Classic Children’s Books

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Here is a list of some of the greatest children’s books of all time, listed in order of Lexile number.

Do you notice any titles missing? Comment at the bottom with books you feel should be added to this list.

Picture Books

Hop on Pop

By: Dr. Seuss

Published: 1963

Lexile #: 190

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

By: Bill Martin Jr.

Published: 1967

Lexile #: 200

Green Eggs and Ham

By: Dr. Seuss

Published: 1960

Lexile #: 210

Go, Dog. Go!

By: P.D. Eastman

Published: 1961

Lexile #: 240

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

By: Dr. Seuss

Published: 1960

Lexile #: 270

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

By: Mo Willems

Published: 2003

Lexile #: 280

Miss Nelson Is Missing

By: James Marshall

Published: 1977

Lexile #: 340

Pete the Cat

By: Eric Litwin

Published: 2008-Present

Lexile #: 350-510

Goodnight Moon

By: Margaret Wise Brown

Published: 1947

Lexile #: 360

Clifford Series

By: Norman Bridwell

Published: 1963-2016

Lexile #360-480

Little Bear

By: Else Holmelund Minarik & Maurice Sendak

Published: 1957

Lexile #: 370

Amelia Bedelia

By: Peggy Parish

Published: 1963-1988

Lexile #: 380-670

Curious George

By: H.A. Rey

Published: 1941

Lexile #: 400

The Carrot Seed

By: Ruth Krauss & Crockett Johnson

Published: 1945

Lexile #: 400

Frog and Toad Are Friends

By: Arnold Lobel

Published: 1970

Lexile #: 400

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

By: Laura Numeroff

Published: 1985

Lexile #: 410

The Cat in the Hat

By: Dr. Seuss

Published: 1957

Lexile #: 430

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

By: Eric Carle

Published: 1969

Lexile #: 460

Knufflebunny

By. Mo Willems

Published: 2004

Lexile #: 460

Olivia

By: Ian Falconer

Published: 2000

Lexile #: 470

Library Lion

By: Michelle E. Knudsen

Published: 2006

Lexile #: 470

Caps for Sale

By: Esphyr Slobodkina

Published: 1940

Lexile #: 480

Press Here

By: Herve Tullet

Published: 2010

Lexile #: 480

The Magic School Bus

By: Joanna Cole

Published: 1987-1999

Lexile: 480-520

Harold and the Purple Crayon

By: Crockett Johnson

Published: 1955

Lexile #: 490

Bread and Jam for Frances

By: Russell and Lillian Hoban

Published: 1964

Lexile #: 490

The Snowy Day

By: Ezra Jack Keats

Published: 1962

Lexile #: 500

The Dot

By: Peter Reynolds

Published: 2003

Lexile #: 500

The Gruffalo

By: Julia Donaldson

Published: 1999

Lexile #: 510

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

By: Jon Scieszka

Published: 1989

Lexile #: 510

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

By: Dr. Seuss

Published: 1957

Lexile #: 510

The Sneetches

By: Dr. Seuss

Published: 1961

Lexile #: 511

Harry the Dirty Dog

By: Gene Zion

Published: 1956

Lexile #: 520

Katy and the Big Snow

By: Virginia Lee Burton

Published: 1943

Lexile #: 520

The Berenstain Bears

By: Stan and Jan Berenstain

Published: 1962-2011

Lexile #: 520-790

The Giving Tree

By: Shel Silverstein

Published: 1964

Lexile #: 530

Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom

By: Bill Martin Jr.

