A diverse family reading list for babies, kids, tweens, teens—and the parents raising them.
There’s a difference between teaching a child how to read and raising a child who chooses to read.
Most of us understand the first part. We buy the books. We practice sight words. We read bedtime stories. We worry about reading levels and whether our kids are keeping up at school, and yet there’s another part of literacy that gets much less attention:
What does your child believe reading is for?
Is reading something adults make kids do because it’s “good for them”?
Is it homework?
Is it something that only happens at school? Or is reading simply part of life?
Something we read because we’re curious…because a story is too good to put down. Or, we read because we want to understand something. Maybe it’s because we’re bored, or we want to laugh. Sometimes we want to disappear into another world for an hour and it feels really good.
Well, if we want to raise lifelong readers, I think we have to think beyond just getting our kids to read.
We have to build homes where reading is normal.
And that includes us, too.
Before You Tell Your Kids to Read, Ask Yourself This
When your children have downtime, you might tell them:
“Go read a book.” But when you have downtime, what do they see you doing? For many of us, the answer is probably reaching for our phones.
That’s not a judgment. Phones are where our work, friends, news, entertainment, calendars and half of modern life now live, but from a child’s perspective, there’s an interesting contradiction.
They hear: Books are important.
And they see: Adults choose screens.
Children learn a tremendous amount about what matters by observing what the adults around them actually do. So one of the simplest things we can do to encourage reading isn’t another reading chart or reward system.
It’s letting our kids catch us reading.
Sit on the couch with a novel. Bring a book to the park. Talk about something fascinating you just read. Go to the library because you need a new book, too. Read next to them instead of supervising them while they read. The goal is to make reading visibly part of your family’s culture and the perfect time to do that is now.
Reading Is Also a Future-Ready Skill
This matters for another reason. Our children are growing up in an environment competing relentlessly for their attention.
Videos autoplay, notifications interrupt them, almost all entertainment is personalized. AI can summarize a chapter, answer a question or generate an essay in just mere seconds.
In that environment, the ability to sit with an idea, follow a complicated argument, imagine something that isn’t being shown to you, tolerate a little boredom and sustain attention becomes incredibly valuable.
That’s part of why I think reading belongs in the conversation about raising kids who are ready for the future.
We’re not trying to prepare children to beat technology at retrieving information. We’re helping them develop the mind that will decide what to do with all that information. And reading can help build that mind, but first, children have to want to pick up the book.
So this isn’t a list of the 25 books every child must read before adulthood.
It’s a starting point for something much more interesting: becoming a reading family. Let’s look at the list. Also, I have a link down below that will make it super easy for you if you wanted to add a few these to your library.
Ages 0–4: Make Books Feel Like Home
At this age, don’t worry about creating a tiny literary scholar. Make books warm, interactive and familiar. Read the same story for the 47th time. Make ridiculous voices. Let them interrupt. Ask questions. Let them turn three pages at once. Talk about the pictures.
The experience matters.
1. The Snowy Day — Ezra Jack Keats
A quiet, beautiful classic about a child’s adventures through a snow-covered neighborhood.
The magic of this book is its simplicity. It captures something children understand instinctively: ordinary experiences can feel enormous when you’re little.
Why it’s on our shelf: Curiosity, observation and childhood wonder.
2. Last Stop on Market Street — Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson
CJ and his grandmother ride the bus across town after church, and CJ has a lot of questions about why they don’t have some of the things other people have.
His grandmother helps him notice the beauty and richness already surrounding him.
Why it’s on our shelf: Family, community, gratitude and perspective.
3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar — Eric Carle
There’s a reason generations of children know this caterpillar.
Repetition, counting, colorful illustrations and the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly make it endlessly accessible to little readers.
Why it’s on our shelf: Language, patterns, prediction and pure toddler appeal.
4. Hair Love — Matthew A. Cherry, illustrated by Vashti Harrison
A father tries to help his daughter style her hair for a very important day.
It’s warm, funny and full of love while celebrating Black hair and the relationship between a father and daughter.
Why it’s on our shelf: Identity, family and representation.
5. The Rabbit Listened — Cori Doerrfeld
Something terrible happens to Taylor’s creation, and everyone has an idea about how Taylor should respond.
Except the rabbit.
The rabbit simply listens.
It’s a children’s book with a lesson many adults could use too.
Why it’s on our shelf: Empathy, emotions and learning how to be present for someone else.
Ages 5–7: Make Reading Fun
This is an age where I want children discovering an important truth: Books can be hilarious. So no, not every book needs to teach a lesson. Sometimes the lesson is simply:
“That was so good! I want to read another one.”
