As parents, books and reading habits are the cheapest yet most promising gifts you can give your child.
Here are our top 10 favorite 10 authors of Children’s Books of all times.
The best part about these authors is that their book caters to the need of a wide age group of children. There is a high probability that your children will never outgrow these books anytime soon.
1. Ruskin Bond
(Authors of Children’s Books)
The list would be incomplete if we didn’t include the most loved writer by children. What separates Ruskin Bond from the crowd of other authors is his ability to capture the landscape, and nature through words. Pick up any of his novels, short stories, essays, or even nonfictional pieces, and you will see how brilliant he is.
Ruskin Bond’s main aim has always been to write stories that are simple and easy to read yet impactful. This makes his books a starting point if you want your kids to inculcate a reading habit. In his 90 pages book, The Blue Umbrella, he portrays how small children can possess compassion and teach us about humanity. Similarly in The Angry River, the protagonist Sita displays a maturity that goes beyond her age.
One of the most interesting things about the majority of Ruskin Bond’s stories is that he purposely chooses kids as the protagonist. His ability to draw such wonderful characters and fill them with wisdom in day-to-day circumstances is unmatched.
If you are planning to get some of his books for your children, here are some of the top picks that you can begin with.
While the list can go on and on, you can blindly pick any of Ruskin Bond’s Books for your child and you won’t be disappointed.
2. Sudha Murthy
(Authors of Children’s Books)
She is popular in all age groups. While elders might know her as the Chairperson of Infosys or philanthropist but for children, she is one of their favorite storytellers.
The author is known to speak her mind out through her engaging writing. She lays more emphasis on the importance of nonfiction stories as she believes one can learn a lot from them. One of her famous works, Wise and Otherwise is a non-fiction book, in which she narrates her experience during her travel in form of short stories.
But this doesn’t mean that she detests the idea of fiction books. She firmly believes that those are equally important as they carry elements of imagination.
One notable thing about her books for children is that she always ends them with a positive note and hope, despite having certain instances where she gives a reality check.
Some of her must-read books include:
Some books revolve around history and mythology, while there are books where she talks about the nuances of her life. In short, she has got something for everyone out there. Now it doesn’t matter if you are an adult or a child, Sudha Murthy’s book can be read by everyone as they are thoroughly enriched by captivating ideas and experiences that everyone can relate to.
3. Roald Dahl
(Authors of Children’s Books)
If your child loves stories that have major ‘what happens next’ moments and Roald Dahl’s books should be the perfect ones to pick. Dahl brings twists and turns to his stories while keeping the imagination on point. His stories are filled with creative characters, written in simple language and all of these elements make the reader gets hooked on his stories.
You can easily find his entire storybook series for your children. But some of his famous books that you must read would include:
All of these books are crafted in a way that would make it hard to put them down, once you start reading them. The protagonists of these books are children which makes it more interesting for kids to enjoy and relate to the adventures. What differentiates his stories from other authors is his ability to put the fun element in almost all his stories and make them more enjoyable.
Apart from children, his stories are loved and enjoyed by adults as well. Roald Dahl is one such writer that stays with you no matter how old you grow.
4. Enid Blyton
(Authors of Children’s Books)
An exceptional writer who has been the best-selling and kid’s favorite author since the 1930s. Now if your child is adventurous and is inclined towards books that have got a blend of mystery, suspense, and thrill, then Enid Blyton’s books are the ones that you should reach out to. She did write on educational topics, fantasy, natural history, and biblical narratives, but her adventure series is one of the most popular ones.
She is best remembered for Noddy, Famous Five, and Secret Seven series. Yes, the famous cartoon show, ‘Noddy in Toyland’ was Enid Blyton’s fictional creation. Noddy is a perfect book for the younger segment. Kids up to 6 years will surely enjoy reading Noddy.
‘Enchanted Wood’ was her first book from the series ‘Far away Trees’, perfect for children of age 7-8. The story is woven around 3 friends who find a magical tree with a ladder that takes them into a magical land. The story becomes gripping when the friends discover that the magical land changes every day and they need to return before the magical land changes, or else they would never be able to return to their real world.
‘Famous Five’, the most famous series of 21 books by Enid Blyton is a book that everyone has heard of. Now here’s the thing, if your child gets hooked on the first one, they will end up finishing the entire series. The five characters of the book are 4 friends and their dog who are always up for some mischief and hunt for mysteries.
