Children's stories are an invaluable introduction to language and reading, and we often remember our favourite authors when we're adults!
Reading children’s books are great for the child to learn the language, but are also great for building relationships in the home - especially when you read the stories together as a family.
So today, we wanted to give you a list of some of our favourite children’s authors:
1. Eric Carle
No child's life would be complete without the wonderful world of Eric Carle, whose colourful and easy-to-read books are definitely memorable! His stories focus mainly on animals, and his most famous book is
The Very Hungry Caterpillar. But Carle is also known for a variety of books like
The Very Busy Spider, and
From Head to Toe.
Eric Carle's books focus on a range of different topics; including colours, counting, food, animals, the senses, and even healthy eating habits.
See the video for a documentary about Eric Carle.
2. Michael Rosen
We're Going on a Bear Hunt remains one of the most memorable children books of all time, and is well-read at Avendale. Every child will encounter this at Avendale at some point, and why not?! The story has a wonderful rhythm to it, and teaches a lot about onomatopoeias.
Rosen has written many more books than just
Bear Hunt, though - 140 books in total. He also has a very active YouTube channel, where he shares stories and poems for younger learners. Other books he's written include:
Tiny Little Fly and
Little Rabbit Foo Foo.
His stories often include animals interacting with humans or other species, and are often descriptive. Topics to build on include: animals, actions and sequencing, maths, and more.
In the video, Michael Rosen gives some great tips on how to perform when reading kids stories or poems.
3. Julia Donaldson
Another name that comes to mind when you talk about children's literature is the author Julia Donaldson, an English writer who has written over 180 books! She's particularly famous for
The Gruffalo, but has also written
The Smartest Giant in Town,
Room on the Broom and
A Squash and A Squeeze.
Her writing style is more mystical, with creatures, witches and wizards interacting in a familiar world. You can use the stories to explore topics as varied as friendship, animals, family and exploration.
Watch the animated version of
Room on the Broom.
4. Dr Seuss
Very different in style to the three previous authors, Dr Seuss is by far the most legendary writer, and has been entertaining children for over 60 years. A lot of his stories have since been made into movies, but his books remain an important part of our reading programmes at Avendale.
Some of his most famous stories include:
Horton Hears a Who, and
The Cat in the Hat. The stories are often poetic, with a strong rhyme and more mystical story lines. The drawings are very distinctive.
Top tip: if your child doesn't want to eat something new during mealtime, why not introduce them to
Green Eggs and Ham, a book that encourages children to try food before saying no. Watch the rap rendition in the video.
5. Bill Martin, Jr
Bill Martin Jr is one of those authors you're likely to have read but not know the name of. Perhaps his most famous book is
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (illustrated by Eric Carle), but he's also written a number of other books.
He often explores animal-based stories, based on the senses (i.e. what we can see). His stories are nearly always colourful and feature simple language for early learners to pick up easily.
One book we love to read here at Avendale is
Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom, a book he co-wrote with John Archambault.
Watch the animated version in the video.
Other Notable Writers:
- Jan Klassen
- Jan and Stan Berenstein
- Astrid Lindgren
- Judith Kerr
Which ones do you like? Why not contact us with your favourite books and we’ll work to include them in our lessons!