Anyone else out there who still enjoys reading children's books with a bit more depth? I recently reread "Tistou: The Boy with Green Thumbs" and "My Sweet Orange Tree", and it made me realize how much I miss those kinds of stories. I'm not looking for typical adult fiction, but rather books that deal with complex themes or emotions in a way that's accessible to a younger audience.
An example of what I mean is something like "The Little Prince". For some reason, this kind of book captivates me much more than a lot of "mature adult literature" nowadays.
If you have any recommendations for children's books that go beyond the classic "little Johnny didn't brush his teeth and got a cavity" stories, please share!
Don't overdo the fables, I've read several. I still enjoy reading, but I want to try other stories.
I'm open to anything from children's literature to young adult novels. I'd prefer books that have a Portuguese version, but I can manage just fine if the book is only in English.
by greeemlim
6 Comments
Honestly, most middle-grade fiction (aimed at 8-13 year olds) has a lot of depth. My go-to example would be Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow, about a boy dealing with PTSD in the aftermath of a school shooting. And also Stand on the Sky by the same author, about a young girl learning to be an eagle hunter in hopes of saving her brother’s life.
*Midnight Blue by Pauline Fisk
*Black-Eyed Suzie* by Susan Shaw
*The Boy on a Black Horse* by Nancy Springer
*Silver Woven in my Hair* by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
*How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found* by Sara Nickerson
*The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse* by Charlie Mackesy
*The Snowbird* by Patricia Calvert
‘The War that Saved My Life’ and ‘The War I Finally Won’ by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Phantom Tollbooth is a classic for a reason. There’s some specifically english wordplay but I’d hope a solid translation would let it come through.
Holes by Louis Sachar
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
– [Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6ca2fe3d-9742-4bf3-91ac-fe15d223258f) by Jomny Sun
– [The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/9f1208c1-cde1-4007-a78e-f451ed099e8a) by Charlie Mackesy
– [The Bear and the Piano](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/ce040cad-73ec-412d-9ef0-3036dfdce13c) by David Litchfield
– [The Girl Who Drank the Moon](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b8b6a493-2301-493a-bc3e-d4e79c04f4a3) by Kelly Barnhill