books our kids love

with input from other moms, too!

One of our very favorite parts of parenting is reading with our kids. We love that it’s a quiet, snuggly ritual, and that we can use books to impart wisdom that would otherwise sound annoying coming out of mom’s mouth (reading Grumpy Monkey to a moody 3-year-old is cathartic to all).

We also love how it offers a glimpse inside our kids’ brains! It’s fun to watch where a baby’s eyes track on a page, and to see which book or sentence or word your 2-year-old is obsessed with at the moment (they’ll ask for it again and again and again). The follow-up questions that come out of a 5-year-old’s mouth during bedtime book reading are beyond entertaining, and once kids can read on their own, it’s just as fun to see which books become their favorites.

The world of children’s books is vast, so we thought it’d be fun to share the books that are the biggest hits in our houses — and in the houses of a few other moms we’re fans of, too! Bookmark these books if you’re compiling a to-be-borrowed list, building your kids’ book collection, or gifting a book to any child in your life.

Before we get to the books, I want to share one of my fam’s most tried-and-true toys. Mattis and Calum have always been big Play-Doh fans and now that Cashel is 3, he has officially joined the club. We have a couple Play-Doh kits that are constantly in use at our house — our newest addition, the Play-Doh Donut Drop Shop playset, has been SO much fun. The boys have had hours of play and have been so proud to show me their most fun and imaginative donut creations. This one and this one are also tried and true. They hold up for years (and through multiple kids!) — we just occasionally restock on fresh cans and colors and they're good as new.

I always fill my boys’ Easter baskets with Play-Doh eggs, and gift their sets to my godsons/friends’ kids/whoever for their third, fourth, and fifth birthdays — aka when their imagination is starting to go wild. I also almost always have a Play-Doh can or two in my bag for on-the-go entertainment. For the record, Mattis, who’s 7, still loves it! Thank you to the Play-Doh brand for sponsoring today’s So Into That. Talk about a dream collab!

Our team has nine sons between the ages of 6 months and 7 years old. To get a wider scope of ages and recs, we asked a few other moms for great books that their kids have recently read and loved. Weighing in below are:

• Dr. Becky Kennedy, the clinical psychologist, author, and founder of Good Inside, a parenting platform that I’ve used many times in recent years. She’s a mom of three, ages 8, 11, and 14.

• Emma Straub, who is an author (we’re so excited to read her upcoming book, American Fantasy, which will be out April 7!), owner of Books Are Magic — a wonderful bookstore in Brooklyn — and writer of Emma Straub's Newsletter. She has two sons, a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old.

• Trinity Mouzon Wofford — founder of Golde and the author of the forthcoming, positively gorgeous cookbook Eating at Home (due out April 14). She has two daughters, ages 1 and 3.

• Kate Strickler, who is mom to four kids between the ages of 4 and 10, writes the blog and newsletter Naptime Kitchen, and whose book, I Just Wish I Had a Bigger Kitchen, we adore.

• Joanna Goddard, the founder of the beloved blog Cup of Jo and the newsletter Big Salad here on Substack. Her sons are 12 and 15.

• Emily Oster — an economist, New York Times bestselling author, and mom of two, ages 10 and 12.

  • As an aside, I cannot mention Emily and not tell you that her books for parents (she’s written four of them!) and ParentData by Emily Oster (her website and newsletter) have been formative for me as a mom. I consider myself to be a pretty relaxed parent, but I certainly didn’t start out that way, and Emily’s data-based work is, in large part, to thank for it. She cuts through the noise on all things pregnancy and parenting, and shares practical takeaways with zero judgment. She doesn’t tell you what to do, but helps you make more informed decisions. As a gift to WTCers, Emily is offering a free month of full access to her website and personalized newsletters when you subscribe here.

OK, now onto the books!

