Top 10 books read by children

The smell of the pages, the colourful pictures – we all remember our favourite childhood books. Books that transported us to faraway lands, to lands of dragons and kings and princes and princesses. Books can also be instrumental in learning, providing a gateway into the world of knowledge for children. Here are the top 10 most read books for children.
1. Goodnight Moon by Margret Brown: A bunny readying himself for bed says goodnight to every object that he can see in the room. Full of soft colours and a fuzzy cute bunny, this children’s book takes the child through a night routine and helps them recognize objects with the bunny.
2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle: A caterpillar goes through days searching for food. This book teaches kids about counting, as the very hungry caterpillar keeps needing higher quantities and food, and guides children through the different metamorphic stages of a caterpillar.
3. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess: Two kids meet a mischievous cat wearing – you guessed it – a hat, and go on adventures with the talking cat. Dr. Seuss’s famous rhyming and creative made-up nouns and verbs create a fun way for kids to practice their reading.
4. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen: This story features a nighttime adventure of a father and daughter searching for owls at night. This book provides beautiful illustrations and is perfect for the bird or animal loving child, and may serve to supplement an interest in the outdoors.
5. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak: A boy sent to his room is transported to a fantasy land full of friendly monsters, of whom he becomes king but eventually has to return home. This book provides an alternate to the monster-in-the-closet theme, to provide an imaginative story for kids with a character they can relate to and reinforce the importance of family.
6. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch: A woman raises her son to adulthood, and always reminds him at each stage how she will always love and care for him, until she is old and he is taking care of her. Another relatable character as the book features a young child, the amusing antics of the child in the story are fun and the love between mother and son provide a heart-warming story.
7. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems: One story in a series of many featuring a pigeon who tries to make excuses and drive a bus in lieu of an absent bus driver. A humorous story about the pigeon’s excuses and antics make this a fun read, and there are more books in the series if the child enjoys the pigeon character.
8. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein: This book features a boy growing up and his relationship with an apple tree, and how the relationship changes over time as the boy grows up. This book has a unique minimal art style which allows children to focus on the message of the story, which is about giving and taking and the importance of having healthy relationships.
9. Madeline (series) by Ludwig Bemelmans: A series about a girl at a Catholic boarding school named Madeline who goes on adventures, also with soft minimalistic art style. This book provides a relatable child character for the young reader with adventures involving regular everyday objects and even visits famous places.
10. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith: Another take on the wolf and the three little pigs, this story provides a different spin – the wolf “accidentally” blows the first two pigs’ homes down, and eventually ends up in jail for it. This story has a slightly darker theme with the wolf’s predatory nature, but softens it with a creative story with colourful pictures for the author.