6. The Book With No Pictures — B. J. Novak
A book with no pictures sounds like the worst possible sales pitch to a six-year-old. Until the adult reading it is forced to say completely ridiculous things.
Why it’s on our shelf: It shows children that words themselves can be entertaining.
7. Ada Twist, Scientist — Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts
Ada has questions. Lots and lots of questions.
Instead of treating that curiosity as annoying, the story celebrates investigation, experimentation and wanting to understand how the world works.
Why it’s on our shelf: Curiosity, scientific thinking and persistence.
8. The Day You Begin — Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López
A beautiful story about the moments when you walk into a room and realize nobody else seems quite like you. And what can happen when you find the courage to share your story anyway.
Why it’s on our shelf: Belonging, difference and courage.
9. Dragons Love Tacos — Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Dragons love tacos. Dragons do not love spicy salsa. You can probably imagine where this is going.
Why it’s on our shelf: Because sometimes reading should just be ridiculous.
10. The Proudest Blue — Ibtihaj Muhammad and S. K. Ali, illustrated by Hatem Aly
Faizah watches her older sister wear hijab to school for the first time. It’s a story about identity, sisterhood, bullying, confidence and pride.
Why it’s on our shelf: It gives children another window into the experiences of people around them.
Think summer can become something so much more powerful than: “trying not to lose academic progress.” It can become a season of capability.
Ages 8–10: Build the “One More Chapter” Habit
This is where things get interesting. Children can begin disappearing into books independently. Your job isn’t necessarily to pick the most impressive book. Find the book that makes them say:
“Wait. One more chapter.” Or this is the point where you find them reading into the night, long after bedtime.
11. The Wild Robot — Peter Brown
A robot named Roz wakes up alone on a remote island and has to learn how to survive among animals. For families thinking about children, technology and the future, this one is especially interesting. Underneath the adventure are questions about adaptation, belonging, nature, technology and what it means to care for someone.
Why it’s on our shelf: Adaptability, empathy, technology and nature.
12. Front Desk — Kelly Yang
Mia Tang’s immigrant family manages a motel while navigating financial hardship, discrimination and the pursuit of a better life. It’s funny, accessible and emotionally rich without underestimating young readers.
Why it’s on our shelf: Perseverance, immigration, inequality, entrepreneurship and family.
13. Ways to Make Sunshine — Renée Watson
Ryan Hart is navigating family changes, friendships and the everyday complications of growing up. There aren’t dragons or dystopian governments here. That’s part of what makes it valuable. Children also deserve books in which ordinary lives like theirs are worth writing about.
Why it’s on our shelf: Family, resilience, identity and everyday problem-solving.
14. The One and Only Ivan — Katherine Applegate
Ivan is a gorilla living in captivity who has become accustomed to his circumstances—until a young elephant named Ruby arrives. It’s accessible for younger readers while raising surprisingly sophisticated questions.
Why it’s on our shelf: Friendship, empathy, courage and seeing circumstances from another perspective.
15. Fish in a Tree – Linda Mullaly Hunt
This is a must-read because it builds powerful empathy for neurodivergent learners. It follows Ally, a bright sixth-grader with hidden dyslexia who acts out to mask her reading struggles, until an observant teacher helps her see that different minds just process the world in unique ways.
Why it’s on our shelf: Highlights neurodiversity, allows kids to look in a mirror and see themselves or to look through a window to understand others.
Ages 11–13: Give Them Worlds Worth Disappearing Into
The middle-school years are also when some children begin deciding:
“I’m just not a reader.”
Don’t accept that conclusion too quickly.
Sometimes they haven’t found their book yet.
Try fantasy. Graphic novels. Sports. Verse. Mysteries. Science fiction. Nonfiction.
Reading doesn’t have to look one particular way to count.
16. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief — Rick Riordan
Percy discovers that Greek mythology is considerably less mythical than he thought.
Fast-paced, funny and packed with adventure, it’s a strong choice for kids who find slower novels difficult to get into.
Why it’s on our shelf: Adventure, mythology, identity and finding your strengths.
17. New Kid — Jerry Craft
Jordan Banks starts seventh grade at a prestigious private school where he’s one of very few students of color.
Told as a graphic novel, it explores race, class, friendship, belonging and code-switching without losing its humor.
Why it’s on our shelf: Perspective, identity, social intelligence—and because graphic novels count.