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Ages 0-2

• 100 First Words (bookshop, amazon): I can’t explain it but babies love this book and they are truly always some of my kids’ very first words! —Caro

• All our babies have loved the Sandra Boynton books: Moo, Baa, Falala (bookshop, amazon); Doggies (bookshop, amazon); Blue Hat, Green Hat (bookshop, amazon). Lots of giggles and requests for “one more.” —Caro, Molly from What To Cook, and Jillian from What to Cook

• Jamberry by Bruce Degen (bookshop, amazon) is now taped together at the spine thanks to the number of times we read it together. It's my favorite recommendation for a baby's first book because the rhyming style is mesmerizing and the content is delicious. —Trinity

• Poke-a-Dot: Old MacDonald’s Farm (bookshop, amazon): Caro and I are both huge Poke-a-Dot book fans (there are tons to choose from) but this one is especially great because it involves counting, singing, and lots of fun things to point out! —Jillian

• I made a custom “My Favorite People” board book for Cole (age 1 1/2) and we read it every night. It’s been so fun to hear him say family member’s names for the first time! —Molly

• Look, Look Again by Agnese Baruzzi (bookshop, amazon): Interactive flappy books are the best way to get kids excited and engaged in reading! This one is an all-time favorite. —Caro

• Baby’s Feelings: This book is so good for babies (they love to see other babies faces) and transitioning into toddlerhood where you can act out different emotions in an interactive and silly way. —Jillian

Ages 3-5

• My favorite picture book of all time, which I will never ever part with, no matter how old my children get, is Carson Ellis’s Du Iz Tak? (bookshop, amazon). Perfection. Beauty. Timeless classic. You need at least three copies. —Emma

• The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak (bookshop, amazon) has inspired my recent foray into replacing late evening TV with inventive baking after the kids are asleep. So far, my husband and I have made orange zest cheesecake and apricot jam galettes — my 3-year-old now wakes up asking us if the night kitchen was open. —Trinity

• The If You Give a... book series by Laura Joffe Numeroff (bookshop, amazon) — If You Give… a Mouse a Cookie, a Moose a Muffin, a Cat a Cupcake, a Dog a Doughnut, and so forth: My kids of every age love these books! We have the entire series and they are so fun (and funny) to read. —Kate

• The Elephant & Piggie series (bookshop, amazon) and The Pigeon series (bookshop, amazon) by Mo Willems. There's basically a book for every kid scenario you need parenting help with — going to school, having patience, taking a bath, etc. —Caro

• Press Here by Herve Tullet (bookshop, amazon) is interactive and fun — our copy is in tatters because it’s been read, pressed, and shaken so much. —Molly

• Sophie’s Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller (bookshop, amazon): I love this book because it’s about a girl who falls in love with a squash and treats it like a baby. The ending is so great! —Kate

• Chez Bob by Bob Shea (bookshop, amazon) is Calum's favorite book! He instantly said this one when I asked him for his favorite. It's about an alligator who has a restaurant on his head? It sounds hilarious. —Caro

• The entire Frog & Toad collection by Arnold Lobel (bookshop, amazon) is enchanting, whimsical, and deeply human. The audiobooks (narrated by the author) are charming too. —Trinity

• B.J. Novak’s The Book with No Pictures (bookshop, amazon) has longevity — it’s been my boys’ favorite since age 4 and still makes a room of 7-year-olds erupt in laughter. I read it anytime I’m the “mystery reader” at school. —Molly

• Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry (bookshop, amazon): These books are so fun and silly, and there’s a little goldbug to find on every page (which even I’m challenged by!) —Jillian

Ages 6-9

• The Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne (bookshop, amazon)!! These are such great introduction chapter books for young readers. —Kate

• Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon (bookshop, amazon) is a gem. Dory’s a 6-year-old girl with a fantastic imagination, and being inside her brain makes all of us belly laugh. —Molly

• Animal Factopia! (bookshop, amazon): My 6 year-old son LOVES obscure fun facts, and this book definitely delivers! It also links every fact with each other, and is a little bit of a CYOA, so it keeps things interesting for everyone. —Jillian

• My daughter Millie is currently reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney (bookshop, amazon) and absolutely loving them! We actually started by watching the movie and I think after she understood that premise it got her really hooked on the book series. —Kate

• Mac B. Kid Spy by Mac Barnett (bookshop, amazon) has been the biggest hit with Mattis! —Caro

• National Park Mystery Series by Aaron Johnson (bookshop, amazon): We have been making a point to visit the national parks with our kids so it’s really fun for my son John Robert to read this mystery series that takes place in the different parks. —Kate

