Last Updated on July 10, 2023 by Bilingual Kidspot
English Story Books For Kids
Looking for story books for kids? Reading is so important for kids and parents and educators should read to and with your children every day.
In fact, reading to your children is a way to teach your kids to love reading from the very start.
Here you can find a fantastic list of kids story books in English. These classic kids storybooks for kids never get old, and will live on in your children’s hearts for years to come.
Benefits of Reading Kids Story Books
The steady decline in kids reading story books is becoming worrying. With the increased amount of technology in today’s world, reading an actual book is becoming less common.
But there are so many benefits of reading books, especially for kids.
From increased concentration, to brain power, stress reduction and more. Reading to your kids can be one of the best things you can do for them.
Not to mention that reading kids story books at bedtime is great for helping them get a better night sleep too.
Reading kids story books makes the perfect bedtime routine in the evening and is the perfect time for bonding with your child too.
15 Children’s Story books in English
Below you can find some or the most popular kids stories that families all over the world can enjoy.
We have also added in a few of our personal favourites too that we have read to our kids over and over again over the past few years.
We will update this post often with new kids story books so keep checking in to see what’s new!
Make sure to let us know which story books for kids you love to read so we can check them out ourselves and add them to our booklist below.
1. The Gruffalo – Julia Donaldson
“Silly old fox doesn’t he know, there’s no such thing as a Gruffalo” This rhyming family favourite never gets old. The Gruffalo looks like he will be a scary creature, when in fact it is the mouse who everyone ends up being afraid of, including the Gruffalo.
This is one of our all time favourite kids story books in English and other languages and is one of the most popular story books for kids in various other languages too! You can also see more of Julia Donaldson’s books in our Best Book sets for Kids post.
Find online HERE
2. The Wonky Donkey
This spunky, hanky-panky, cranky, stinky, dinky, lanky, honky-tonky, winky wonky donkey is one of our favourite books to have a laugh to together.
With lots of funny rhymes and humour, this is a fantastic story book for kids (and parents) who will giggle through the whole book.
Find online HERE
3. Have you filled a bucket today?
A fantastic story book for kids and a guide to daily happiness. This children’s story book teaches kids valuable lessons about kindness that will remember for a lifetime.
With an invisible bucket that follows you everywhere, children learn to “fill their own bucket” and also the bucket of others by showing kindness and being happy.
Find online HERE
4. The Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carl
Great for learning the days of the week. One Hungry Caterpillar eats his way through the week before making himself a cocoon and turning into a beautiful butterfly.
This is a classic kids story book in English but has also been translated into many other languages and is popular all over the world.
Find online HERE
5. Rainbow Fish – Marcus Pfister
A colourful story book for kids where one rainbow fish learns how sharing with others makes you much happier than having everything to yourself but being alone.
This kids story book was originally published in Switzerland and translated into English.
Find online HERE
6. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Michael Rosen
My boys always feel like they are going on an adventure with this kids story book. Through the grass, the mud, the forest, and the snowstorm, finally making it to the bear cave.
It is a repetitive story so the words are easily learned and actions are easily added to make it interactive so it is always a lot of fun to read.
Find online HERE
7. From Head to Toe – Eric Carl
From raising shoulders and clapping hands, to wriggling hips and bending knees.
This creative and interactive kids book will get your children moving trying out the actions of each animal.
Find online HERE
8. Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book – Julia Donaldson
Another rhyming Julia Donaldson book made our list. Charlie Cook is reading his favorite book… about a pirate who is reading a book… about Goldilocks who is reading a book.
The pattern continues with frogs, spaceships, dragons, ghosts and more. This is a fantastic kids story book and is written in such a way that my 4yo can recite this back to me word for word.
Find online HERE
9. Green Eggs and Ham – Dr Seuss
This kids book is perfect for children starting to learn to read, but also for young children who love to listen.
Using simple rhyming words this book teaches children that before deciding you don’t like something, you should try it, you may just like it!
Find online HERE
10. Puff the Magic Dragon – Leonard Lipton and Peter Yarrow
One of many childhood favourites, this is an old classic song brought to life in a picture book.
Kids just love singing along to this book while looking at the pictures, and joining Puff and his friend Jackie on their adventures in the magical “Honalee”.
Find online HERE
11. Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy – Lynley Dodd
A hilarious rhyming story book, the first of a large collection, where all the animals have quirky names.
From Hairy McClary from Donaldson’s Dairy, to Schnitzel von Krumm with a very low tum and Bottomly Potts covered in Spots. My children have a great laugh to this book.
Find online HERE
12. Where’s the Green Sheep?
Here is the blue sheep, and here is the red sheep. Here is the bath sheep, and here is the bed sheep. But where is the green sheep?
A lovely rhyming story book for kids in English that can also be found in other languages too including some bilingual versions.
Find online HERE
13. Giraffes Can’t Dance
This kids story book in English is a much loved classic picture book about being yourself and finding your own tune.
Gerald the giraffe longs to go to the great Jungle Dance, but how can he join in when he doesn’t know how to dance? Of course giraffes can’t dance… or can they?
Find online HERE
14. Llama Llama Red Pajama
A cute bedtime story book for kids about a night time drama with a baby llama calling for his mama. When she doesn’t come immediately, his cries become louder and more frantic.
There’s lots of llama drama until Mama Llama arrives to make everything better with her reassuring message.
Find online HERE
15. Cooper’s Bear Hug – Melissa Woo
A cute little story about Cooper wanting to show his mother how much he loves him. He sets out to gain advice from his friends and finds the perfect way to show her.
With a bear who adds comments to the story on every page when prompted it is an exciting interacting story book for children of any age.
Find online HERE
RECOMMENDED: Top Book Sets for Kids
English Story Books For Kids
Hopefully this list of kids story books has given you some ideas of books to read to your kids.
These are some of our favourite kids books in English and I am sure they will become yours too.
If you are looking for other English resources for kids, take a look at our Teach Kids English post.
Do you have any other Kids story books in English to recommend?
Raising Bilingual Kids? Check out the Bilingual Kidspot Facebook Page and join the Bilingual Kidspot Discussion group!
This post may have affiliate links. Read more here!
Leave a Reply