The Best Kids Books for All Ages
Story time with your children should be magical and meaningful, and we’ve got the books to help! Explore our lists of kids’ books to find the perfect story for your child! Browse hundreds of selections grouped by age and topic.
Introducing…
THE DAWN SOCIETY!
If you’re between the ages of 8 and 12 and you love to read and discuss the books that keep you up ’til dawn, join our innovative virtual book club today. Connect with young readers around the country, and meet your favorite authors, too!
Suggested Grade Levels: 3rd-7th grades
KIDS BOOKS BY AGE
Discover the stories we love by age group, making it easy to find your child’s next favorite book.
Featured Books and Lists by Age
book lists
Looking for a Book on a Particular Topic?
We carefully curate our ever popular lists from thousands of stories published each year. From kindness to confidence, multiculturalism to mindfulness, we’ve got you covered with the perfect books! Check out more than one hundred book lists right here!
KIDS BOOKS BY THEME
Discover your new favorite books organized by the most popular themes to help you raise confident, well rounded kids.
Featured Books and Lists by Theme
Meet Lauren – Mom, Librarian, Lawyer!
I started Happily Ever Elephants to help you:
- discover stories that are magical and meaningful;
- learn to read with intention;
- dig deeper into stories to pull out the character building concepts;
- drive home important values organically (and not through a parenting lecture bound to get nothing but dramatic eye rolls!); and
- help your family tackle reading challenges with confidence and purpose.
FEATURED IN
RAISING READERS
Raising a reader is not always easy. In fact, sometimes it’s downright frustrating! Check out these articles and you’ll be well on your way to bringing up a bookworm.
our celebrity fan list
our celebrity fan listFrom Children’s Book Publishers to award winning authors, bloggers to teachers, come check out who gives Happily Ever Elephants two “trunks” up!
I honestly don’t know of a single, more knowledgeable source in terms of what is available and what is up-and-coming in the world of children’s books. Happily Ever Elephants is an asset to the field of children’s literature and a blessing to consumers looking to get the perfect book into the right (little!) hands at just the right moment.
– Sherri Duskey Rinker, New York Times bestselling author of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
Thank you so much, Happily Ever Elephants, for being such an amazing resource for myself and other parents to find high-quality literature for kids. You make life so much easier and I recommend your site to everyone!
— Susie Allison, Owner of Busy Toddler
I am a huge fan of the Happily Ever Elephants website as it is a great place to learn about new books, and to find books categorized in a way that speaks to today’s parents and readers. This is a place where you can feel the joy of sharing the news about great, empowering books.
— Nancy Paulsen, Publisher of Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin
LKLA loves Happily Ever Elephants because Lauren does what she does from a place of love: love for her adorable boys, love for magical stories, and love for the book-reading community. She’s a must-follow.
— Lori Kilkelly, agent/owner, LK Literary Agency
Happily Ever Elephants is a beautifully conceived and thoughtfully produced go-to source for all things kidlit. Whether you’re searching for books about social justice, emotional learning, or just plain fun, Lauren, a parent and librarian, has reviews, activities, and all the book recommendations you and the little (and not-so-little) readers in your life could ever want. I give Happily Ever Elephants Two Trunks WAY Up!
— Josh Funk, author of picture books including Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast and How to Code a Sandcastle
If you’re looking for the best recommendations for children’s books then Happily Ever Elephants should be your first stop! Easy to navigate and easy to use — there’s something here for every book lover!
— Varian Johnson, author of The Parker Inheritance
So much to love about Happily Ever Elephants! With categories to navigate any search, the books you want, need, and love are easy to find. But there’s more! Happily Ever Elephants has heart. For story. For kids. For reading. Together. This is my go-to site for books to love and stories to discover!
— Elly Swartz, author of Finding Perfect (FSG 2016), Smart Cookie (Scholastic 2018), Give and Take (FSG 2019)
Happily Ever Elephants is a terrific resource for picking the best-of-the-best books from a huge array of choices. I love how Lauren sorts books by category so you can find just what you’re looking for. Smart, revealing, funny reviews. I can’t say enough good things about it, and I refer people to the website all the time. Two trunks up for Happily Ever Elephants!
— Elizabeth Partridge, author, Printz Honor Award recipient and long listed for the National Book Award.
Happily Ever Elephants is my go-to source for children’s book recommendations. Not only does Lauren feature beautifully written and illustrated stories, she stresses reading books that feature diverse characters, encourage empathy and help instill the values that open-minded, forward-thinking parents want for their kids.
— Ilana Wiles, founder of Mommy Shorts
Whenever someone asks me for book recommendations for their kids or classrooms, I name a few books I love – and then tell them to visit Happily Ever Elephants. Lauren has a knack for finding the most breathtaking new books and a thoughtful way of grouping books thematically, which makes it easy to discover a good fit for any reader or occasion.
— Katey Howes, author of picture books, including Be A Maker, Grandmother Thorn, and Magnolia Mudd and the Super Jumptastic Launcher Deluxe
As a teacher, I’m always looking for books that can help me address tough issues that develop among my tween students. Happily Ever Elephants is my go-to source for the highest quality books that spark meaningful conversation in my class. My students are going through a lot, and I know at HEE I will always find books to help me help them.
— Laura Haim, 2020 Miami Dade County Rookie Teacher of the Year
Stories for classroom lessons, stories that take me on adventures, and stories that remind us that books can change the world! Happily Ever Elephants gets my trunk of approval because I can find stories for all aspects of life.
— Juan Gonzalez Jr., Third Grade Teacher and Blogger @teaching3rdwithmrg
