Finding a great book is like striking gold, yet discovering such a treasure rarely happens by accident. We need a plan. Take a few minutes to read the “why” behind the plan - Books for Boys: Why it Matters. Happy mining.
Picture Books
Mr. Small (series) by Lois Lenski
The Little Airplane
The Little Fire Engine
Leonardo da Vinci by Paolo Cardoni – Stories of unusual children who changed the world.
Pablo Picasso
Amadeus Mozart
Albert Einstein
Sam’s Cookie (series) by Barbro Lindgren – One of my personal favorites for my Sam. If a two-year-old could write books about his life, this would be the product.
Dr. De Soto by William Steig – So very fun and clever – for grownups as well.
Yellow and Pink
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
The Amazing Bone
Billy and Blaze (series) by C. W. Anderson – A boy and his adventures with his horse. Beautiful illustrations.
Alphie and Annie Rose (series) by Shirley Hughes – Everyday life of a little boy and his toddler sister.
Giants, Indeed! by Virginia Kahl
King Arthur (series of 3) by Michael Talbot
The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame
Sammy and The Dinosaurs by Ian Whybrow
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
Andy and the Lion by James Daugherty
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Owl Moonby Jane Yolen
Early Readers
A note about books for those new to (or hesitant to) reading: Reading fluently and confidently takes practice. For those who are hesitant, the goal is to build familiarity with the characters and storyline, so the child doesn’t feel overwhelmed.
The early books in this series have big pictures and few words
From a later book – Dan Frontier Goes to Congress. Words become smaller and reading difficulty increases.
Dan Frontier by William Hurley- Probably the most iconic books from my boys’ early years. Although out of print, they are worth the hunt. The first book in the series, Dan Frontier, is written with few words and a large illustration on each page. As the series continues, there is a slow progression to smaller (and more) words on each page, and fewer illustrations. Readers become familiar with the characters and storyline, so they are less intimidated as the reading becomes more challenging. I should note that my son read a rather comprehensive biography on Daniel Boone, and Dan Frontier had strikingly similar friends and adventures. The Dan Frontier series provides plenty of exciting adventure and action. It may be my favorite.
Jim Forest by John and Nancy Rambeau – A close second to Dan Frontier in our house. Titles like Jim Forest and the Bandit and Jim Forest and Dead Man’s Peak live up to their adventurous names.
Cowboy Sam (series) by Edna W. Chandler
The Deep Sea Adventure Series by Coleman, Berres, Hewett and Briscoe
The Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla
A Lion to Guard Us
Viking Adventure
Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims
Animal Stories by Thorton Burgess
Little Eddie (series – early chapter books) by Carolyn Haywood
Many of the Early Readers listed are out of print. However, you can find them fairly easily at addall.com, which is a virtual clearinghouse for used books. I’ve also stumbled upon great finds at ebay.
Chapter Books
Rick Brandt Electronic Adventures (series) by John Blaine – For your techno-boys.
Match Wits with Sherlock Holmes (series) adapted by Murray Shaw
The Book of Dragons by Edith Nesbit – One of our favorites. Everything by Nesbit is worthy of reading, and of reading aloud as a family. She was the first author to bring fantasy into the everyday life of children (rather than children leaving our world to escape into fantasy). Incredibly well written and delightful stories. A favorite of C.S. Lewis.
The Enchanted Castle
Five Children and It
A Tree for Peter by Kate Seredy
Lazy TInka
The Wheel on the School by Meindert Dejong
Journey from Peppermint Street
Tom Swift (series) by Victor Appleton – Imagine James Bond – 007 written for children. Swift uses science, technology and adventure to save the day.
Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things by Cy Tymony – Amazing, really. Many a contraption in my house was conceived here.
Mini Weapons or Mass Destruction by John Austin - Learn to build Shoelace Darts, Clothespin Catapult, Penny Bombs, Airsoft Pen Poppers, Ping Pong Zookas, and more.
Wingfeather Series by Andrew Peterson – Love. My son’s review is found here.
Just David by Eleanor Porter – A poignant read-aloud for fathers and sons. You can download for free here.
Teddy’s Button by Amy Le Feuvre – Perhaps the best explanation of the battle within all of us between good and evil. We should all read Teddy’s Button from time to time to be reminded. Grace embodied. Powerful message for adults as well as children.
Freddy the Pig (series) by Water Brooks – One of my favorite series. Great to read aloud as a family or individually. Freddy the Detective is at the top of our list.
The Bark of the Bog Owl Trilogy & The Charlatan’s Boy by Jonathan Rogers – The trilogy is a great read-aloud for younger children or independent reading for older kids. The Charlatan’s Boy was one of my personal favorite books read last year. The characters have become part of our family culture. If anything goes wrong or missing – a feechie did it for sure.
