The Ives branch of the New Haven Free Public Library will open at 11:00 am on 1/22/2025. All other branches will open for their normal hours.
Children›Kids Reads›Suggested Reading Lists

Suggested Reading Lists

All Reading Lists (A-Z)

African American Authors (Chapter Books)
African American Authors (Picture Books)
African American Children’s Poetry
Alphabet Concept Books
Alternatives to Children’s Classics
Animals that Hibernate
Apples
Aquatic Animals
Astronomy
Back To School
Baking
Banned Books
Bath Time
Bedtime for Animals
Bedtime Resources for Parents
Bedtime Story Books
Big Read 2021 (Non-Fiction)
BIPOC Board Books
Bi-racial Characters (Chapter Books)
Bi-racial Characters (Picture Books)
Bird Watching
Black History Month
Black Lives Matter
Books Featuring Animals (Chapter Books)
Books Made Into Movies
Books Where a Character Wears Glasses
Botany
Butterflies

Caldecott Medal Winners

Caldecott Favorites
Chess
Chickens (Fiction)
Chickens (Non-fiction)
Children’s Poetry
China
Climate Change
Colors, Shapes, & Other Concepts
Community Helpers
Community Helpers (Non-fiction)
Connecticut – Facts, Icons, Symbols

Connecticut Authors

Cool Inventions

Coretta Scott King Award Winners

Culturally Diverse Picture Books
Disability
Divorce
Dragons
Eastern European Characters (Fiction)
Eastern Europe Non-Fiction, Biography, & Fairy Tales
Fall
Families- Adopted and Foster kids
Families- Blended Families
Families- Dads
Families- Extended Families
Families- LGBTQ+
Families- Moms
Families – Only children or siblings
Families- Siblings
Feelings
Fitness
First Day of School
Folk & Fairy Tales Featuring Animals
Food Around the World (Fiction)
Food Around the World (Non-fiction)
Fractured Fairy Tales and Parodies
Friendship (Chapter Books)
Friendship (Picture Books)
Frogs
Gardening
General Science Books
Graphic Novels Featuring Animals
Hispanic Biographies (Picture Books)
Hispanic Characters (Chapter Books)
Hispanic Characters (Picture Books)
Hispanic Folktales and Myths
Hispanic Non-Fiction & Biography
Historical Fiction: Ancient Civilizations
Historical Fiction: The Civil Rights Movement
Historical Fiction: The Civil War
Historical Fiction: Colonial America & The American Revolution
Historical Fiction: The Great Depression & The Dust Bowl
Historical Fiction: Medieval & Renaissance Periods
Historical Fiction: Post WWII to Present
Historical Fiction: World War II
Hobbies (Fiction)
Hobbies (Non-fiction)
If you liked Captain Underpants
If You liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid
If you liked Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
If you liked Harry Potter
If you liked the I Survived series
If you liked Junie B. Jones
If you liked Pete the Cat
If you liked Percy Jackson
If you liked Princess in Black
If you liked the Warriors Series
Immigrants and Refugees
Incarcerated Parents
Introverted Main Characters
Inventors (Picture Books)
Jazz
Jewish Characters (Chapter Books)
Jewish Characters (Picture Books)
Jewish Fairy Tales
Jewish Non-Fiction & Biography
Kids with Disabilities (Picture Books)
LGBTQ+ Parenting
LGBTQ+ Positive Books
Libros Para Padres
Lunar New Year
Lullabies
Manners
Martin Luther King
Mental Health
Meteorology
Middle Eastern/North African Characters (Chapter Books)
Middle East/North Africa Non-Fiction & Biography
Mindfulness
Mother’s Day
Moving
Muslim Characters (Chapter Books)
Muslim Characters (Picture Books)
Muslim Non-Fiction & Biography
Mysteries
National Craft Month
National Nutrition Month
National Science Day
Native American Characters (Chapter Books)
Native American Characters (Picture Books)
Native American Folk & Fairy Tales
Native American Non-Fiction & Biography
Neurodiversity
New Baby
Newbery Award Winners
North Asian Characters (Chapter Books)
North Asian Characters (Picture Books)
North Asian Folk & Fairy Tales
North Asia Non-Fiction & Biography
Numbers Concept Books
Nutmeg Award Winners
Parable of The Sower Syllabus
Pet Adoption
Pets (fiction)
Pets (non-fiction)
Physics
Picture Books Featuring Animals
Pirates
Potty Training
Pride Celebration
Princess Stories
Rainbow Books
Rainy Days
Rocks, Minerals & Gems
Scandinavia (Fiction & Fairy Tales)
Scandinavia Non-Fiction & Biography
Scary Books/Horror

