Children's Book Authors Share The Books They're Most Thankful For

Your favorite kidlit authors share books that transformed them as readers—and as writers.

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

As a writer, a reader, and a parent, one of the things I'm most grateful for this year—and every year—is books. And I know I'm not alone. So these Parents gathered some of your favorite children's book authors to ask them about the one book they're most thankful for. Because there's nothing like snuggling up with a cozy read after you've gathered to break bread with friends and family. And with picks from picture books to adult, there's something on this reading list for everyone in your family.

Related: Best Children's Books 2022

Picture Books

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
“Where the Wild Things Are. Because it teaches that no matter where you go in life, or what you’ve done, your people are still going to be there for you when you come home. “Supper was waiting for him. And it was still hot.” 
—Kristin Dwyer, author of The Atlas of Us

Salat in Secret, by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, Hatem Aly (illustrator)
Salat in Secret features a Muslim boy who doesn't have a place to pray during school, and how he goes about finding the courage to speak up and ask for space. As a mother with two first-generation American kids facing similar challenges in their school, I'm so grateful that this book can help support and encourage children and their families all over the world. There’s so much to draw readers in: the topic is relatable, the illustrations are lovely, and the themes of community and acceptance are so heartwarming. I'm truly thankful that this book exists.
—Saadia Faruqi, author of Saving Sunshine

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by Jon Scieszka
“I loved reading from an early age, but when I discovered The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! at my school book fair, I was in awe. Finally, I found a hilarious book that aligned with my sense of humor. Despite being shy, I wanted everyone in the world to know about it, especially my family. I read it aloud to my tia so many times that she gave me a tape recorder and took a nap. This story confirmed for me that books were indeed amazing and sparked the dream that maybe one day I could make them, too.”
—Angela Dominguez, two-time recipient of Pura Belpré Illustration Honor and author of the Stella Diaz series

Slyvester and the Magic Pebble, by William Steig
“This Caldecott-winning picture book was not one I remembered from childhood, but rather one I discovered early in my career as an illustrator and author. I was flailing a bit, not sure of who I was or what I wanted to say, and Sylvester hit on so many wonderful things that I suddenly saw were possible. Grandiose, verbose, and fanciful storytelling. Unexpected plot and character surprises, one after another. Wonderfully loose pen and ink and watercolor illustration. An all-animal cast of characters with a donkey protagonist. I’m inspired and surprised every time I read Sylvester, which says a lot since it’s the picture book I’ve read the most.”
—Matthew Cordell, Caldecott award-winning author and illustrator of Wolf In the Snow

Middle Grade

One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia
"As a kid reader, I loved books about magic and animals, worlds of fantasy and science fiction, and heroic stories. But I needed books that showed me true things, including complicated true things about the place where I actually lived. Those books, the honest ones, made me feel safe. One Crazy Summer, a story about three sisters and a trip to see their mom who lives on the other side of the country, is such a book: Woven with only essential stitches, it is wholly age-appropriate, populated with wonderful characters, and full of complicated truth (and also, love).
—Rebecca Stead, author of Newbery Medal winner When Your Reach Me and co-author of The Lost Library

Mexikid, by Pedro Martín
“Mexikid brings the loving torment of sisters and brothers on a family road trip to the page with spot-on accuracy. Pedro’s authentic ten-year-old voice and hilarious reporting of his family’s trip to Mexico in a Winnebago motorhome were fresh, original, and right on the money.  My family was nothing like Pedro’s, and yet the scenes in this book felt so familiar.  I was laughing so hard that the poignancy crept up on me.  Especially loved the end which brought this sprawling graphic novel to a perfect close.  If you haven’t read Mexikid yet, you are in for a real treat.”
—Gennifer Choldenko, co-author of Dogtown and author of the Tales from Alcatraz series

Related: Let Your Child Read Graphic Novels

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
“When I read A Wrinkle in Time for the first time as a 9- or 10-year-old, I’m pretty sure I didn’t understand it. But I loved it anyway. I loved Meg Murry’s awkwardness and curiosity and determination. I loved her fierce love for her family. I loved that she was brave enough to fight against evil itself. And I loved that she was a girl who got to have the kind of important, dramatic, world-changing adventures that I had mostly only seen male protagonists have up to that point. So I read it again and again, grasping more each time. As a kid, I loved the book just for itself. As an adult and a writer myself now, I also love A Wrinkle in Time for the legacy it left. Every time I write—or read--a new book that’s even just a little odd, I can see how Madeleine L’Engle and A Wrinkle in Time made that book possible. And I am so, so grateful.”
—Margaret Peterson Haddix, NYT Bestselling author of Falling Out of Time and the Mysteries of Trash & Treasure series

