Before children are ready for chapter books, they should be introduced to picture books. Choose popular children's books that have engaging illustrations and an inviting story. The following is a short list of kids' bedtime stories and other popular children's books and classic children's books available for young children. Make sure to buy original text not excerpts.

Margaret Wise Brown

  • Goodnight Moon
  • The Big Red Barn

Eric Carle

  • The Very Hungry Caterpiller
  • Pancakes, Pancakes
  • A House for Hermit Crab
  • Animals Animals (poetry)
  • The Tiny Seed

Virginia Burton

  • Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
  • The Little House
  • Katy and the Big Snow

Jean Darby

  • That's Me in Here

Robert McCloskey

  • Make Way for Ducklings
  • One Morning in Maine
  • Blueberries for Sal

Beatrix Potter

  • The Tale of Peter Rabbit
  • The other 22 volumes of Miss Potter's minature books are all treasures.

Maurice Sendack

  • Where the Wild Things Are

Chris Van Allsburg

  • The Polar Express
  • Jumanji

Dr. Suess

  • Anything by this author is an asset to any home library.

P. D. Eastman

  • Are You My Mother?
  • Go, Dog, Go!
  • Big Dog . . . Little Dog

Ludwig Bemelmans

  • Madeline
  • Madeline's Rescue

Leo Politi

  • Song of the Swallows
  • Juanita

Tomie dePaolo

  • The Art Lesson
  • Tom
  • Charlie Needs a Cloak
  • The Quilt Story
  • Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato

Robert Munsch

  • Love You Forever

Peggy Parish

  • Amelia Bedelia (series)

A. A. Milne

  • Winnie the Pooh
  • The House at Pooh Corner
  • When We Were Very Young (poetry)
  • Now We Are Six (poetry)

Robert Louis Stevenson

  • A Garden of Verses (poetry)