For those of us who grew up reading, either alone or with our parents, children’s books have a special place in our hearts. We might revisit them on our own as we grow older when we need a safe place to escape to, or the comfort of a few old, familiar (fictional) friends. Or, we may wish to introduce younger family members to the imaginary worlds we once called home, in the hopes of passing that lingering love on to future generations. We may even read new children’s books, ones we never got the chance to read when we were younger, for inspiration or to reconnect with the people we used to be.

But even if you weren’t a big reader as a child or simply haven’t picked up a book for younger readers in a long time, children’s books can, for adults, kindle something vital in us that needs bolstering from time to time—our sense of hope. The books I want to talk about today, in particular, read beautifully no matter how old you are (or feel).

Why Read Children’s Books as an Adult?

The most obvious reason is, of course, nostalgia. It’s only natural, as we grow up and life gets harder and more complex, to yearn for those simpler days when you had time and space to disappear into a good story. Rereading the stories we loved as children can let us forget, if only for a moment, about all our adult troubles. But there are other reasons, too:

• Children’s books may offer a change of pace from our usual literary fare and let our brains take a much-needed break from heavier plots and more challenging prose while still enjoying a good story
• Their brevity and simplicity make them excellent choices for “sick day” books
• Rereading old favorites doesn’t just put us in touch with how we used to feel, but what used to excite us and spark our curiosity—things we adults all too often forget and need reminding of
• Children’s books can help us connect better with important younger people in our lives, such as nieces, nephews, or our own children
• Children’s books are better than almost any other literary genre at delivering powerful messages simply but poignantly

But perhaps the most important reason why is this: children’s books, for adults, can put us back in touch rather swiftly with our own, most deeply-held values and ideas. The best books, after all, have something important to say, regardless of whoever the “ideal” reader might be. Children’s books, especially, are excellent at reminding us of the simplest, yet most important, things in life, like kindness, gratitude, and generosity. They break difficult, complex abstract ideas down into simple, concrete words and images that pierce right to the point—and that point can hit you just as hard at 50 as it did when you were five.

6 Must-Read Children’s Books for Adults

Obviously, I haven’t read every children’s book ever written. I simply haven’t had the time. So it’s entirely possible that your most beloved children’s classic isn’t going to be mentioned in this post.

That’s okay. You already know you love that book. Go ahead. Go grab it off the shelf, dust it off, and spend a little quality time with it if you want to. This list will still be here when you get back.

But if you’re ready to be reminded of a long-lost love from your early days or perhaps introduced to a new, long overdue favorite, read on. These are my (current) top six must-read children’s books for adults.

1. ‘The Hobbit’ by J.R.R. Tolkien

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”

Returning readers no doubt saw this one coming. I can hardly get through a single recommended reading post without mentioning Tolkien—and no, I won’t apologize for it. I actually reread this one (not for the first time) last year, and my biggest takeaway from that experience is this: Middle-Earth will always be my heart’s true home.

While I will admit that I actually do prefer The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit has all the elements of the perfect book for fantasy lovers of all ages: adventure, magic, a lovable protagonist, and one heck of an iconic dragon. And at its heart, it’s a story about the most valuable treasure of all: friendship. Or, should I say… fellowship.

2. ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass’ by Lewis Carroll

“‘Well! I’ve often seen a cat without a grin,’ thought Alice; ‘but a grin without a cat! It’s the most curious thing I ever saw in all my life!’”

Confession time: I am also obsessed with Alice, Wonderland, and Lewis Carroll Charles Dodgson. I once attempted to watch and read every single adaptation ever created, because I was so utterly fascinated with how many different ways this classic masterpiece could be interpreted. It is, perhaps, a testament to how influential this story is that I never quite managed my goal—even though I’m still a sucker for almost anything Wonderland-themed.

None of those adaptations, however, quite achieved the same wonder and whimsy of the original two books—which, yes, I am counting as one because they are so often conflated in adaptations and in readers’ memories anyway. Wonderland is so much fun to visit, even when you’re older, in part because it is so strange and unusual—but also because Wonderlandian wordplay simply never gets old.