The Twinkie Squad, by Gordon Korman
"As a young reader growing up in the 90s, it didn't really feel like there were a lot of books that were written for me. My parents gave me a lot of classic novels (remember those Great Illustrated Classics books?), and I had a tendency to read 'up' a lot, scooping up books that were far outside of my age range as a 10-year-old. Stephen King? V.C. Andrews? Am I still a little messed up? You bet. But one day at my local library (shout out to the Elmora Public Library in Elizabeth, NJ), a children's librarian gave me a copy of Gordon Korman's The Twinkie Squad, thinking I might like it. And I have to tell you, it was the first time I saw a character struggling with something very similar to me. Douglas Fairchild, one of the characters in The Twinkie Squad, makes up a country that he's from. It's a whole thing, complete with lore. Pefkakia. It's ill-advised for sure, but as a young, adopted kid, this was something that grabbed me immediately. Here was a character who felt so wildly different from his family, who had such a hard time explaining himself, that he was ready to just make things up to fit in. Identity is a hard thing to wrestle with as a kid, especially when you don't really have a sense of one. Korman's novel showed me that hey, it's okay. You'll get through it with your friends who, frankly, aren't really going to care. And that's exactly what I did."
—Eric Smith, author of With Or Without You

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis
“At this time of year, my thoughts always turn to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I will always feel grateful for the sheer sense of joy and sparkling winter magic it gave me when I was small. It allowed me to step into a world of glowing lampposts in snowy forests, of brave fauns and grand talking lions, and crumpets eaten in front of cosy fires - all waiting just beyond a door in a wardrobe.” 
–Pari Thomson, New York Times bestselling author of the Greenwild series

The Labors of Hercules Beal, by Gary D. Schmidt 
"Is there a writer in the world more kind and generous with his characters than Gary D. Schmidt? His latest middle-grade novel, The Labors of Hercules Beal, is yet another not-to-be-missed treasure, featuring his trademark humor, luminous prose, and a delightful cast of characters. As we watch Herc Beal, grieving seventh-grader, navigate loss, discover friendship, and tackle a Herculean assignment from his new homeroom teacher, it’s impossible not to fall in love with this wonderful kid...and with Schmidt’s ability to limn, with sensitivity and grace, the challenges of growing up. A heartfelt novel from a heart-healing master." 
—Katherine Applegate, co-author of Dogtown and Newbery Medal winner for The One and Only Ivan

Related: Alternate Summer Reading List: Dr. Ibram X. Kendi's Antiracist Book Recommendations

Young Adult

The Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula Le Guin
“I’m so thankful to have read The Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula Le Guin when I was 12. I was swept away by the world Le Guin created and the boy wizard with the magic sailboat. More importantly, she got me thinking about the cost of power and the responsibility inherent in wielding it. The book was also a favorite childhood read of my first Random House editor. We bonded over our love of Ged and dragons. We referred to it in the editing process to create a richer and more textured emotional and physical landscape. When Heart of a Shepherd was published in 2009, someone gave Le Guin a copy because the story is set in the wild and windswept landscape of southeastern Oregon; a place that inspired the Kargad lands in Earthsea. She liked it! A thing which astonishes me to this day! Ursula arranged some local connections which have nourished my writing career ever since. I’m grateful for her generosity and have tried to live up to her example.”
—Rosanne Parry, New York Times Bestselling author of A Horse Named Sky

Anita and Me, by Meera Syal
"I grew up all over the world, as a third culture kid, born in England and living in in Nigeria, Tanzania, Dubai, and California before I was a teen. Growing up, Meera Syal's Anita and Me was the first time I ever saw a Punjabi and British Asian character, especially one from a working class community. Anita is funny and curious and not afraid to speak her mind. And the book was that rare reflection of my family's experience, and the first time I recognized myself as a reader—and realized that I, too, could be a writer, that our stories were worth sharing."
—Navdeep Singh Dhillon, author of Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions

The Friends, by Rosa Guy
"I wouldn't have the career that I have without The Friends, by Rosa Guy. I always wanted to be a writer for sure, but I thought I'd be writing for adults. It didn't occur to me to write for kids until I came across Guy's gem at 15-years-old. I had just moved from Trinidad to Brooklyn, NY, and the protagonist, Phillisia, had also recently moved to New York from the Caribbean. Although her circumstances were quite different from mine, I instantly identified with her. As a writer, I wanted to do for other readers what Guy did for me."
—Tracey Baptiste, bestselling author of the Jumbies series

All My Rage, by Sabaa Tahir
“I am thankful for All my Rage, by Sabaa Tahir. It's a book I needed when I was a young adult, but I still need it now. It reflected a moving, harsh reality in a compelling and nuanced voice. It's remarkably written, both literary and thrilling. Once I picked it up I couldn't stop reading until the last page. I spent months recommending it to everyone I know so it's fitting to recommend it here.”
—Nidhi Chanani, author of Super Boba Cafe and Pashmina

I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith
“It’s a special kind of book you pick up at exactly the right moment in your life. I was 16 the first time I read Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle, but I’ve read it every year on Christmas Eve since. I was a deeply anxious teenager who often felt as if I was looking from outside a window on my own life. I Capture The Castle, told in the form of seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain’s diary, was the first book that reflected my own anxious brain back to me. In Cassandra, I found a kindred spirit, a mirror, a friend, in a time when I felt no one had ever felt the way I was feeling. It feels now as if I’ve known Cassandra half my life, and she’s still teaching me new lessons.
—Sasha Peyton Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Witch Haven and The Witch Hunt

Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison
“There are too many books I’m grateful for to name here, but I want to shout out Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison. The Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series are just so fantastically hilarious while knowing (and resonating with) their audience. I’m still laughing twenty years later. If I could write something as heartfelt and comical, I would be beyond proud.”
—Alechia Dow, author of Just a Pinch of Magic

Emily of Deep Valley, by Maud Hart Lovelace
“When my family first arrived as immigrants, it didn’t take long to discover Maud Hart Lovelace’s novels in the library. She’s famous for her Betsy-Tacy series, but the theme of offering hospitality to the 'other' made Emily of Deep Valley my favorite. I saw myself in Emily’s commitment to duty and honoring of elders. But I was also Layla, the ‘foreign’ child, longing for a warm American welcome. I reread the novel often, imagining young newcomers discovering it and seeing themselves as Emily and as Layla. Maybe they, too, will want to become a giver of hope through stories.”
—Mitali Perkins, award-winning author of books for young readers, including Hope In the Valley

American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang
“One of the graphic novels that influenced me is American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. I read this book in my twenties when it came out. And at the time it was extremely rare to find graphic novels about Asian American immigrant teenagers. This book inspired me to write my memoir, Almost American Girl. It showed me stories like mine have a place in the American publishing industry, and I also thought there should be more books that feature young Asian immigrants as the protagonists. I wonder how much this book would have had helped me if I picked it up at a school library when I was in middle school in Alabama. Young readers need to find books that make them feel seen. I am sure this book inspired not only me, but a whole lot of Asian American storytellers to tell their stories. I am thankful that there are many great YA books out there that amply diverse voices now because of books like American Born Chinese.”
—Robin Ha, award-winning author-illustrator of Almost American Girl and The Fox Maidens

Adult

The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri
"Although I read and loved all kinds of stories as a kid, as an Indian American growing up in a small southern city in the 1970s and 1980s, I never saw myself in a book—not in the US, and not in India. I didn’t realize what I was missing until I read The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. Lahiri’s beautiful story of an Indian immigrant family, and its layers of joy, pain, misunderstanding, and discovery, reflected my own experiences. This was a life-changing moment for me, and an important step in my path to writing my own stories."
—Rajani LaRocca, Newbery Honor-winning author of Red, White, and Whole

Garfield Takes the Cake, by Jim Davis
"Looking back, one of the books I am most thankful for is Garfield Takes the Cake (or any of the hundred or so collections of the Jim Davis cat cartoon strip). My dad and I would read Garfield in the Sunday funnies, and these books stretched that feeling out for the whole week. Garfield helped me learn to read, and he taught me how to eat Italian: often, and with gusto."
—Kendare Blake, New York Times bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series

Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
"Deep South born and bred, the tragic Antebellum era was never far from thought. By 12-years-told, I’d watched Roots uncountable times. Spent my childhood seeking self-connection, self-separation, and self-acceptance of familiar dysfunction. More than anything, I searched for happiness—a belief in some bigger entity. This unyielding search led me to books. I read many books as a kid, but Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, is the book that captured my persistent need for self-exploration. I found pieces of myself in Zora’s sentences. In my eyes, Zora normalized the beauty of how okay it is to not be okay." 
—Harper Glenn, author of Monarch Rising

Calvin And Hobbes: There’s Treasure Everywhere, by Bill Watterson
“Dinosaurs! Spaceships! Killer Snowmen! As a curious, imaginative kid, I would have been happy for a story with any of these, but in Calvin and Hobbes, I got them all and more! I gobbled this strip up when it was being printed in newspapers, but being a kid, I would miss some daily strips. But with the collections, I could read every one of them. There’s Treasure Everywhere is the second-to-last collection, finding the book at the peak of its creativity and virtuosity. It’s a high water mark of storytelling in cartooning and it is what I’m most thankful for.” 
—Johnnie Christmas, New York Times Bestselling author-illustrator of Swim Team

True Tales of Buried Treasure, by Edward Rowe Snow
“As a kid, I didn’t like history, which I thought was about memorizing names and dates. Yet I was obsessed with a find from the used book table at my public library, True Tales of Buried Treasure. Yes, a history book. This collection of nonfiction stories sparked a lifelong love of secret maps and strange adventures—but the book’s real impact was how it made me feel. The thrill of knowing this stuff was true put it over the top. Can I recapture that feeling now with my own true stories? Can I pass it on to young readers? Maybe. It’s definitely worth trying.”
—Steve Sheinkin, three-time National Book Award finalist and Newbery Honor author

Calvin And Hobbes: Weirdos from Another Planet, by Bill Watterson 
“As a poor kid, I grew up with limited access to books outside my local library. But on Sundays, my mom bought the newspaper to look for jobs, and I would steal the funny pages just to read Calvin & Hobbes. Equally rich in adventure, humor, and heart, the short clips gave me a glimpse into the wonder of sequential storytelling, which would later inform my career as a writer of graphic novels. So when my abuela bought me Weirdos from Another Planet, I escaped my life of hardship into an imaginative world—a power that only great books have.”
—Rex Ogle, acclaimed and award-winning author of Free Lunch

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