5 Children’s Books All Twenty-Somethings Should Read

5 Children's Books All Twenty-Somethings Should Read

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

I’m sure you all know by now that I love to read. I mean, it’s pretty obvious because of all of my book related posts (and I also mention it in my about me). What you probably don’t know is that I still read children’s books.

My freshman and sophomore years of college were spent reading lots and lots of children’s books because I was a corps member with Jumpstart Philadelphia. Prior to that, I hadn’t really been reading children’s books as often because, well, why would I? I was eighteen years old. I didn’t need to read children’s books. I had plenty of other books I could read, books that were written FOR girls who were 18 years old. I can’t learn anything from children’s books, I thought, they weren’t written for me! I was totally wrong. Children’s books can teach you more about yourself than any other genre of books I’ve ever read. Children’s books teach you that it’s okay to be exactly who you are.

[bctt tweet=”Children’s books teach you that it’s okay to be exactly who you are.”]

That’s pretty powerful stuff, right? So, put down your typical twenty-something reads and take a look at these children’s books!

1. The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Because this book taught me that although I’m not an artist, there are still ways for me to get the most out of my experiences. You just have to read it. It’s adorable.

2. Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss

Because if you’re ever doubting yourself in any way, shape, or form, this book will be there for ya. It’s a great story for new beginnings and is bound to make you feel both nostalgic and excited. YOU GOT THIS.

3. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce

Because books have healing powers. Don’t be afraid to lose yourself in a book.

4. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Because sometimes life sucks and you need to be mad about it. Alexander feels ya.

5. Olivia by Ian Falconer

Because we’re all divas inside. Olivia teaches us to dare to be different! We don’t have time for so many basic people in this world so DON’T BE BASIC. BE OLIVIA.

 

Throughout my time with Jumpstart, I realized just how important children’s books are. When a child reads a book and sees a version of themselves reflected in the pages, that child feels validated. That child knows he or she is not alone. According to the Educational Testing service, the more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher the students reading proficiency (National Education Association). For children in low-income households, books might not be a priority. In some of the lowest-income neighborhoods in the United States, there is only one book available for every 300 children (First Book). I don’t know about you, but that statistic gets me CHARGED UP (Meek Mill vs. Drake reference, anyone? Anyone?)

Some of my friends are charged up as well: Amanda, Natalie, and Pam are holding a #BloggerBookDrive to raise money to provide children with books! I think this is an amazing idea and I encourage you to donate to their campaign! They have a goal to raise $200 (that’s enough for 80 books!) by the end of August and I think with the amazing blogging community we have, that should be no problem!

The organization they are running this book drive through is called First Book. For every $2.50 raised, First Book will donate a book to a child in need. So far, First Book has donated over 90 million books to children in need! That’s crazy awesome!

If you’re feeling inspired/charged up/willing to help, please consider donating to the #BloggerBookDrive!

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42 Comments

  1. August 5, 2015 / 11:22 am

    You are so awesome Kayla! Thank you so much for writing a post and linking up. I hadn’t read some of these books, but now I am definitely thinking about which of these books I can add to my niece’s reading collection!

    • August 5, 2015 / 11:30 am

      Yay! Thanks Amanda, I’m so glad you liked it!

  2. August 5, 2015 / 11:56 am

    Great picks! I love The Dot 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing and linking up!!

    • August 7, 2015 / 3:53 pm

      Of course, thank you for starting up such a wonderful book drive!

  3. Ashley Vickney
    August 5, 2015 / 12:10 pm

    Oh the Places You’ll Go! I love that book, got it for my high school graduation! Love this list, it’s so creative!
    xoxo

  4. August 5, 2015 / 1:18 pm

    This post is awesome! I’ve read Oh The Places You’ll Go but I haven’t read anything else!

    • August 7, 2015 / 3:53 pm

      You better get on it then! Haha, just kidding 🙂
      Thanks for stopping by, Ashley!

  5. August 5, 2015 / 2:01 pm

    I absolutely adore Oh the Places You’ll Go! It is a book I strive to live by!

