Classic children’s picture books are important to grow reading habits among children and are one of the easiest ways to teach them moral values.
Picture books are easy and fun to read for children. They like to read and enjoy a lot. I have noticed all the children are very fond of books with images and this illustrated story books are best for them to strat their reading habit.
In this blog post, I will try to suggest some classic children’s picture books with interesting stories. These books will help your child to learn many basic things with their importance through reading and imagination. Let’s dive into the deep to explore the suggestion.
What are Classic Children’s Picture Books?
Classic children’s picture books are no different from other picture books for children. These books are basically based on classic stories and fables and have earned the prestige as cult classic books.
Why Give Children’s Picture Books For Reading?
There are many advantages of giving picture books to children. Here I discuss some of the:
- These books help to develop reading habits among young readers.
- For image and fun store young reader are never get bored of reading picture books.
- Young readers can get the easy chance of reading classic stories and cult classic fantasy through classic picture books.
- Keep children interested in the book.
- Easy to understand the story.
- Our children get the chance to taste the essence of the best classic literature through these best classic children’s books.
Classic Children’s Picture Books
Here is a list of classic picture books for children. These books are famous and full of interesting stories and life lessons for young readers.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
>> By Eric Carle
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a very famous, classic children’s picture book. The story is about a small caterpillar that hatches from an egg and is very hungry. Each day, he eats more and more food, starting with fruits and then moving on to different treats. As he eats too much, he gets a stomachache.
And suddenly, he starts feeling sick. Then the caterpillar eats a green leaf, which makes him feel better. After that, he builds a cocoon around himself and stays inside for two weeks. In the end, he transforms into a beautiful butterfly.
The book teaches children about growth and change in nature.
Where The Wild Things Are
>> By Maurice Sendak
The story is about a boy named Max. He always misbehaves at home. One day, his mother sends him to his room without dinner. While in his room, Max’s imagination takes over, and he sails to a faraway land filled with giant creatures called the Wild Things.
The Wild Things make Max their king because he is brave and wild like them. At first, Max enjoys his new kingdom, but soon, he feels lonely and misses home. He decides to leave and sails back to his room, where he finds his dinner waiting for him.
The story shows how children use imagination to deal with their feelings.
The Going to Bed Book
>> By Sandra Boynton
The Going to Bed Book is a fun and simple bedtime storybook for children. The story follows a group of silly animals who get ready for bed on a big boat. They do necessary things like take a bath, brush their teeth, put on pajamas and exercise. After that, they turn off the lights and fall asleep as the boat rocks gently on the water.
The main theme of this picture book is bedtime routine. It helps kids understand the steps of getting ready for bed in a fun and playful way.
The Lion & the Mouse
>> By Jerry Pinkney
The Lion & the Mouse picture book is based on the famous fable by Aesop. The story is about a mighty lion who catches a tiny mouse. The lion is about to eat the mouse, but the mouse begs for mercy. It promises to help the lion one day if it is set free. The lion laughs because it thinks a small mouse can never help a big, strong lion. But the lion lets the mouse go.
But one day, the mighty lion gets trapped in a hunter’s net. It roars for help, and the little mouse hears it. The mouse remembers its promise and quickly gnaws through the ropes and sets the lion free. The lion realizes that even a small friend can be a great help.
The story teaches that kindness is always rewarded and that no one is too small to make a difference.
The Giving Tree
>> By Shel Silverstein
The Giving Tree is one of the famous classic children’s books. It tells the story of a tree and a boy who have a special bond. The tree loves the boy and gives him everything it can throughout his life.
The tree gives him apples to sell, branches to build a house, and even its trunk to make a boat. Each time, the tree is happy to help, even though it loses parts of itself.
In the end, the boy becomes an old man, and the tree remains just a stump. The tree tells the man it has nothing left to give, but the old man says he only needs a place to sit. The tree, even as a stump, is happy to provide this.
The book is the story of selfless love, generosity and the dependency of humans and nature.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
>> By Laura Joffe Numeroff
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is a fun children’s picture book written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond. The story is about a little boy who gives a cookie to a hungry mouse. But once the mouse gets the cookie, he keeps asking for more things!
First, the mouse asks for a glass of milk to go with the cookie. Then, he wants a straw, a napkin, and a mirror to see his milk mustache. The mouse kept asking for more and more things.
The story is fun and silly, making it a great book for kids to learn about sequences and consequences.
Caps for Sale
>> By Esphyr Slobodkina
Caps for Sale is a classic children’s picture book about a peddler who sells caps.
The peddler walks around selling caps, balancing them on his head. One day, he gets tired and takes a nap under a tree. While he sleeps, some monkeys steal his caps. When he wakes up, he sees the monkeys wearing them.
He gets angry and tries to get the caps back by stomping his feet and waving his hands. But the monkeys just copy him! In frustration, he throws his cap on the ground. The monkeys do the same! The peddler quickly picks up his caps and happily continues his day.
This story teaches kids that sometimes actions speak louder than words and that patience helps solve problems.
Sheep in a Jeep
>> By Nancy Shaw
Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw is a fun and simple story about five silly sheep who go on a ride in a red jeep. When they drive, they face many problems because they are not very careful. Their jeep gets stuck in the mud, and they need help from some pigs to push it out. Later, they forget to hit the brakes and roll into trouble again!
Sheep in a Jeep is a great picture book for children to enjoy and understand the cause and effect in life.
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?
>> By Jane Yolen
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? is a simple picturebook that shows how different dinosaurs say goodnight to their parents. The book tells the story of a big dinosaur who is ready for bed, but instead of going to sleep quietly, the dinosaur shows various behaviors like stomping, roaring, and acting silly. Each dinosaur is unique, but in the end, they all learn to calm down and say goodnight peacefully.
The main theme of the book is bedtime routines and how children can settle down for bed calmly and lovingly.
The Cat in The Hat
>> By Dr. Seuss
The Cat in the Hat is a classic story picture book for kids by Dr. Seuss. In the book, you will see two kids who are bored because it’s raining outside, and they can’t go out to play. Suddenly, a big cat wearing a hat comes into their house.
The cat brings fun but also lots of trouble. The cat does silly things and makes a big mess. In the end, the cat and his friends clean up everything just before the kids’ mom comes home.
The main idea of the story is that even boring days can be fun, but you must always clean up after yourself.
Final Words
I have tried my best to enlist some picture books for our young readers. I know childerns are very fond of reading funny and interesting story with the image. There are lots of picture books for children, but not all are good.
Here I only list those books from where our young reader can learn a lot for the future and these books will help to growth our childerns mind and personality. Now, I can hope this blog post and the top 10 classic children’s picture books list will help our parents to choose the right one.