Little Britches (series) by Ralph Moody – If you’re looking for a father/son read-aloud, look no further. David has read through most of this series with the boys, and he’s enjoyed them as much (or more) than they have.
Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald – Don’t let the title fool you – great for boys.
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan – True story from WW2
A Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli
The Winged Watchman by Hilda Van Stockum
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The Wonder Clock by Howard Pyle
Otto of the Silver Hand
When the Tripods Came (series) by Lloyd Christopher
The Wonderful Flight of the Mushroom Planet (series) by Eleanor Cameron
Swallows and Amazons (series) by Arthur Ransome
Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
Chapter Books ages 13 +
Fiddler’s Gun and Fiddler’s Green by A.S. Peterson – Fiddler’s Gun has been one of my favorite reads this summer – full of adventure and heart. Due to the accurate portrayal of life, events, and language that took place during the Revolutionary War (and on pirate ships), these books are recommended for those over thirteen. Book club information including special pricing and discussion guide can be found here.
Father Brown: The Essential Tales by GK Chesterton
At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald
The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings
The Dark is Rising (series) by Susan Cooper
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You may have noticed that some of your favorite books (and some of ours, like The Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit) don’t appear on this list. Rather, I’ve attempted to include titles which are somewhat “off the beaten path.” The majority of the list was compiled with the help of my boys. They love their books. I’m grateful.
For your own spelunking:
Visit Living Books Library for their “Top Picks for Boys” list. Take time to browse through the website. It is a goldmine for book lists, information about books, and authors.
Bethlehem Books is a great place to find historical fiction.
Trailblazer Books by Dave and Neta Jackson are historical novels which introduce heroes of the Christian faith. The website provides a map, timeline, and various other resources corresponding to the books. The Bandit of Ashley Downs (introducing George Muller) had a tremendous impact on my life, as well as many of the others Trailblazer books that we’ve read.
Heroes: Then and Now published by YWAM has an extensive list of Heroes of History and Christian Heroes: Then and Now. We’re looking forward to reading about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer together this fall. These are excellent resources.
The “We Were There” series is full of action and adventure. Historical events are retold through the eyes of children. Although out of print, they are fairly easy to find. For a complete book list, visit here.
A list of resources about children’s literature (including many of the “maps” I used to find these books) is found here.
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Once again, I thank those who have graciously shared their knowledge of, and more importantly delight in, great books with me. I’m very grateful for you. You know who you are. (More on that part of my journey here.)
For the benefit of others, please share some of your favorite books for boys in the comments section.
These look great! There are so many that I hadn’t heard of… We have enjoyed the Billy and Blaze books, Nate the Great series, as well as Encyclopedia Brown mysteries.
I don’t know how we missed Nate the Great – I’ve seen them but never borrowed them from the library. Encyclopedia Brown was one of my favorites as a child (and my kiddos as well).
I just received an email from a friend with a good reminder… If you’re looking for some of the older books (Dan Frontier in particular), you may have to be patient. I’ve picked up some great deals on ebay (less than $10 per book)- typically from someone who was selling several books from a personal collection. Addall.com shows several under $10 as well.
If you’re looking for any book in particular, you can email Jan at booksbloom@yahoo.com. She may have some in stock, or can also keep an eye out for you as she’s out “booking about.”
I’ve been meaning to jump on and thank you for this great resource. I grew up with sisters, and my first kids were girls. Now that my son, Jon, is edging on three I’ve suddenly been looking at my shelves and tapping my lip, thinking, “Hmmm, a lot of these are about girls…” As a result, the last three books we’ve read as a family stretched beyond a little (though they were still childhood favorites of mine): The Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary; A Cricket in Times Square, by George Seldon; and A Bear Called Paddington, by Michael Bond. Hopefully these are new suggestions, and not just ones I missed as I skimmed over your list
. Oh! Just thought of some others: The Vinegar Boy (I think the author’s last name in Hawse), and Star of LIght, The Runaway, and Three Go Searching, by Patricia St. John.
I’m forwarding this to my mom-in-law, too. She teaches fourth grade and was just lamenting the lack of good books for boys.
Loren – Yes! I was a ballet dancer with one sister. The world of boys is so different – and so much fun! Thanks for your suggestions – and I haven’t read any of the last few you mentioned, so I’ll look them up. I do like Patricia St. John, but we haven’t come across Three Go Searching yet. Thanks so much!
A lovely list, to be sure, my dear! As I began teaching in my “Books for Boys” talk, God intends our sons to be warriors, providers, and protectors so we need to give them great role models. Do NOT give in to the “wimpy kid” idea – instead give them ideas, tools, models, laughter, and a look at what true living is in the lives of guys who have done IMPORTANT things!
Ah – words from the Jedi Master of booking. Thanks again, Jan, for all you’ve given to so many people.