Best Children's Books of All Time: 16 Classics to Share and Reread

TL;DR: The best children's books of all time come from every culture, from India's Panchatantra and Bengal's Thakurmar Jhuli to Alice in Wonderland, Little Women, and Roald Dahl. Many are public domain and free to download, and they are just as rewarding for adults to reread.

What makes a children's classic last?

The children's books that survive for generations share a few qualities. They trust young readers with real feelings. They are funny, or strange, or a little frightening. And they are written with such care that adults enjoy reading them aloud as much as children enjoy hearing them.

This list mixes ancient fables, folktales, nonsense verse, adventure stories, and family novels. Some are perfect for bedtime; others are best discovered at ten or twelve and remembered forever.

16 of the best children's books of all time

1. The Panchatantra

This ancient Indian collection of animal fables, traditionally attributed to Vishnu Sharma, was written to teach young princes wisdom and good judgement. The stories nest inside one another, with monkeys, crocodiles, lions, and jackals outwitting each other. They have travelled into dozens of languages over the centuries. Public domain in older translations.

2. Aesop's Fables

The tortoise and the hare, the fox and the grapes, the boy who cried wolf. These tiny stories from ancient Greece each end with a lesson and take a minute to read. Ideal for the very youngest listeners. Public domain.

3. Grimm's Fairy Tales — Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, and Rumpelstiltskin come from the brothers' collection of German folk tales. The originals are darker than the film versions, so preview them for younger children. Public domain in older translations.

4. Fairy Tales — Hans Christian Andersen

The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, and The Emperor's New Clothes. Unlike the Grimms, Andersen wrote most of his own stories, and they carry a gentle sadness that stays with readers. Public domain in older translations.

5. Thakurmar Jhuli — Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumder (1907)

The title means "Grandmother's Bag of Tales", and this collection of Bengali folk and fairy tales has been a bedtime favourite for generations. Demons, clever princes, and the famous Byangoma birds fill its pages. Rabindranath Tagore wrote an introduction to it. Look for authorised Bengali editions from publishers or your library.

6. Abol Tabol — Sukumar Ray (1923)

A book of Bengali nonsense verse full of impossible creatures and absurd logic, often compared to Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll. It was published shortly after Ray's death and remains one of the most loved books in Bengali. Sukumar Ray was the father of filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Look for Bengali editions from publishers or your library.

7. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland — Lewis Carroll (1865)

Alice follows the White Rabbit into a world of riddles, tea parties, and a very bad-tempered queen. It rewards readers at every age, and the sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, is just as inventive. Public domain — see Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

8. Little Women — Louisa May Alcott

The four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, grow up during the American Civil War. Jo, who wants to be a writer, has inspired generations of young readers. Public domain — see Little Women.

9. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer — Mark Twain (1876)

Whitewashing fences, running away to an island, and witnessing a murder in a graveyard. Twain's story of a boy on the Mississippi is pure mischief and adventure. Public domain — see The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

10. Treasure Island — Robert Louis Stevenson (1883)

Young Jim Hawkins, a treasure map, and the unforgettable pirate Long John Silver. It defined how we imagine pirates to this day. Public domain.

11. The Jungle Book — Rudyard Kipling (1894)

Mowgli, raised by wolves in the Indian jungle, learns from Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther while facing the tiger Shere Khan. The book also includes other stories, such as the mongoose tale Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. Public domain.

12. Anne of Green Gables — L. M. Montgomery (1908)

An imaginative, talkative orphan is sent by mistake to an elderly brother and sister on Prince Edward Island. Anne's big dreams and bigger mistakes make it a joy. Public domain.

13. The Wind in the Willows — Kenneth Grahame (1908)

Mole, Rat, Badger, and the reckless Mr. Toad on the riverbank. Gentle, funny, and perfect for reading aloud one chapter per night. Public domain.

14. The Secret Garden — Frances Hodgson Burnett (1911)

A lonely, spoilt girl discovers a locked garden on a Yorkshire estate, and bringing it back to life changes her and everyone around her. A quiet, healing story. Public domain.

15. Peter Pan — J. M. Barrie

The boy who would not grow up takes Wendy and her brothers to Neverland, home of Lost Boys, mermaids, and Captain Hook. The novel is funnier and more bittersweet than most adaptations. Public domain in the United States and many other countries.

16. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory — Roald Dahl (1964)

Charlie Bucket finds a golden ticket and enters Willy Wonka's extraordinary factory. Dahl's wicked humour and fairness towards children make all his books favourites; Matilda and The BFG are just as good. Under copyright — buy or borrow.

How to read these in FluttX

Most of these classics are free in the Discover tab, which brings in public domain editions from Project Gutenberg, Open Library, and Standard Ebooks. For Bengali classics and Roald Dahl, buy authorised DRM-free EPUB or PDF editions where available, or borrow from your library, then import them into FluttX.

A few features are especially useful for family reading:

• Read Aloud reads the text with word highlighting so children can follow along, and the sleep timer stops it at bedtime.
• Reader Profiles save named sets of reading settings, so you can switch to a "Kids" profile with a larger font and wider spacing in one tap.
• Eye comfort warm tones and break reminders help with longer reading sessions.

If your young reader loves adventure and wonder, try our science fiction and fantasy classics, or browse Quick Reads for shorter books.

Stories for every age

The best children's books are not only for children. Rereading Alice or The Wind in the Willows as an adult reveals jokes and sadness you missed the first time, and sharing Thakurmar Jhuli or the Panchatantra with a child passes on something much older than any of us. Pick one tonight and read it together.