    Nicole// Chronicles of Home

  6. August 5, 2015 / 3:58 pm

    These are amazing books and you have such great points. It is crazy to see how many people either chose not to read as a child or didn’t have the opportunity!

  7. August 5, 2015 / 4:47 pm

    I’ve read books 2, 4, and 5 and can vouch that they are such wonderful books.
    I loved reading as a child and still do so I believe everyone should have access to good books.

    xoxo, Jenny || Breakfast at Lillys

  8. Miss ALK
    August 5, 2015 / 7:43 pm

    I used to read so much as a kid! The one thing that I really hate about college is not having the time to read for fun anymore (between homework, being involved at school and blogging!). This post brought me back to my childhood! 🙂

    xoxo A
    http://www.southernbelleintraining.com

    • August 7, 2015 / 3:52 pm

      Yay, I’m glad it brought back some fond memories! I definitely agree with you on the not having time to read thing. I will go through stages of not reading books for a few months and then I read like, 1 book per week! I need to get better at reading more consistently.

  9. August 5, 2015 / 7:51 pm

    Haha I’ve actually read all of these books! Yay for being a nanny for so long (:

  10. August 5, 2015 / 10:06 pm

    This is a great cause! “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” has a special place in my heart, as it was read to me before many of my big changes in life by a dear family friend. It really never gets old and is so applicable to different stages of your life. Thanks for sharing!!

    • August 7, 2015 / 3:50 pm

      That’s so sweet. Thank YOU for commenting!

  11. Lauren Ashley
    August 6, 2015 / 12:08 am

    Number two was and always will be my favorite. <3 so many lessons in there

    Lauren

    The Fashionista’s Diary

    • August 7, 2015 / 3:50 pm

      Definitely! It’s a great book to read whenever you’re feeling down.

  12. August 6, 2015 / 1:30 am

    “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” is my all time FAVORITE book! I could read it everyday and it never gets old. Nothing wrong with a good children’s book every now and again. Great post.

    xoxo Alexis @
    alexis-reliford.com

  13. August 6, 2015 / 6:07 am

    I have read books 1, 3 and 4! All these are amazing books!!

    • August 7, 2015 / 3:50 pm

      Yay! I’m glad we agree on the awesomeness of these books!

  14. Allison Ellzey
    August 6, 2015 / 9:53 am

    I secretly LOVE reading kids books. They are so simple, but can teach so much!

    • August 7, 2015 / 3:49 pm

      Right?! They’re such quick reads but I love the lessons they teach.

  15. August 6, 2015 / 10:30 am

    I got “Oh The Places You’ll Go” as a graduation present and I loved it! And you guys are rockstars for supporting such an awesome cause — I definitely believe every child should have access to books!

    xo, Alicia | Alicia Tenise

  16. Marie Huang
    August 6, 2015 / 2:20 pm

    I think that this is a such a neat post! I totally agree that we can still learn a lot from books that are geared towards children. I love reading books to the little girls that I nanny! Talk about nostalgia!

    XOXO

    Marie H.

    Progression By Design

    • August 7, 2015 / 3:49 pm

      I love reading books to kids, too! I’m sad I won’t be doing Jumpstart this year because reading to them was my favorite part. Thanks for stopping by, Marie!

  17. August 6, 2015 / 2:45 pm

    Is it bad I don’t think I’ve read any of these besides the Seuss??? But I love the idea of this drive everyone is throwing. Such an amazing way to give back, and so thoughtful!

    Coming Up Roses

    • August 7, 2015 / 3:48 pm

      Thanks, Erica! And no, I don’t think it’s bad. Most of these books are new-er. I wouldn’t have read them if I wasn’t working with preschoolers for 2 years haha!

  18. August 7, 2015 / 11:24 pm

    I’ve always loved children’s books! I can’t believe I’ve only read one on the list. I’ll have to change that soon 🙂

  19. Ally Gagliardo
    August 8, 2015 / 9:26 am

    Did I even have a childhood if I don’t remember these books other than Places and Olivia?! Need to read them!

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