When I tried to create a list of books that I read in elementary school (grades K-6), I could only come up with about five titles. I don’t think that this is because these books aren’t memorable (there are some great books on this list), but because I spend so much time reading that it’s difficult for me to remember that far back.

Keep in mind, these are just books I remember reading as a child. Inclusion on this list doesn’t mean that I recommend them.

If I left off a favorite of yours, please use the comment form at the bottom of the page to add it. Thanks!

  • A.A. Milne – Winnie-The Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner, Now We Are Six
  • Louise Fitzhugh – Harriet the Spy, Sport
    The former was made into a movie that I didn’t care for, although I loved the book. As I recall, I liked Sport a heck of a lot better, but can’t find it in any of my local libraries or bookstores.
  • Mary Norton – Bed-Knob and Broomstick
    This is so much better than the Disney movie (which is plural). Interestingly, it was originally two books (The Magic Bedknob and Bonfires and Broomsticks) that is usually sold as a single novel.
  • Jean Merrill – The Pushcart War
  • C.S. Lewis – The Chronicles of Narnia
  • Laura Ingalls Wilder – Little House on the Prairie
    I have issues with these books and don’t recommend them for kids.
  • E.B. White – Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little
  • Walter Farley – The Black Stallion
  • Shelia Burnford – The Incredible Journey
  • E.L. Konigsburg – From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
  • Katerine Paterson – Bridge to Terabithia
  • Natalie Babbitt – Tuck Everlasting
  • Paula Fox – One-Eyed Cat
  • Mildred Taylor – Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
  • Robert C. O’Brien – Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
  • Judy Blume – Blubber, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
  • Beverly Cleary – Henry Huggins
  • George Selden – The Cricket in Times Square
  • Kenneth Grahame – The Wind in the Willows
  • Mary Norton – The Borrowers
  • William Steig – Dominic
  • Shel Silverstein – The Giving Tree
  • Beverly Cleary – The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Runaway Ralph
  • Margaret Wise Brown – Goodnight Moon
  • Don Freeman – Corduroy
  • H.A. Rey – Curious George
  • Gene Zion – Harry, the Dirty Dog
  • Robert McCloskey – Make Way for Ducklings
  • Wanda Gág – Millions of Cats
  • Dr. Seuss – The Cat in the Hat
  • Beatrix Potter – The Tale of Peter Rabbit
  • Arnold Lobel – Frog and Toad Are Friends
  • T.H. White – The Sword in the Stone
  • Carlo Collodi – The Adventures of Pinocchio
  • Roald Dahl – The Witches
  • Jean Craighead George – My Side of the Mountain
  • Sherling North – Rascal
  • Robert Newton Peck – A Day No Pigs Would Die
  • Margery Williams – The Velveteen Rabbit
  • Natalie Savage – The Family Under the Bridge

Published on: 3 July 2011

Lasted edited on: 24 January 2015

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