their time, enthusiasm, patience, and love. They live on through their gift of every bedtime, naptime, or any time story. 

If you’re on the hunt for even more great children’s classics, make sure you check out these:

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• The Ramona Quimby series by Beverly Cleary
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
• The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson
• The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
• Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
• The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
• The Bobbsey Twins by Laura Lee Hope
• Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
• The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
• The Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace
• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
• The Shoe series by Noel Streatfield
• The Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene
• The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon