Children's Authors' Favorite Books of All Time
Charlotteās Web
“My favorite then and now is E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web (ages 8 to 12). It’s a constant reminder for me of the power of words and love!” —Kate DiCamillo, author of Raymie Nightingale, Flores and Ulysses, and The Tale of Despereaux
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The Velveteen Rabbit
“When I was young, my family’s book collection was small and seemed to be filled with rabbits: Pat the Bunny, The Runaway Bunny, and Goodnight Moon. For me, The Velveteen Rabbit (ages 3 to 7) stood out. This may have been partly due to its length for a picture book—it gave me more time alone with my mom, tucked up under her arm.” —Heidi Schultz, author of Hook’s Revenge
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Ramona and Her Father
“I loved Beverly Cleary, especially her Ramona books. Ramona Quimby’s dad and mine both smoked. Ramona and Her Father (ages 8 to 12) gave me the idea to steal my father’s cigarettes and replace them with rolled-up messages about the dangers of tobacco. A few years later, my dad quit smoking. I like to think that Ramona and I had something to do with that.” —Kate Messner, author of The Seventh Wish
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Happy Birthday to You!
“When I was little, I loved Dr. Seuss’s books, especially Happy Birthday to You! (ages 5 to 9). It’s fun, it’s colorful, but there’s also a fascinating existential, powerful statement right in the middle of this children’s book: You are you!” —Gene Leun Yang, author of American Born Chinese
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Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
“My favorite writer was Judy Blume, and my favorite book was Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (ages 8 to 12) because I could see myself in Peter Hatcher. Blume’s talent was in telling ordinary stories that were extraordinary.” —Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
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The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes
“Growing up in rural Australia with a single mother, I loved reading The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, by DuBose Heyward (ages 4 to 7). It showed me it’s possible to be a mother and have a career, and to defy people’s expectations of a country girl. The pictures by Marjorie Flack made me want to draw, and the book made me want to be brave, clever, kind.” —Sophie Blackall, illustrator of Finding Winnie
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The Black Cauldron
“The book that turned me into a total bookworm was Lloyd Alexander’s The Black Cauldron (ages 8 to 12). It speaks so perfectly to what it feels like to be a kid—how it sometimes seemed that everything exciting was happening just outside your reach.” —Jennifer L. Holm, author of Turtle in Paradise and The Fourteenth Goldfish