Picture Books for Older Readers

You may think that picture books are just for young children, but there are plenty of picture books which older children will also find equally engaging.

picture books for older readers

Children's picture books for older readers, aged five and above, tend to have more text on each page and may use more sophisticated vocabulary or a more involved story.

If your child is of this age, she may be starting to learn to read, but it is still really important that you continue to read aloud to her and have lots of fun while doing it. You can explain new words she doesn't understand and discuss some of the more complicated themes or emotions portrayed in the books. Also, at an age when your child's growing independence can make one-on-one time with her harder to find, it can be wonderful for you both to continue the routine of cuddling up and reading a book together.

To try to come up with a definitive list of the best picture books for older readers I combined over 20 highly regarded lists of children's books including winners of prestigious children's books awards, reading lists from reputable sources and bestselling books of all time. Those books mentioned on more than one list are shown below, with books at the top receiving the most mentions.

"The Polar Express" comes out top, appearing six times in the source lists. Dr Seuss appears twice, with the two oldest books in the list: "Horton Hatches the Egg" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". The most recently written book to appear is "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers", a fascinating true story of a Frenchman who strung a tightrope between the two unfinished towers of the World Trade Center in 1974 and walked, ran and danced between them for almost an hour.




The Polar Express 1. The Polar Express book depository amazon
by Chris Van Allsburg
First published 1985


Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day 2. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day book depository amazon
by Judith Viorst
illustrated by Ray Cruz
First published 1972


Horton Hatches the Egg 3. Horton Hatches the Egg book depository amazon
by Dr. Seuss
First published 1940


Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters 4. Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale book depository amazon
by John Steptoe
First published 1987


The True Story of the Three Little Pigs 5. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs book depository amazon
by Jon Scieszka
illustrated by Lane Smith
First published 1989


A Chair for My Mother 6. A Chair for My Mother book depository amazon
by Vera B. Williams
First published 1982


How the Grinch Stole Christmas 7. How the Grinch Stole Christmas book depository amazon
by Dr. Seuss
First published 1957

Activities using this book

John Henry 8. John Henry book depository amazon
by Julius Lester
illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
First published 1994


Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse 9. Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse book depository amazon
by Kevin Henkes
First published 1996


Lon Po Po 10. Lon Po Po book depository amazon
by Ed Young
First published 1989


Stellaluna 11. Stellaluna book depository amazon
by Janell Cannon
First published 1993

Activities using this book

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble 12. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble book depository amazon
by William Steig
First published 1970


Tar Beach 13. Tar Beach book depository amazon
by Faith Ringgold
First published 1991


The Giving Tree 14. The Giving Tree book depository amazon
by Shel Silverstein
First published 1964

Activities using this book

The Jolly Postman 15. The Jolly Postman book depository amazon
by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
First published 1986


The Little House 16. The Little House book depository amazon
by Virginia Lee Burton
First published 1942


The Man Who Walked Between the Towers 17. The Man Who Walked Between the Towers book depository amazon
by Mordicai Gerstein
First published 2003


New readers may also be interested in children's chapter books, which are short novels where the story moves fast and each chapter is short enough to be read in one sitting.

If your favorite children's book is not on the list, then please do share it with us. We'd love to hear about it. Just click here to share your favorite picture books for older readers and follow the instructions.

For more ideas of classic children's books, check out these lists of top children's books or these Caldecott Award winners.




You may also like:

Non-Fiction Picture Books
Non-Fiction Picture Books
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Books for Reluctant Readers
Read Aloud Books
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Childrens books on CD
Children's Books on CD


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