3. ‘The Secret Garden’ by Frances Hodgson Burnett

“At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done—then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.”

The Secret Garden is one of those children’s classics I’m convinced not nearly enough people still read today. Maybe you watched one of several film adaptations that have been released over the years—the 1993 one is my favorite—but if you haven’t actually sat down and read the original, there’s no time like the present.

There is something so deeply satisfying and soothing about watching Mary, our quite contrary protagonist, grow and blossom along with the secret garden itself. It is a story about patience, healing, and finding an escape from an otherwise lonely and suffocating situation—something I think we can all relate to, right about now.

4. ‘The Wind in the Willows’ by Kenneth Grahame

“Take the Adventure, heed the call, now ere the irrevocable moment passes!’ ‘Tis but a banging of the door behind you, a blithesome step forward, and you are out of the old life and into the new!”

With The Wind in the Willows, I took my own very good advice from the previous entry and read it in high school or so, having never actually had the pleasure of reading it as a child. It wasn’t a completely new story to me—throughout my reading, my mind was full of memories of the lovely Rankin/Bass animated adaptation from 1987. The book, of course, turned out to be even better—and it’s the perfect size for taking on a camping trip, to the beach, or even just out into your own backyard.

Don’t have a backyard? Sit by the window. This book is absolutely saturated with a love of the outdoors, and the creatures that inhabit it, and inviting a little bit of that natural magic into your own reading experience will just make it that much better.

5. ‘His Dark Materials’ series by Philip Pullman

“All the history of human life has been a struggle between wisdom and stupidity.”

Yes, there’s a lovely HBO adaptation (which I need to catch up on) and a not-so-lovely film adaptation (which I was so disappointed by) that you could watch instead. And I wouldn’t blame you—I, too, am ecstatic anytime Lin-Manuel Miranda appears.

But as with any film or television adaptation, some things have been lost in even the best translations—and for a book so packed with such deep, thoughtful discussions around topics like faith, identity, and the nature of reality itself, there’s a lot to miss. As an added bonus, once you finish the original His Dark Materials trilogy, the adventure continues in a brand-new trilogy, The Book of Dust, which I look forward to finally digging into sometime soon.

6. ‘The Dragons Are Singing Tonight’ by Jack Prelutsky

“I lie in my bed and I listen, / Enchanted and filled with delight, / To songs I can hear only one night a year– / The dragons are singing tonight.”

All right, so this one is a bit of an odd duck on this list, being a poetry book rather than prose. But this list simply would not feel complete to me without it. There has not been a single time I’ve revisited this beautiful little collection (in an ironically oversized paperback format) and not gotten a bit teary-eyed about it. Jack Prelutsky is the king of shrinking huge feels into small, bite-sized verses cleverly disguised as nothing but fanciful fluff. This is basically the “Puff the Magic Dragon” of children’s poetry books—bittersweet, beautiful, and utterly unforgettable.

Children’s Books to Read as an Adult: Extended Edition

To be honest, it’s been incredibly difficult for me to pick just a few children’s books for adults when my shelves abound with so many excellent choices. So I’m going to cheat a little bit―for those of you looking for more recommendations beyond the above list, here are a few more to check out (listed in no particular order):

• Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
• Coraline by Neil Gaiman
• The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
• The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop
• The Bunnicula series by James and Deborah Howe

It’s pretty clear my love of fantasy is nothing new—in fact, I like to say I inherited it from my parents, both of whom are avid readers and enjoy a good fairy tale. But even those books on this list that aren’t fantasy novels still feel magical to me—and, I suspect, always will, no matter how much I’ve supposedly grown up.

Kim Berkley is a fantasy author and narrative designer. Her published fiction includes The Harbinger’s Head, a dark interactive fairy tale for adults, and The Dragon’s Last Flight, a fantasy visual novel currently in development.