Children’s Book Series: Ages 1-6
Once Upon A Time… a family sat down every single night and read at least 2 or 3 books before bedtime. And then they read more books in the morning before school. And as soon as they got home from school. And this is still very much happening every single day in our home! Our children voraciously read (or rather, want read to them) everything we put in their paths, and not once have we been able to bring home a book that they didn’t then request to get the rest of the series. We don’t give them a lot of toys, but if they ask for a book, we always always say yes. I’ve always been rather amazed that our eldest kids (just turned 4 and 6) have a bookshelf full of hundreds of books and despite only seeing spines, they know precisely what book they want and go straight for it. Even more amazing is that they both widely vary the books they pick, and we rarely read the same book two days in row. The joys of watching children learn and grow!
That said, finding new books that have lovely messages, beautiful drawings, make you laugh and keep kid’s attention is sometimes hard to do on top of everything else a parent has on their to-do list. I certainly struggled with our first child, so I was grateful to find other people with large lists of ideas that avoid all the cliche’s, steer clear of gender stereotyping, introduce diversity of people and thought, and help establish a well-centered child who is excited to read. We also generally avoid books that are overtly religious. Over the years, we’ve been generously gifted many of these sets by family from across the pond too, so it’s a unique curated list that perhaps introduces you to some series that you may not know about here in the states. Disclaimer: a few words don’t necessarily rhyme in an American accent, but we don’t think it detracts from the books!
A full list is provided below along with a little snippet recounting what we like about each series. All book links have been collected into a single spot in our Amazon shop here for convenience, but you know we recommend frequenting your local small business bookshop as well to support your own community. We highly recommend sharing this list with relatives and friends, especially grandparents, as they make for great presents all throughout the year.
Let us know in the comments if you find this useful, as we’ve got a whole second set of series to share along with a very large list of our kid’s fave individual books too!
Happy Reading!
Mini Rabbit’s journeys: Not Lost ; Must Help ; Come Home
One of our eldest son’s (and my) favourite sets of books. Our copy of Not Lost is so worn down after daily readings as a 3 year old, that the cover is practically falling off. A really cute set of stories of an obstinate bunny and his little journeys that always end in a lovely home at the end. The illustrations are so simple and yet so striking as well. A must have for any child!
Hairy McClary & friends: The Collection. Faves include Caterwaul Caper, Zachary Quack, Scarface Claw, Rumpus at the Vet.
A classically British collection of books that center around a dog mutt named Hairy McClary and all of his dog friends with fun epithet rhyming names. Simple and quick to read books that have a wonderful rhyming and fun storylines, with one dog or cat always getting up to some mischief! Our first reading of Caterwaul Caper with our daughter when she was 1 was absolutely hysterical, and now with our youngest Zachary Quack has easily become the go-to book for bedtime.
The Questioneers Collection: faves are Aaron Slater, Iggy Peck and Ada Twist
Perhaps one of the most popular series and likely books you already have, but if not, Mrs Greer’s second grade class of Questioneers is a must have for every bookshelf. We love how they focus on careers that are not often the center of attention as you grow up and highlight aspects of children that too often are viewed as problematic in school. Our daughter’s favourite is Aaron Slater, Illustrator which warms my little illustrator heart too.
Another absolutely must have collection. We were gifted this full box set for our son’s 3rd birthday, and they are amazing. Mo Willems writes so simply but yet so clever and meaningful, getting across important messages in the most basic way. Our kids howl with laughter at many of the books, and it’s our go-to series when we’re a bit short on reading time.
While the drawings and writing are not really anything special, we were again given this series and have found it so helpful. The anger, calm and love spot books are common reads for us and really provide tangible ways for kids to learn to identify emotions, label them, and learn tactics to calm themselves down. We talk about “calm spots” all the time and for our emotionally-charged daughter it has been a game-changer with handling big moments.
Richard Scarry’s Busy Busy World
Our copy of this book is actually over 35 years old as it was my own childhood book! But love the series of Richard Scarry’s world and all the adventures his characters have. Fun cartoon style illustrations depict lots of cultural experiences around the world without being over-the-top stereotypical.
There’s a Monster in Your Book & Thomas Fletcher’s collection
We were just gifted this book in the last couple months, and swiftly bought a few more in the series. Written by a former British boy band member (!!), they are an interactive style book (fan the pages! see who’s on the next page, press the dots - in the style of Press Here) and are really fun for the kids. Cute digital-style illustrations too.
Frog & Toad: The Collection
An absolutely classic that we both somehow missed in our own childhoods, but this collection is a lovely set of stories about two friends and their little daily adventures - whether it’s simply getting out of bed, going for a walk, or gifting presents. I love to read Toad in a grumpy croaky voice against a sing-song upbeat Frog, and the kids always ask to read just one more…!
Julia’s Donalson’s collection, most illustrated by Axel Schleffer: faves are The Gruffalo, Zog, Monkey Puzzle, Spiffiest Giant, Singing Mermaid, Room On the Broom, The Smeds & The Smoos.
Easily our favourite group of books, though not necessarily a series and more of a collection by a single author - Julia Donaldson is a genius. Her stories are unique in every way, her rhyming is impeccable, and every single book keeps the kids entertained. The Gruffalo and Zog are must haves for any bookshelf, but the others are requested often too.
Nadia Shireen’s collection: faves are Barbara Throws a Wobbler, Bumblebear, The Cow Who Fell To Earth, Billy & the Beast, Billy & the Dragon
A collection that began with Barbara Throws a Wobbler because our middle son is rather prone to an epic tantrum and meltdown, this book helps to label a big emotion and guide the child on how to make it not only funny but containing the feelings as well, in a really cute way through the eyes of a slightly grumpy cat. But we swiftly bought the others in Nadia Shireen’s collection and they don’t disappoint by being fun, different and classics you can read again and again - Norman in Bumblebear is such a lovable character who saves the day for a group of bees and Billy is an absolute badass who you wished you had as a friend in school, in Billy & the Beast and Billy & the Dragon.
Katie In … Series: London, Scotland, Starry Night, Waterlily Pond, British Artists
These books are on the longer side, but so beautifully written and illustrated. London & Scotland were must haves for us having lived in both places, and I like to have fun with the accents in each book. My Scottish friends would probably be horrified to hear! Katie goes on adventures all over the place where her imagination makes statues, paintings, and all sorts come to life in unexpected ways to tour the experience at hand. I particularly love that this series explores classic artists in a whole new way - from Van Gogh to Monet to Turner. We only have about half of this series so far, but the rest are on the list to get soon!
You can also get a preview to the next full list and all of our individual books by viewing our Amazon shop.
And they lived happily ever after, with their noses buried in a book!
Love & bedtime story cuddles,
Lex