18. A Wrinkle in Time — Madeleine L’Engle
Meg travels across space and time looking for her missing father.
It’s science fiction, but underneath it are questions about individuality, conformity, love, courage and intelligence.
Why it’s on our shelf: Big ideas wrapped inside a great adventure.
19. The Crossover — Kwame Alexander
Basketball, brothers, family and growing up—told through verse.
This is another great book for expanding a child’s definition of what reading can look like.
Why it’s on our shelf: Family, emotion, rhythm, sport and a different form of storytelling.
20. The Giver — Lois Lowry
Jonas lives in a seemingly perfect society.
Then he begins discovering what that perfection costs.
This is the kind of book that becomes even better when families discuss it afterward.
Why it’s on our shelf: Freedom, conformity, choice, memory and ethics.
Ages 14–17: Give Them Books Worth Arguing About
Teenagers don’t only need books that reinforce what they already believe. They need books that make them uncomfortable. Books that complicate things. Books that make them come downstairs and say:
“Mom, listen to this…”
Those conversations are the absolutely best part of the reading.
21. The Hate U Give — Angie Thomas
After Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood friend by a police officer, she has to navigate grief, identity, community and the consequences of speaking publicly.
Why it’s on our shelf: Voice, identity, justice, family and perspective.
22. Born a Crime — Trevor Noah
For younger teens, look for the Young Readers Edition. Noah’s stories about growing up in South Africa offer an accessible entry into apartheid, race, poverty, language, identity and family—and they’re often very funny.
Why it’s on our shelf: History becomes much harder to forget when you experience it through someone’s story.
23. The Book Thief — Markus Zusak
It’s set in Nazi Germany and narrated by Death, this novel follows a young girl who discovers the extraordinary power of words.
Why it’s on our shelf: History, humanity, propaganda, language and moral courage.
24. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian — Sherman Alexie
Junior leaves his school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend a predominantly white school. The novel explores poverty, identity, friendship, racism and belonging with humor and pain.
A note for parents: This book contains mature material and has been the subject of significant controversy. Preview it and decide whether it’s appropriate for your particular teenager. My 14yo read it and liked it, but please use your best judgment.
Why it’s on our shelf: Good family reading doesn’t require everyone to agree with everything in a book. Sometimes the discussion is the value.
25. Scythe — Neal Shusterman
Humanity has conquered disease, aging and natural death. Which creates a rather enormous problem:
If nobody dies naturally, who decides who does? Enter the Scythes. Doesn’t that already sound intriguing???
Why it’s on our shelf: It’s incredibly readable while opening conversations about technology, power, morality, artificial intelligence and who gets to make consequential decisions.
Parents, You’re on the Reading List Too
Here’s the part I don’t want us to miss.
Don’t print this list, hand it to your children and say:
“You need to read more.”
Pick something for yourself.
It doesn’t have to be Shakespeare.
Read romance. Read science fiction. Read biographies. Read mysteries. Read history. Read fantasy. Read something ridiculous on vacation.
Let your children see that adults read because we actually enjoy it.
Then make reading part of family life.
Go to the library together and let everyone leave with something.
Talk about what you’re reading at dinner.
Keep books where people can reach them.
Listen to audiobooks together in the car.
Let graphic novels count.
Let audiobooks count.
Let funny books count.
Let rereading an old favorite count.
And—this one can be difficult—let your child abandon a book they genuinely hate sometimes.
We’re trying to develop readers, not book-completion machines.
Try a 20-Minute Family Reading Reset
If reading isn’t currently part of your family’s culture, don’t announce an elaborate new program.
Try something much smaller.
Twenty minutes.
Everyone chooses what they want to read.
Parents included.
Phones go somewhere else.
Nobody has to produce a book report afterward.
Nobody earns points.
Nobody gets a prize.
You just read.
Try it once a week. Then twice. Maybe eventually it becomes something your family naturally does.
Because the ultimate goal isn’t having a child who can check “reads 20 minutes per day” off a homework sheet.
It’s raising a child who eventually reaches for a book when nobody is making them.
The Bigger Picture
Our children are going to grow up surrounded by tools capable of giving them answers almost instantly.
That doesn’t make reading obsolete.
I think it makes the deeper abilities associated with reading even more important.
To sustain attention.
To wrestle with an idea.
To encounter perspectives different from your own.
To imagine.
To question.
To sit with something you don’t immediately understand.
To remain curious.
And perhaps the first step toward raising children who value those things is remarkably simple:
Let them see that we value them, too.
Don’t just tell your kids to read.
Let them catch you reading.
