There can be a big stigma amongst some children’s books as being able to be only read by children. But there are so many amazing children’s books that are just as fun for adults as they are for kids. So here are some recommendations of children’s books for adults.
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
This fantasy series follows demigod Percy Jackson as he learns that Poseidon is his father and that there is, in fact, a whole new world of demigods and gods he is about to be welcomed into. These books are so magical and exciting and are not only brilliant to read to a child, but also to enjoy as an adult yourself. If you like Greek mythology then this series is for you. We join Percy when he is 12 (if I remember correctly), but we see him age up and take on his learnings and magical abilities throughout this series. I just love the fun and adventure of these stories, I need to continue with this story myself which I will do soon, Rick Riordan is such a fantastic and inclusive writer!
The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien
The Hobbit is the prelude to The Lord of the Rings series, a fantasy book written for children that follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Wizard and a band of Dwarves. I am actually reading this book at the moment as part of the TolkienALong and I am really enjoying it. This book was written as a children’s book, but I feel with the way it has aged it is perfectly passable as a read for adults too. This definitely comes across as a book to be read out loud and has traits of children’s fiction, but as an adult and as a Lord of the Rings fan, I am loving this read!
Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Alice goes on quite the journey in this classic written for children when she falls down a rabbit hole and into a whole new world! Carroll’s Wonderland is a hypnotic tale of weirdness and imagination and it is my favourite classic. Anyone who loves madness and wonderfully bizarre fictions will enjoy this book. I have never thought of this as having an age limit on it, but I suppose it lends itself to children because they may be more accepting of the truly weird things that happen in this fiction. However as an adult, I can always do with more weirdness, so I think think this is perfect for unlocking your inner child as an adult.
His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
This is a trilogy of adventures follow Lyra as she learns about Dust and tries to discover what the adults have been hiding from her. I can honestly easily forget this book is written for children because at times it can be pretty complex and talks about some really heavy issues that dip in and out of religion and theology. I think a child reading this series and an adult will take very different things out of it. I read this series as an adult and really enjoyed it, it is such a clever world and one that completely hypnotises the reader. One for adults and children alike I would say.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon
Another book that skips my mind as a children’s book, but this has, in fact, won prizes for children’s fiction. This follows a young boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who decides to try and solve the case of a dead dog in his neighbourhood. I read this book years back and I can’t remember it as well as I would like, but I do remember how incredibly important this book felt when I was reading. I think it’s more likely to be YA than children’s, but for the sake of this blog post, here it is. I remember how aware this book made me of Christopher’s Asperger’s Syndrome, which isn’t something I had read about before picking up this book. Raising awareness for this is something children and adults could do with reading more of.
I’d love to know which children’s books you would recommend for adults!
This is a great list!😍
Oh gosh there is something so charming about children’s books and the ones that are timeless are definitely the ones that are great for adults as well. You’ve got a great list here – and now I really want to find my copy of the hobbit!
I also love anything Roald Dalh!
Rachel x
I loved The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I’ve worked with a few children on various levels of the spectrum and this book accurately portrays autism. I would also recommend seeing it on stage! Incredible!
Loved this list! I really must give His Dark Materials a re-read!
So glad to hear you included Percy Jackson – I’m about to turn 21 and have never read the series but I still want to!
I’m a lover of Children’s literature. I would rather prefer reading Children’s lit than reading some YA fictional books. And some of the great titles I’ve read is Wonder by R.J. Palacio, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engl, and, of course, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.