The Spirited Hearts™ TOP 50 FAVOURITE CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS

This is only a small sampling of the books we have, so it was challenging to narrow it down to 50, these are not ranked in order. They have been grouped by topic, although the topics do overlap.

We have a focus on nature, Australia and emotional wellbeing, which you will find many of these books are filled with.

These books are the most read, most requested and most recommended from the Spirited Hearts™ library.

NATURE

·      Can You Here the Trees Talking – Peter Wohllenben: a non-fiction book for children all about trees from breathing and eating, to their relationships with each other and why they don’t fall over

·      Plant the Tiny Seed – Christie Matheson: an action book that allows children to follow on and watch the seed grow into a beautiful flower

·      Eddie’s Garden and How to Make Things Grow – Sarah Garland: follow the magic of starting and caring for a garden at your own home

·      We are the Gardeners – Joanna Gaines: a lovely story that demonstrates that the hardest work can lead to great rewards

·      Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth – Mary McKenna Siddals: follow this rhyming book, as children learn all the things that can be composted

·      The Pumpkin Grew – Linda Stiller: a fun story about a pumpkin vine that grew and grew, and all the insects that called it a home

·      Scribbly Gum Secrets – Dannika Patterson & Megan Forward: a delightful story of discovery and adventuring with reluctant children through the Aussie bush

·      Forest Wonder – Caroline Tuohey: filled with the most beautiful illustrations, and the magic of night time for the animals

·      Slow Down: Bring Calm to a Busy World With 50 Nature Stories – Rachel Williams: one of the most stunning books filled with wonder, awe and the magic of nature

·      Tiny, Perfect Thing – M.H. Clark: seeing all that is beautiful, magical and perfect in the world around us

·      Backyard Magic – Wenda Shurety & Harriet Hobday: a magical story, filled with imagination, creativity and discovering in a backyard

·      Australia’s Wild Weird Wonderful Weather – Stephanie Owen Reeder & Tania McCartney: from cyclones to bushfires, and Indigenous weather knowledge, this is a must non-fiction book for any nature-loving child

·      Big Fella Rain – Beryl Webber: set in the north of Australia, when the big rains come to the desert, filled with stunning illustrations

INSECTS

·      Bee Detectives – Vanessa Ryan-Rendall & Brenna Quinlan: this beautiful story is full of adventure and exploration of Australian native bees

·      Lovely: A Story About a Stingless Bee – Melissa Ballantyne: a beautiful book following the journey of a native stingless bee

·      Why do we need bees? – Usborne Lift-the-flap book: discover the importance of bees on this planet and how they live and work

·      The Very Hungry Catepillar – Eric Carle: no-one can go past this classic filled with lifecycles, colours, days of the week and one very determined caterpillar

·      The Butterfly Garden – Michael Torres: a hilarious story of a kookaburras amusement and disbelief that a caterpillar turns into a butterfly

·      The Wonderful Wisdom of Ants – Philip Bunting: a hilarious look at ants, why we need them and all the wonderful things they do for our planet

·      Searching for Cicadas – Lesley Gibbes & Judy Watson: a beautiful book about a boy and his Grandpa in search of cicadas. Both a story and filled with information

·      The Snail and the Whale – Julia Donaldson: a brilliant, imaginative and fun story of two unlikely companions

BIRDS

·      Backyard Birdwatching: 36 Australian Birds to Enjoy – Ron Smith & Bob Winters: a simple, yet informative books to get kids out an exploring their native, neighbourhood birds

·      Where the Lyrebird Lives – Vikki Conley & Max Hamilton: a beautiful story about lyrebirds, adventure and family

·      Kookoo Koookaburra – Gregg Dreise: a story of wisdom and the importance of using kind words

·      Edward the Emu – Sheena Knowles: a book filled with fun, and self-acceptance

·      Birdsong – Ellie Sandall: children love this book, and all the bird songs adults need to read aloud

AUSTRALIAN ANIMALS

·      Hunwick’s Egg – Mem Fox: an endearing story about a little bilby and his friend. Perfect as alternative read to the easter bunny

·      A Home for Bilby – Joanne Crawford: the sense of community and belonging, as animals help find bildy a new home

·      Wombat Stew – Marcia K. Vaughan & Pamela Lofts: a classic hit with every child, as animals work together to outsmart a cunning dingo

·      We’re Going on a Croc Hunt – Laine Mitchell & Louis Shea: a fun and Aussie take on another classic book

·      Can You Dance? – Sally Morgan: a wonderful action book that will get the children moving around

ANIMALS

·      Dance Like a Flamingo: Learn How to Move & Groover Like the Animals Do! – Moira Butterfield & Claudia Boldt: the perfect book for all the children (and adults) who love books, and love to move and dance

·      The Story of the Little Mole who knew it was none of his business – Werner Holzwarth & Wolf Erlbruch: a story about poop, filled with fun, laughter and a joy for all children

·      The Memory Tree – Britta Teckentrup: a story about the celebration of life and the memories that live on when a loved one dies

·      The Very Cranky Bear – Nick Bland: a wonderful rhyming story about a sheep who doesn’t want to change bear, but rather meet his need for sleep

·      The Very Super Bear – Nick Bland: a fun and light-hearted story, that also shows the destruction of nature by humans, from an animal perspective

·      The Dinky Donkey – Craig Smith: all the books in this series are brilliant, this one follows Wonky Donkey’s daughter, Dinky

·      Imagine – Alison Lester: a favourite book for many decades, filled with imagination, freedom and the magic of childhood

·      The Cow Tripped Over the Moon – Tony Wilson & Laura Wood: a clever play on a traditional rhyme, with a cow who never gives up and the support of her friends

·      Giraffes Can’t Dance – Giled Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees: a beautiful story of individuality, perseverance and self-acceptance

EMOTIONAL WELLBEING

·      The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be – Joanna Gaines: a celebration of our uniqueness and why the world needs exactly who we are

·      Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids? – Carol McCloud: a book that demonstrates how we all need our needs met and our feelings heard

·      The Book of Mistakes – Corinna Luyken: a favourite for all the children who are perfectionists, and why mistakes are the best learning experiences

·      The dot – Peter H. Reynolds: the first book in the Creatrilogy series, about the creative spirit in all of us

·      Ish – Peter H. Reynolds: my favourite in this series about the value of creativity never focusing on if art is “right” or “wrong”

·      Sky Color – Peter H. Reynolds: the third book in the Creatrilogy series, celebrating the creative process

·      Cave Baby – Julia Donaldson: a delightful adventure filled with creativity, imagination and mischief

OTHER

·      The Puffin Book of Fantastic First Poems – June Crebbin (editor): filled with funny, unique and exciting poems, perfect for Poetry Teatime with younger children

·      Oh, Say Can You Say? – Dr. Seuss: one of our most read Dr. Suess books because adults end up with the most terrible tongue ties, that leave children in giggles

·      Going to the Hospital – Usborne First Experiences: a brilliant book to help prepare your child for surgery

Have any recommendations and family favourites?

Leave a comment with your must read children’s picture books.