School Library Journal Top 100 Children’s Novels

School Library Journal Top 100 Picture Books

Science Fiction Books
Sharing
Sing-Along books
Snow
South Asian Characters (Chapter Books)
South Asian Characters (Picture Books)
South Asian Fairy Tales
South Asia Non-Fiction & Biography
Spanish Board Books
Sports Books
Squirrels
St. Patrick’s Day
Survival Stories
Timeless Children’s Classics
Trains
Travel the USA in Books
Turtles and Tortoises
Ukraine
Winter
Winter Holidays
Winter Solstice
Women Celebrities
Women in Sports
Women in STEAM
Women’s History Month
Women’s History and Rights
Women’s Rights Movement
Wonderbooks
Wordless Picture Books
World War I

African American

African American Authors (Chapter Books)
African American Authors (Picture Books)
African American Children’s Poetry
Black History Month
Black Lives Matter
Parable of The Sower Syllabus

Arts

African American Children’s Poetry
Children’s Poetry
Jazz
National Craft Month

Award Winners & Classics

Alternatives to Children’s Classics

Caldecott Medal Winners

Caldecott Favorites

Coretta Scott King Award Winners

Newbery Award Winners
Nutmeg Award Winners

School Library Journal Top 100 Children’s Novels

School Library Journal Top 100 Picture Books

Timeless Children’s Classics

By Genre

Dragons
Mysteries
Princess Stories
Scary Books/Horror
Science Fiction Books
Sports Books

Chapter Books

African American Characters (Chapter Books)
Bi-racial Characters (Chapter Books)
Books Featuring Animals (Chapter Books)
Books Made Into Movies
Father’s & Sons/Father’s & Daughters
Friendship
Hispanic Characters (Chapter Books)
Jewish Characters (Chapter Books)
Middle Eastern/North African Characters (Chapter Books)
Muslim Characters (Chapter Books)
Native American Characters (Chapter Books)
North Asian Characters (Chapter Books)
Scary Books/Horror
South Asian Characters (Chapter Books)

Concept Books

Alphabet Concept Books
BIPOC Board Books
Colors, Shapes, & Other Concepts
Feelings
Moving
New Baby
Numbers Concept Books
Rainbow Books
Sharing
Sing-Along Books

Diversity

BIPOC Board Books
Bi-racial Characters (Chapter Books)
Bi-racial Characters (Picture Books)
Books Featuring Kids with Glasses
Culturally Diverse Picture Books
Disability
Families- Adopted and Foster kids
Families-Blended Families
Families- LGBTQ+
Hispanic Biographies (Picture Books)
Immigration and Refugee picture books
LGBTQ+ Positive Books
Neurodiversity
Picture Books Featuring Kids with Disabilities
Pride Celebration
Women Celebrities
Women’s History and Rights
Women in Sports
Women’s Rights Movement

En Español

Cuentos folclóricos con animales
Libros Para Niños Pequeños
Libros Para Padres
Personajes Hispanos en Libros Ilustrados

Families

Divorce
Families- Adopted and Foster kids
Families-Blended Families
Families- Dads
Families- Extended Families
Families- LGBTQ+
Families- Moms
Families – Only children or siblings
Families- Siblings

Folk & Fairy Tales

Animals
Dragons
Eastern Europe Non-Fiction, Biography, & Fairy Tales
Fractured Fairy Tales and Parodies
Jewish Fairy Tales
Hispanic Folktales and Myths
Native American Folk & Fairy Tales
North Asian Folk & Fairy Tales
Princess Stories
Scandinavia (Fiction & Fairy Tales)
South Asian Fairy Tales

History

Historical Fiction: Ancient Civilizations
Historical Fiction: The Civil Rights Movement
Historical Fiction: The Civil War
Historical Fiction: Colonial America & The American Revolution
Historical Fiction: The Great Depression & The Dust Bowl
Historical Fiction: Medieval & Renaissance Periods
Historical Fiction: Post WWII to Present
Historical Fiction: World War II
Women’s History and Rights
World War I

