How many of these classic books did you read as a child? Have you shared them with your own children? Sainsburys have put together this list of the top 50 must read children’s books in time for World Book Day, and I have to say – they are great choices!
There are a couple that I have missed, but the rest of the list are books I really enjoyed as a child. This list has books suitable for all ages up to 16, so some of them may not be suitable for younger children – use your judgement with each one.
The 50 books every child should read by age 16
- Charlie and The Chocolate Factory- Roald Dahl
- Alice in Wonderland- Lewis Carroll
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe- C.S. Lewis
- Winnie The Pooh- A.A.Milne
- Black Beauty- Anna Sewell
- James and The Giant Peach- Roald Dahl
- The BFG-Roald Dahl
- A Bear Called Paddington- Michael Bond
- Treasure Island- Robert Louis Stevenson
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- Mark Twain
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling
- Matilda- Roald Dahl
- The Railway Children- E. Nesbit
- Oliver Twist- Charles Dickens
- Five on a Treasure Island- Enid Blyton
- The Wind in the Willows- Kenneth Grahame
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar- Eric Carle
- The Jungle Book- Rudyard Kipling
- Charlotte’s Web- EB White
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit- Beatrix Potter
- Watership Down- Richard Adams
- The Hobbit -J.R.Tolken
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- J.K. Rowling
- Lord of the Flies- William Golding
- The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 ¾ Sue Townsend
- Great Expectations- Charles Dickens
- The Cat in the Hat- Dr Seuss
- The Secret Garden- Frances Hodgson-Burnett
- The Diary of a Young Girl- Anne Frank
- The Twits – Roald Dahl
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz- L. Frank Baum
- The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne
- Anne of Green Gables- L.M.Montgomery
- The Tiger Who Came to Tea- Judith Kerr
- Green Eggs and Ham-Dr Seuss
- The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
- Bambi- Felix Selten
- Tom’s Midnight Garden- Phillipa Pearce
- Little House on the Prairie- Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Funny Bones- Janet and Allan Ahlberg
- Where The Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak
- Carrie’s War- Nina Bawden
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
- The Magician’s Nephew- C.S. Lewis
- The Golden Compass – Philip Pullman
- The Story of Doctor Dolittle- Hugh Lofting
- The Story of Tracy Beaker – Jacqueline Wilson
- The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
- Curious George- H.A.Ray
- Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
Mavis Sarfo, from Sainsbury’s Book Team, said: “The 50 books show a much-cherished collection of some of the finest children’s writing that has delighted readers and transported them to other worlds for generations.
“It’s fantastic to see that so many parents get involved in reading bedtime stories by putting on character voices and wearing costumes to bring characters to life. Encouraging children to role play through dress up and becoming ‘The Gruffalo’ or ‘Elsa from Frozen’ is crucial in developing imaginations from an early age and a love of reading.
“Encouraging role play by dressing up as favourite book characters further fuels this and Sainsbury’s has a great selection of children’s costumes and books to celebrate World Book Day – we look forward to welcoming book lovers of all ages in our stores.”
Tony Robinson, actor, comedian and author, who worked with Sainsbury’s on the campaign, added:
“The response from parents and the lengths they go to in bringing these stories to their children as vividly as possible is amazing.
“It shows that the power of make believe is so important in the development of a child and a key role in parents bonding with their young ones.”
To celebrate the nation’s week of reading, Sainsbury’s is encouraging children to read more by exploring the world of books and dress up as their favourite fictional characters.
From Monday 2 March, Sainsbury’s will be hosting in-store ‘Make Believe’ events nationwide, to support the nation’s reading week complete with reading corners and activities to encourage children to read more and inspire parents to get involved.
For more book lists and recommendations, along with book inspired crafts and activities, make sure that you’re following our Children’s Books Pinterest board
Follow Anna – In The Playroom’s board Children’s Books on Pinterest.
And don’t forget to pin this list for later!
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Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
my favourite was Funny bones has a child and my kids also love this book.
wow what a wonderful list , many I read as a child and many my children have now my little girl almost 4 years loves the tiger who came to tea but she doesn’t have a firm favourite as we read so many books and have so many to choose from at home. my 3 boys ages 10 , 12 and 14 also read a lot and still love the old classics there are a few on the list that they have not read and I think they would enjoy , we also like my old book Pippi long stocking and I made my daughter a pippi costume for world book day .
I did a post about this list today too….hehehe
Such a fantastic list….There was only about 6 which I haven’t read.
The Roald Dahl books are still my faves x
I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrdrobe with my son, and it was the best experience – reliving my childhood favourite, and watching his joy as he discovered it for the first time. It was incredibly moving.
I read so many of these when I was young and have read in my life a good chunk of them. Great list! x
It’s good to see 5 Roald Dahl books in there, but where’s Michael Morpurgo?????
Hello! What a great list! I completely agree that children should read these books. I have read many of these and I’m all the better for it. 😀
aaa fab list, my favourite was each peach pear plum. thanks for sharing with #readwithme x
Where is Anne of Green Gables?
This is a wonderful list! Thanks for putting this together. It is very helpful when looking for my child’s next book.