Published: 1989

Lexile #: 530

Owl Moon

By: Jane Yolen

Published: 1987

Lexile #: 550

Stellaluna

By: Janell Cannon

Published: 1993

Lexile #: 550

The Lorax

By: Dr. Seuss

Published: 1971

Lexile #: 560

Officer Buckle and Gloria

By: Peggy Rathmann

Published: 1995

Lexile #: 570

Chrysanthemum

By: Kevin Henkes

Published: 1991

Lexile #: 570

Richard Scarry’s Busy Books

By: Richard Scarry

Published: 1963-1981

Lexile #: 570-600

The Garden of Abdul Gasazi

By: Abdul Gasazi

Published: 1979

Lexile #: 580

Millions of Cats

By: Wanda G’ag

Published: 1928

Lexile #: 580

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

By: Virginia Lee Burton

Published: 1938

Lexile #: 580

The Little Island

By: Margaret Wise Brown

Published: 1946

Lexile #: 590

Corduroy

By: Don Freeman

Published: 1968

Lexile #: 600

The Runaway Bunny

By: Margaret Wise Brown

Published: 1942

Lexile #: 600

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

By: Dr. Seuss

Published: 1990

Lexile #: 600

Horton Hears a Who!

By: Dr. Seuss

Published: 1954

Lexile #: 600

Blueberries for Sal

By: Robert McCloskey

Published: 1948

Lexile #: 600

Yertle the Turtle

By: Dr. Seuss

Published: 1958

Lexile #: 600

A Bad Case of the Stripes

By: David Shannon

Published: 1998

Lexile #: 610

The Story of Babar

By: Jean du Brunhoff

Published: 1931

Lexile #: 610

Jumanji

By: Chris Van Allsburg

Published: 1981

Lexile #: 620

Make Way for Ducklings

By: Robert McCloskey

Published: 1941

Lexile #: 630

Lon Po Po

By: Ed Young

Published: 1989

Lexile #: 670

Madeline

By: Ludwig Bemelmans

Published: 1939

Lexile #: 680

Strega Nona

By: Tomie dePaola

Published: 1975

Lexile #: 730

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

By: Judi Barrett

Published: 1978

Lexile #: 730

The Day the Crayons Quit

By: Drew Daywalt

Published: 2013

Lexile #: 730

Where the Wild Things Are

By: Maurice Sendak

Published: 1963

Lexile #: 740

The Story of Ferdinand

By: Munro Leaf

Published: 1936

Lexile #: 760

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears

By: Verna Aardema

Published: 1975

Lexile #: 770

The House on East 88th Street

By: Bernard Waber

Published: 1962

Lexile #: 770

Love You Forever

By: Robert Munsch

Published: 1986

Lexile #: 780

The Velveteen Rabbit

By: Margery Williams

Published: 1922

Lexile #: 820

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

By: Judith Viorst

Published: 1972

Lexile #: 840

Novels

Nate the Great Series

By: Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

Published: 1972-2018

Lexile #: 260-570

The Boxcar Children Series

By: Gertrude Chandler Warner

Published: 1924-2019

Lexile #: 430-800

Sideways Stories from Wayside School

By: Louis Sachar

Published: 1978

Lexile #: 530

Crenshaw

By Katherine Applegate

Published: 2015

Lexile #: 540

The Whipping Boy

By: Sid Fleischman

Published: 1986

Lexile #: 570

The One and Only Ivan

By: Katherine Applegate

Published: 2012

Lexile #: 570

Sarah, Plain and Tall

By: Patricia MacLachlan

Published: 1985

Lexile #: 660

Holes

By: Louis Sachar

Published: 1998

Lexile #: 660

The Tale of Despereaux

By: Kate DiCamillo

Published: 2003

Lexile #: 670

Number the Stars

By: Lois Lowry

Published: 1989

Lexile #: 670

Charlotte’s Web

By: E.B. White

Published: 1952

Lexile #: 680

Where the Red Fern Grows

By: Wilson Rawls

Published: 1961

Lexile #: 700

Out of My Mind

By: Sharon M. Draper

Published: 2010

Lexile #: 700

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

By: E.L. Konigsburg

Published: 1967

Lexile #: 700

The Little Prince

By: Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Published: 1943

Lexile #: 710

The BFG

By: Roald Dahl

Published: 1982

Lexile #: 720

Little House Series

By: Laura Ingalls Wilder

Published: 1932-1953

Lexile #: 720-1030

A Wrinkle in Time

By: Madeleine L’Engle

Published: 1962

Lexile #: 740

The Witches

By: Roald Dahl

Published: 1983

Lexile #: 740

The Hardy Boys Series

By: Edward Stratemeyer, et al.

