Favorite Books to Read Aloud to Your Kids

Looking for some new read-alouds to enjoy with your children? Here are ten book series that are among our family's favorites. Some are better suited for younger children and some for older, but for the most part these are delightful for just about any age.

Winnie the Pooh, by A.A. Milne. I think everybody has grown up with this book series, and for good reason! Pooh and his friends bring a smile to our faces like few others can. If you haven't started these books with your children yet, I highly recommend it!

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, by Betty Macdonald. This old fashioned book series tells the stories of various children with very bad habits who are magically cured by Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's fantastic remedies. Each chapter tells of another child whose parents are fed up with some terrible behavior (not cleaning their rooms, talking back, etc.), and how Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle uses her magic to change them. The series is a bit dated at times (men and women's roles are very stereotypical, spanking is mentioned) but my children really enjoy the stories and they can lead to some great discussions about subjects like sharing and being respectful.

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Eloise, by Kay Thompson. The books in this series are not chapter books, but they are long enough to make for some wonderful cuddle time as you follow the adventures of precocious Eloise.

A Bear Called Paddington, by Michael Bond. I grew up with this series and I couldn't wait as a mother to start reading it to my own kids. This charming bear and the family who adopts him are great fun to tag along with on their misadventures.

The Magic Treehouse books, by Mary Pope Osborne. These books may not be great literature, but my children all really enjoyed them. They're short enough to be finished in under a week and the kids end up learning quite a bit about various historic and scientific subjects that can lead to some new interests.

Amelia Bedelia, by Peggy Parrish. These books are short and funny, and perfect for younger children who will laugh along as Amelia Bedelia makes all sorts of silly mistakes because of misunderstandings about words. For instance, when Amelia is told to dress the turkey, it doesn't end up the way her employer imagines.

The Little House series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We started this series several times as a read-aloud, and kept putting it away. I had felt compelled to start at the beginning with "Little House in the Big Woods," but it never caught my children's interest. Since we live near Walnut Grove and my daughters have acted in the Wilder Pageant for years, I almost felt guilty that we hadn't read the books. Finally, I just decided to read them out of order and that was the ticket for us. While my kids couldn't get into the first story, they were caught right up in "The Long Winter," obviously loved reading about their hometown area with "On the Banks of Plum Creek" and wanted to move on to others. It was a good lesson for me that we don't have to follow any rules when it comes to reading.

Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren. Pippi is so delightful and we've enjoyed all of her adventures, along with her wonderful take on the world and how children should be treated.

Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling. To be honest, we've never done the Harry Potter series as a read-aloud, but my older children enjoy it so much and I know so many parents who have, that I had to include it. This is a series that may be better suited for older children, though I do have one friend who read it to her baby (who was just happy to be snuggling in Mama's arms and being spoken to) because she wanted to read it herself and knew that was the only way she'd ever find time to!

Betsy-Tacy, by Maud Hart Lovelace. This charming book series follows best friends Betsy and Tacy (and later, Tib) as they grow up in our own Mankato (renamed Deep Valley in the books) in the early 1900's. These delightful books tell the lives of the girls from the time they met in Kindergarten all the way into adulthood. For those of us in Southern Minnesota it is especially fun to read these books, since we can go visit Betsy and Tacy's real, restored homes in Mankato.

All of these books can be easily found at libraries or purchased at local bookstores. We found many of them at thrift stores, library sales and garage sales too.

What are your favorite children's book series? Please add them to the comments!