Children&#x27;s Books Book Reviews

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

First published by Random House in 1957, The Cat in the Hat by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel is one of the most consequential children's books ever written — a deliberate act of educational disruption that became a cultural institution, ranked number nine on Publishers Weekly's all-time list of best-selling children's books and placing at number 36 on School critical coverage's "Top 100 Picture Books" survey in 2012.

Feb 15, 2026

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Green Eggs and Ham is a landmark children's picture book published by the Beginner Books imprint of Random House on August 12, 1960, born from a $50 wager between Dr. Seuss and his editor Bennett Cerf — a bet that Seuss could not write an engaging children's book using only 50 distinct words. The result was widely praised by critics and has endured for over six decades as a staple of early childhood reading, named by The Atlantic as one of its 65 Essential Children's Books and adapted into a Netflix television series in 2019.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Eric Carle's children's picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar has sold more than 50 million copies and been translated into more than 60 languages, earning its place as one of the most enduring works in the picture book canon — a deceptively simple story of metamorphosis that doubles as an early-education tool covering counting, days of the week, and the concept of natural change.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Originally published in 1963 and recognized with the Caldecott Medal the following year, Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are remains one of the most celebrated children's picture books ever produced, voted the number one picture book in a 2012 School Library Journal reader survey and sold over 19 million copies worldwide as of 2009.

Charlotte's Web: A Newbery Honor Award Winner by E. B. White

4.8

First published by Harper & Brothers on October 15, 1952, Charlotte's Web is a Newbery Honor children's novel by E. B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams, that has become one of the best-selling children's books of all time — following a pig named Wilbur and the spider Charlotte, whose ingenious loyalty transforms both their fates.

Feb 26, 2026

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

4.8

First published in 1964 by Harper & Row, Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree is a children's picture book that has spent six decades generating both fierce devotion and fierce debate — one of the most talked-about titles in American children's literature, and one of its most genuinely unresolved.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Bridge to Terabithia is a Newbery Medal-winning children's novel by Katherine Paterson, originally published in 1977, that follows fifth-grader Jesse Aarons and his new neighbor Leslie Burke as they forge a transformative friendship and build an imaginary kingdom called Terabithia — before a sudden tragedy reshapes everything Jesse understands about courage, grief, and growing up.

Feb 23, 2026

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

R. J. Palacio's Wonder is a contemporary children's novel published on February 14, 2012, by Knopf Books for Young Readers, following ten-year-old August "Auggie" Pullman — a boy with Treacher Collins syndrome — as he navigates his first year at Beecher Prep after years of homeschooling. A New York Times bestseller that has sold over 16 million copies worldwide and been published in more than fifty languages, it received strong critical praise from outlets including Entertainment Weekly and Common Sense Media, and its message inspired the Choose Kind movement. The multi-perspective structure, which gives voice not only to Auggie but to his sister Via and classmates, is one of its most discussed structural choices; readers who prefer a single narrator may find the shifting viewpoints an adjustment, though many critics consider them a strength. It is designed for readers aged roughly 9–11 and remains one of the most widely assigned middle-grade novels of the past decade.

Feb 23, 2026

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Originally published in 1982, Roald Dahl's The BFG remains one of children's literature's most enduring novels, built on an unlikely friendship between a small orphaned girl and a gentle giant, and backed by sales of more than 37 million copies worldwide as of 2009.

Feb 20, 2026

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl's Matilda is a children's novel that has endured for decades as one of the most celebrated works in its genre, following a brilliant, telekinetic girl navigating neglectful parents and a tyrannical headmistress — and winning. Originally published in 1988 by Jonathan Cape and illustrated by Quentin Blake, it has since inspired a feature film, a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, and a Netflix adaptation, cementing its status as a cornerstone of children's literature.

Feb 14, 2026

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

4.6

Philippa Pearce's Tom's Midnight Garden, first published in 1958, is a Carnegie Medal–winning children's fantasy novel that has endured for more than six decades as one of the most celebrated works in British children's literature. When twelve-year-old Tom Long is quarantined with his aunt and uncle after his brother contracts measles, a grandfather clock that strikes thirteen opens the door to a vanished Victorian garden — and to Hatty, a lonely girl who becomes his inseparable companion across time. The novel's meditation on time, loss, and friendship has earned it a place among the great works of the genre, and a 2018 anniversary edition from Greenwillow Books, illustrated by Jaime Zollars, has introduced it to a new generation of readers.