Published: 1927-1979

Lexile #: 740 (average)

Nancy Drew Series

By: Mildred Wirt Benson

Published: 1930-2003

Lexile #: 750 (average)

A Bear Called Paddington

By: Peggy Fortnum

Published: 1958

Lexile #: 750

The Westing Game

By: Ellen Raskin

Published: 1979

Lexile #: 750

Ramona Book Series

By: Beverly Cleary

Published: 1955-1999

Lexile #: 750-860

Tuck Everlasting

By: Natalie Babbitt

Published: 1975

Lexile #: 770

Counting by Sevens

By: Holly Goldberg Sloan

Published: 2013

Lexile #: 770

Save Me a Seat

By: Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

Published: 2016

Lexile #: 780

The Borrowers

By: Mary Norton

Published: 1952

Lexile #: 780

Wonder

By: R.J. Palacio

Published: 2012

Lexile #: 790

Winnie-the-Pooh

By: A. A. Milne

Published: 1926

Lexile #: 790

James and the Giant Peach

By: Roald Dahl

Published: 1961

Lexile #: 790

The Chronicles of Narnia Series

By: C.S. Lewis

Published: 1950-1956

Lexile #: 790-970

Original Order: 1-The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 2-Prince Caspian, 3-The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, 4-The Silver Chair, 5-The Horse and His Boy, 6-The Magician’s Nephew, 7-The Last Battle

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

By: Roald Dahl

Published: 1964

Lexile #: 810

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

By: Beatrix Potter

Published: 1902

Lexile #: 820

Mary Poppins

By: P.L. Travers

Published: 1934

Lexile #: 830

Matilda

By: Roald Dahl

Published: 1988

Lexile #: 840

Black Beauty

By: Anna Sewell

Published: 1877

Lexile #: 850

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

By: William Kamkwamba

Published: 2009

Lexile #: 850

Alice in Wonderland

By: Lewis Carroll

Published: 1865

Lexile #: 860

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

By: Beverly Cleary

Published: 1965

Lexile #: 860

The Hundred Dresses

By: Eleanor Estes

Published: 1944

Lexile #: 870

Pollyanna

By: Eleanor H. Porter

Published: 1913

Lexile #: 870

Pippi Longstocking

By: Astrid Lindgren

Published: 1945

Lexile #: 870

Harry Potter Series

By: J.K. Rowling

Published: 1997-2007

Lexile #: 870-940

Old Yeller

By: Fred Gipson

Published: 1956

Lexile #: 910

Mr. Popper’s Penguins

By: Richard and Florence Atwater

Published: 1938

Lexile #: 910

Stuart Little

By: E.B. White

Published: 1945

Lexile #: 920

The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963

By: Christopher Paul Curtis

Published: 1995

Lexile #: 920

A Series of Unfortunate Events

By: Lemony Snicket

Published: 1999-2006

Lexile #: 920-1370

Bud, not Buddy

By: Christopher Paul Curtis

Published: 1999

Lexile #: 950

The Secret Garden

By: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Published: 1911

Lexile #: 970

The Birchbark House

By: Louise Erdrich

Published: 2021

Lexile #: 970

Anne of Green Gables

By: L.M. Montgomery

Published: 1908

Lexile #: 970

Through the Looking Glass

By: Lewis Carroll

Published: 1865

Lexile #: 980

The Phantom Tollbooth

By: Norton Juster

Published: 1961

Lexile #: 1000

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

By: John Boyne

Published: 2006

Lexile #: 1000

The Hobbit

By: J.R.R. Tolkien

Published: 1937

Lexile #: 1000

Island of the Blue Dolphins

By: Scott O’Dell

Published: 1960

Lexile #: 1000

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

By: Frank L. Baum

Published: 1900

Lexile #: 1030

The Prince and the Pauper

By: Mark Twain

Published: 1881

Lexile #: 1090

Wind in the Willows

By: Kenneth Grahame

Published: 1908

Lexile #: 1140

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