Children seem to have fun doing just about anything… even reading!
but they probably love books so much because children’s books are just so much fun to read.
You are reading: Books for childrens in english
Luckily for you, children’s books are also perfect for English learners.
And that’s why we’ve put together a list of 10 classic children’s books for you.
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- Why learn English with children’s books?
- 10 classic children’s books for English learners
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- 1. “good night moon” by margaret wise brown
- 2. “the very hungry caterpillar” by eric carle
- 3. “If you give a moose a muffin” by Laura Numeroff
- 4. Curious George by H.A. king and margret king
- 5. “the tree that gives” by shel silverstein
- 6. “corduroy” by don freeman
- 7. “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak
- 8. “the story of fernando” by munro leaf
- 9. “green eggs and ham” by dr. seuss
- 10. “the cat in the hat” by dr. seuss
download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable pdf that you can take anywhere. click here for a copy. (download)
See Also: Top 10 Parenting Books for Raising Boys – Modern Parents Messy Kids
why learn english with children’s books?
- memorable pictures. Many children’s books use pictures to illustrate what is written. they do this so that the children can better understand the story. These illustrations (images) can be of great help in learning English. By associating (mental connecting) a new vocabulary word or phrase with a picture or object, it is much easier to remember.
- Words in context. Likewise, words used in a real situation (in context) are also much easier to remember. Since the language of these books is quite simple, it’s easy to tell what’s going on. so when you come across a word you don’t know, you can often use the situation and pictures in the story to understand the meaning of the word (without using a dictionary).
- easy vocabulary and grammar. Although I’ll say below that some of the books have “advanced” vocabulary, they’re really not too difficult. they are simply more difficult than the very basic words that are more common in children’s books. For example, you may already know the word “clever”, but one of these books might say “clever”. it has almost the same meaning, but it is a higher level vocabulary word.
- great life lessons. most children’s books teach children how to grow up and be a good person. however, even as teenagers and adults, these lessons remain true and important. Children may not fully understand or appreciate (value) the meaning behind the stories. however, as adults, these stories may have new meanings for us.
- Reading them is fun! the stories are nice and the pictures help you understand the words (as well as being nice to look at).
English learners can feel frustrated when they choose books that are above their English reading level. By focusing on children’s books first, you should have a very positive and successful learning experience.
if you enjoy this kind of fun language learning, you can get a similar experience with fluentu. fluentu offers authentic videos in English, such as movie trailers, music videos, inspirational talks and more, that have been transformed into a language learning experience.
Each video comes with interactive subtitles, so you can get instant definitions for any unfamiliar words. there are also flashcards and exercises to help you remember them. so when you’re taking a break from one of the great books below, check out fluentu’s free trial to keep learning while having fun.
10 Classic Children’s Books for English Learners
These books are ordered from easiest to most difficult.
1. “good night moon” by margaret wise brown
“good night, moon” doesn’t really have much of a story. the book is just a description of certain things like kittens, a mouse, and a quiet old lady. there are also gloves, a toy house and even a cow. the author introduces everything at the beginning and then says goodnight to each of them at the end.
“good night, moon” uses repetition of the same sentence structures with different vocabulary, which is great for English learners. For example, one line in the book reads: “Good night, fourth. good night Moon. good night cow jumping over the moon.” this is really helpful for learning lots of new words.
Most of the story is made up of short two- and three-word sentences, which is why I’ve listed it as the easiest book here.
2. “the very hungry caterpillar” by eric carle
“the very hungry caterpillar” is about a caterpillar that eats more and more food for a week. The book begins with a small caterpillar hatching from its egg and beginning to search for food. he does this every day.
At first, the caterpillar eats healthy, like fruits and vegetables. then the caterpillar begins to eat more and more junk food, until its stomach hurts. therefore, the caterpillar decides to eat something good again and feels better. in the end, the caterpillar wraps itself in a cocoon and soon becomes a butterfly.
This children’s book is great for learning essential English words like numbers, foods, and days of the week. Once again, repetition is very important to improve your English, and this book has a lot of excellent repetition.
3. “If you give a moose a muffin” by Laura Numeroff
See Also: Stephanie Hudson – Afterlife Saga Series Reading Order – Maryse&039s Book Blog
“if you give a moose a muffin” is about a moose who always wants something more in his life. first, he wants a muffin. then he wants some jam to go with it. when he finishes eating, he wants some more until they are all gone. then, he asks you to do more, and more…
This book is one of the shortest on the list and its language uses a lot of future tense. this means that most sentences have the verb “will” in them. For example, “If you give a moose a muffin, he will want some jam to go with it.” this book is especially useful for learning the future tense and its contractions (he, you, etc.).
if you like this book, you will probably also like “if you give a mouse a cookie”, written by the same author.
4. Curious George by H.A. king and margret king
“curious george” is a very famous series about a monkey named curious george. the word “curious” means to be interested in knowing more about something. Curious George is too curious, causing the humans to catch him and take him to his big city.
There, the monkey creates all sorts of trouble. he calls the fire department, ends up in prison (jail), escapes from prison, is carried into the sky by balloons, and finally arrives safely at the zoo.