Holidays & Special Occasions

Black History Month
Father’s Day (Chapter Books)
First Day of School
Lunar New Year
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Mother’s Day
National Craft Month
National Nutrition Month
National Science Day
St. Patrick’s Day
Winter Holidays
Women’s History Month

Non-Fiction & Biography

Animals that Hibernate
Astronomy
Big Read 2021 (Non-Fiction)
Botany
Chickens (Non-fiction)
Climate Change
Cool Inventions
Community Helpers- nonfiction
Disability
Eastern Europe Non-Fiction, Biography, & Fairy Tales
Food Around the World (Non-fiction)
General Science
Hispanic Biographies (Picture Books)
Hispanic Non-Fiction & Biography
Hobbies (Non-fiction)
Inventors (Picture Books)
Jewish Non-Fiction & Biography
Meteorology
Middle East/North African Non-Fiction & Biography
Muslim Non-Fiction & Biography
National Nutrition Month
Native American Non-Fiction & Biography
North Asia Non-Fiction & Biography
Physics
Scandinavia Non-Fiction & Biography
South Asia Non-Fiction & Biography
Women in STEAM

Parenting Books

Alternatives to Children’s Classics
Bedtime Resources For Parents
Divorce
LGBTQ+ Parenting
Libros Para Padres
New Baby (explaining to child)
Potty Training

Picture Books

Alphabet Concept Books
Bath-time Stories
Bedtime for Animals
Bedtime Stories
Bi-racial Characters (Picture books)
Caldecott Favorites
Community Helpers
Colors, Shapes, & Other Concepts
Culturally Diverse Picture Books
Friendship
Hispanic Biographies
Hispanic Characters (Picture Books)
Immigration and Refugee picture books
Inventors (Picture Books)
Jewish Characters (Picture Books)
Lullabies
Muslim Characters (Picture Books)
Native American Characters (Picture Books)
New Baby
North Asian Characters (Picture Books)
Numbers Concept Books
Picture Books Featuring Animals
Picture Books Featuring Kids with Disabilities

School Library Journal Top 100 Picture Books

Sharing
Sing-Along Books
South Asian Characters (Picture Books)
Wordless Picture Books

Poetry

African American Children’s Poetry
Children’s Poetry

Read Alikes

Alternatives to Children’s Classics
If you liked Captain Underpants
If You liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid
If you liked Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
If you liked Harry Potter
If you liked the I Survived series
If you liked Junie B. Jones
If you liked Percy Jackson
If you liked Pete the Cat
If you liked Princess in Black
If you liked the Warriors Series

Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math

Astronomy
Botany
Climate Change
Cool Inventions
Gardening
General Science
Inventors (Picture Books)
Meteorology
National Science Day
National Nutrition Month
Numbers Concept Books
Physics
Winter Solstice
Women in STEAM

Social Issues for Kids

Black Lives Matter
Climate Change
Immigrants and Refugees
Incarcerated Parents
LGBTQ+ Positive Books
Pride Celebration
Women’s History and Rights
Women’s Rights Movement

World Cultures

African American Characters (Chapter Books)
African American Characters (Picture Books)
African American Children’s Poetry
China
Culturally Diverse Picture Books
Eastern European Characters (Fiction)
Eastern Europe Non-Fiction, Biography, & Fairy Tales
Food Around the World (Fiction)
Food Around the World (Non-fiction)
Hispanic Biographies (Picture Books)
Hispanic Characters (Chapter Books)
Hispanic Characters (Picture Books)
Hispanic Folktales and Myths
Hispanic Non-Fiction & Biography
Jewish Characters (Chapter Books)
Jewish Characters (Picture Books)
Jewish Fairy Tales
Jewish Non-Fiction & Biography
Lunar New Year
Middle Eastern/North African Characters (Chapter Books)
Middle East/North African Non-Fiction & Biography
Muslim Characters (Chapter Books)
Muslim Characters (Picture Books)
Muslim Non-Fiction & Biography
Native American Characters (Chapter Books)
Native American Characters (Picture Books)
Native American Folk & Fairy Tales
Native American Non-Fiction & Biography
North Asian Characters (Chapter Books)
North Asian Characters (Picture Books)
North Asian Folk & Fairy Tales
North Asia Non-Fiction & Biography
Scandinavia (Fiction & Fairy Tales)
Scandinavia Non-Fiction & Biography
South Asian Characters (Chapter Books)
South Asian Characters (Picture Books)
South Asian Fairy Tales
South Asia Non-Fiction & Biography
Ukraine