Other famous works by her that you can include in you must read list can be:
5. Dr. Seuss
(Authors of Children’s Books)
For all those children who are captivated by images and graphics, Dr. Suess is the author who will never let them down. His books are perfect for kids who fall under 6 years and are early readers. All of his books are filled with creative and eye-catching illustrations and rhyming sentences.
On looking at the books that he wrote, one can easily sense that he was the master of storytelling, drawing, rhythm, and rhyme.
Some of his most liked and read books include:
Check out his collection to make reading fun and interactive for your child and as a bonus, your child will end up learning new words as well.
6. J.K. Rowling
(Authors of Children’s Books)
7. Eric Carle
(Authors of Children’s Books)
If your kids don’t enjoy reading fantasy books and id fond of stories that have got more animals and nature and are full of pictures, then Eric Carle’s books will surely serve your purpose.
Widely known as an author and illustrator, Carle’s short fictional read-aloud stories are perfect to amuse children below the age of 7. His books comprise interactive illustrations and fun activities. His very first illustration was seen in the book, ‘Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see’ which later on became one of the classics.
You can pick his books in the early development stages when your kids are learning how to read. The illustrations will visually help to build the connection between the name of the object, mostly animals and how do they look like.
Some of the top picks would be:
8. Satyajit Ray
(Authors of Children’s Books)
While most people know him through his achievements in filmmaking and his immense contributions to all aspects of cinema, he is one of the children’s favorite authors as well. Apart from being the first Indian to receive the Honorary Academy Award in 1992, and receiving other prominent awards, he had established his expertise in the field of writing, illustration, graphic designing, music composer, translation, etc.
When talking about his popularity among children, Feluda and Shonku are the two characters that come to one’s mind when one hears about Satyajit Ray’s works. Those are the names of two characters from the Feluda series, comprising 35 books in total. A great read for those who love mystery and thrill as the protagonist here is a detective.
Some of the other Satyajit Ray children’s classics that you should miss out on would be:
You name the genre your child is interested in, and voila, you will find one written by him. All the above books are perfect for your child as they deliver the right amount of horror stories, essays, and of course adventure.
He is indeed one of the most multi-faceted talents that India witnessed and you shouldn’t restrict yourself or your child to experience his works.
9. Roopa Pai
(Authors of Children’s Books)
Your Indian kid’s book pile would be incomplete until you have storybooks around epics. Just like any other parent, you will begin your hunt for that perfect book and author that isn’t so complex for your child, but at the same time is perfectly suited to instill the values and lessons of Mahabharata and Ramayana. Roopa Pai is just that author who does them justice with your book hunt. Her books will narrate ancient stories in a way that your child will enjoy and understand.
‘The Gita: for children’ is among her top-selling books, specially designed for kids to help them get a gist of what all Gita comprises. Her ‘The Vedas and Upanishads for children’ is another such book that is curated in an easy-to-grasp format for children. Her books are the best place, to begin with if you want your child to develop an interest in mythology or even just for knowledge purposes. Another book by her that involves ancient Indian stories is ‘Krishna Dev Raya: King of Kings’.
Having said that, she also writes fiction. The Taranauts series by her is perfect for children of age 10-14 years who love reading fantasy and adventure. Similarly, some of the books from other genres include:
10. R.K. Narayan
(Authors of Children’s Books)
R.K Narayan’s books are evergreen and always a treat to read. The author is well known to depict India, its culture, people, and society in general. His books are a real treasure especially if you wish to see India’s true essence.
There will be hardly anyone who has not heard of him. Most of us know him through his all-time favorite book, ‘Malgudi Days’, which was also broadcasted as TV series in the early days of Doordarshan. Malgudi Days is a collection of 32 short stories set up in a small fictional village called Malgudi in South India. If you want to introduce your child to R.K. Narayan’s writing, then this is the perfect book, to begin with. Another good reason to pick this book is because of its open endings. It will leave the reader to develop an interpretation of their own.
Other prominent books by him include:
To conclude, all these authors are globally lauded for wrapping magic in their words for your child. There is something for everyone and they all serve the common purpose of passing the wisdom, and morals and inculcating the reading habit in your child.
Before you go, you may enjoy reading:
Recommended reading: 5 Best Books To Teach Children About Diversity
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Recommended reading: Create a Culture of Reading