• The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner (bookshop, amazon) is a classic that keeps my boys enthralled (and I like to think it’s subtly teaching them how resourceful kids can be). —Molly

• The I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis (bookshop, amazon): These are a bit more thriller, but also give great introduction to actual events that happened! They usually start off on a cliffhanger. My son has read every single one of them at least three times. —Kate

Preteens + teens

• My son Toby is 15, and he’s a sucker for sports biographies. His favorite was Giannis by Mirin Fader (bookshop, amazon), which followed basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo — aka “The Greek Freak” — from his difficult childhood in Greece to his lonely teenage years to his NBA stardom. He’s an amazing role model and person, and my son woulds stay up late devouring his story. —Joanna

  • My 10-year-old, Miles, loves basketball, and so we read any book about basketball. Fiction, non-fiction, whatever! I just bought him a biography of Giannis Antetokounmpo. I want everyone to know that I spelled that right on the FIRST TRY and have never been so proud of myself in my life. —Emma

• My son Anton is 12, and he LOVED The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (bookshop, amazon). I worried the plot would scare him, but he was absolutely swept away. Here’s a photo of him reading it on vacation — INSTEAD of jumping into the sea. If that’s not a glowing recommendation from a preteen, I don’t know what is. —Joanna

• My kids are 10 and 12 and their current favorites are the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman (bookshop, amazon), Guts by Raina Telgemeier (bookshop, amazon), and Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan (bookshop, amazon). —Emily

  • Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novels: Guts, Smile, Sisters: These are easy-to-read graphic novels set in the middle school years that go through common things like braces and anxiety and other middle school drama-type feelings. My daughters Millie and Scout both read them! —Kate

• My 12-year-old, River, is a budding lexicographer, and he loves Dreyer’s English. There is a kids edition, too (bookshop, amazon), but he has read both about fifty times. The novel he has loved most in the last number of years is called Bye Forever, I Guess by Jodi Meadows (bookshop, amazon), as well as the entire Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman (bookshop, amazon). My basic rule as a parent, when it comes to books but also everything else, is sure. —Emma

• Local Legends by Lane Walker (bookshop, amazon), Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (bookshop, amazon), The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (bookshop, amazon), and Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (bookshop, amazon) —Dr. Becky

Now we want to hear your family’s favorites! Which kid, preteen, or teen books are most beloved in your house? Leave a comment to enter to win a $100 gift card to Bookshop.org so you can stock up on some titles you don’t own yet¹. We’ll choose a winner at random next Tuesday, March 10 — the winner will be alerted by Substack DM.

Every week, we dig into the What to Cook archives to see what we were cooking this time in years past. Here’s this week’s lineup.

1. boudreaux gumbo, 2025

Fat Tuesday may have come and gone, but a big pot of gumbo is always a good idea! This rich Cajun-inspired stew is packed with chicken, andouille sausage, okra, and the holy trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper. The deep, nutty roux gives it incredible flavor, and, like most stews, it’s even better the next day.

2. roasted red pepper and butternut squash soup, 2024

A creamy roasted vegetable soup that tastes far fancier than the effort required. Everything roasts on a sheet pan before getting blended silky smooth — and the crispy homemade croutons on top absolutely make the bowl. We highly recommend perusing the comments section for lots of successful swap ideas!

3. no-stir mushroom risotto, 2023

If you’ve always avoided making stove-top risotto because it’s fussy, you need to try this recipe! This oven-baked risotto-style brown rice skips the constant stirring but still delivers rich, creamy results thanks to mushrooms, wine, Gruyère, and Parm. The walnut chili crunch on top adds brightness, heat, and a very satisfying crunch.

4. 30-minute carnitas tacos, 2022

Carnitas can take hours to cook, but this weeknight-friendly version swaps traditional pork butt for quick-cooking chopped pork tenderloin and comes together in half an hour! Serve with avocado crema and pickled red onions, then repurpose any leftovers into burrito bowls, quesadillas, or taco salads for lunches or dinner later in the week.

5. one-pan creamy boursin pasta with (or without) shrimp, 2021

If you’ve been loving the one-pan pastas we’ve made lately (like caramelized onion pasta), you’ll also love this wildly easy Boursin number from deep in the archives.

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1. Giveaway open to paid subscribers of this newsletter who are at least 18 and live within the U.S.