This book uses a lot of short, simple sentences, which makes it very easy for English learners to read. for example, “one day george saw a man. he had on a big yellow straw hat. The man also saw George. As you can see, the sentences are very short and choppy, which makes Curious George a great read for both children and English learners.
5. “the tree that gives” by shel silverstein
In this story, a boy loves to play in an apple tree, and the apple tree loves it when the boy plays with it. however, the boy grows older and no longer plays in the tree. later in life he returns to the tree to ask for help in life. the tree helps the boy because she loves him. at the end, the boy returns to the tree one last time as an old man and uses the tree stump (the short part left after a tree is felled) to sit on, making the tree happy.
This book has such deep meaning and at the same time it’s fun to read. this book uses its simple words to create a clear idea, making it easy to read.
6. “corduroy” by don freeman
“corduroy” is the story of a teddy bear that is for sale in a toy store. it has lost one of its buttons, so no one wants to buy it. this makes him very sad because he wants a boy to take him home. Corduroy decides that he needs to find a new button if someone is going to buy it.
so one night, he leaves the toy store and goes to the big box store to find a button for himself. he unfortunately he couldn’t find a button, but you’ll have to read the story to see what happens next.
“corduroy” uses a lot of advanced vocabulary, like “overall” (the item of clothing in these images) and “escalator” (stairs that move). therefore, it might be helpful to use a dictionary while reading this book. You can also learn many words related to the house, such as “sofa” and “furniture”.
7. “where the wild things are” by maurice sendak
“where the wild things are” is about a boy named max who misbehaves in front of his parents. his mother sends him to his room without dinner. while in his room, a forest magically grows and max encounters huge monsters called wild things. The wild things try to scare him away, but Max tames them with a magic trick.
Wild things get scared of max, so they call him the wildest thing ever. Finally, Max says that he should go home and returns to his room in his private boat. When Max finally comes home, his mother has left dinner for him, still hot.
This is one of the most classic children’s books in English literature, and it’s also one of the best known. in fact, it became a very popular movie. Despite being a children’s book, “Where the Wild Things Are” uses advanced vocabulary, making it great for learning higher-level words and grammar.
8. “the story of fernando” by munro leaf
See Also: Richard North Patterson – Book Series In Order
since he was a child, ferdinand, a bull (a male cow), loved to smell the flowers in the pasture (grass area) where he lives. but the other bulls liked to play and butt heads. When Ferdinand grows up, she becomes the biggest and strongest bull, but she still likes to sit and smell the flowers.
one day five men come to pick up a bull from the pasture for the bullfights. Fernando doesn’t want to be elected, but he gets stung by a bee. The bee sting makes Ferdinand jump like crazy, so the five men choose Ferdinand for the bullfights. In Ferdinand’s first fight, he lies down to smell the flowers in the arena (the place where they have the fights) instead of fighting. that’s why he is sent back to the pasture.
This is the first story on this list that has a more normal, flowing language instead of using poetry, rhymes, or lacking a true story. it has everything that makes a great children’s book for English learners: simple and advanced vocabulary, as well as simple and advanced grammar concepts.
9. “green eggs and ham” by dr. seuss
In this book, a cat named Sam really likes green eggs and ham. so he offers it to a friend, but the friend doesn’t want to eat green eggs with ham.
They go on a train, inside a tunnel and even on the lake, but sam’s friend still doesn’t want to eat green eggs and ham. after sam asks his friend many times, his friend finally tries the green eggs and ham. you’ll have to read the book to see if he liked the food or not.
This book is a long and very entertaining poem. use repetition like “the very hungry caterpillar” does. despite having a mostly simple vocabulary, the words are used in a way that feels smart. there are a lot of rhymes and use of similar words, which is what makes this book so smart and fun to read.
10. “the cat in the hat” by dr. seuss
written by the same author as “green eggs and ham”, this famous book begins with two brothers. they have to stay inside one day because it is cold and rainy outside. They don’t know what to do for fun and their parents aren’t home.
Suddenly, a cat in a hat knocks on his door and invites himself inside. the cat makes a mess while he has fun and plays. the cat leaves and returns with thing 1 and thing 2 inside, making a bigger mess. Will the siblings be able to clean up before their parents return? you’ll have to read the book to find out.
“The Cat in the Hat” is the longest children’s book on this list, but it’s one of the best. the cat in the hat character is one of dr. most popular seuss stories This book is excellent for English learners due to its simple language and diverse vocabulary. I recommend this book for people who want a better understanding of English vocabulary in particular. for example, a couple of funny words used in this story include “thump” and “bump”.
There are so many great ways to learn from children’s books as you improve your English.
But don’t forget to work on your other skills besides reading too! The good thing is that even with just one book, you can work on different skills at the same time. for example, you can read aloud to practice your English.
Regardless of the format, children’s stories are great because they have important life lessons, memorable scenes, helpful context for remembering new words, and easy vocabulary and grammar.
The next time you’re not sure what to do to improve your English, try stories for children!
download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable pdf that you can take anywhere. click here for a copy. (download)
See Also: Top 10 Parenting Books for Raising Boys – Modern Parents Messy Kids
