10 Children's Books Every Millennial Loved As A Kid

For a lot of millennials, the books we read while we grew up shaped our ideals, imaginations, humor and really and how we saw the world. While looking through my old closet at my mom's house, I found a huge stack of some of my favorite picture books I was obsessed with as a kid. A lot of them are sometimes just fun stories for kids, but they also teach an important lesson. I became nostalgic thinking about these books for the first time in years, and began frantically Googling each of them to see if they were still in print. Luckily, they are all still timeless, unproblematic, and ready to order online. Here are 10 books that every kid born in the 90's/2000's read and loved.

1. Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

Originally Published: 2000

This book was meant for the child who worried about everything--which absolutely spoke to me (this was later being revealed as anxiety). Not only were the illustrations colorful and captivating, but the main character Wemberly was adorably worried about starting school which a lot of kids can relate to. With

mental health being more at the forefront in media and especially children's media, this book is timeless.

2. The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, translated to English by J. Alison James

Originally Published: 1992

The Rainbow Fish was actually published first in Switzerland, and later translated into English due to its success. It is a tale that teaches sharing and how to not be selfish which are great skills for kids (and adults). Not only is it a pretty book to look at the message itself is important for kids to learn so they can be a better and kinder human.

3. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Originally Published: 1986

Yes, this book is a bit of a throwback but it's just so good and heartbreakingly sweet. Everyone of my friends seemed to have this book in their room. Even as a child I felt sad watching the little boy in the story go from making the bathroom messy and being taken care of by his mom to taking care of her in her old age. Apparently, this book was written after the author and his wife had two stillborn babies which makes the story even more special. It teaches the reader about love and appreciation for parents, and it makes me want to call my mom and tell her how much I love her.

4. Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Originally Published: 1993

As much as I am terrified of bats, Stellaluna was always a favorite of mine when I was younger. It is a story of a young fruit bat that gets separated from her family of bats and is adopted by birds. She learns how to act like a bird, but once reunited with her family finds she can act like a bat too. When she sees the birds again she realizes that they aren't so different after all and can all be friends. The message is so touching and sweet and according to Cannon was actually inspired by her trip to Thailand where she asked herself, ""How can we be so different, yet feel so much the same?". This message is especially important today where so many people feeling divided.

5. Clarence the Copy Cat by Patricia Lakin

Originally Published: 2002

This is a book not a lot of people I have talked to remember, but I loved this story of a black cat who was banished from his home at a deli shop because he doesn't want to harm any mice. He then moves into a library, finds solace in this space of books and silence (like a lot of us), makes friends with his new librarian owner, and finds tricky ways to stop a mouse from invading his space. More of a sweet story than a cautionary tale, it also goes against male librarian and black cat stereotypes.

6. Hedgie's Surprise by Jan Brett

Originally Published: 2000

For me and my sisters growing up, this was one of my most comforting books to look back on. Though I still don't quite know what a tomten is (Google said it is a gnome-like creature from Scandinavian folklore), it's about a tomten who like a lot of millennials is sick of eating porridge every day and starts stealing a hen's egg each morning for breakfast. The problem is, the hen wants chicks and needs the tomten to stop stealing her eggs to become a mother. The hen recruits her hedgehog friend Hedgie to stop the thievery, and when I say the illustrations are really cute I mean it. These fictional characters are living my little farm in the countryside dreams and I'm not mad.

7. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

Originally Published: 1942

Do not be swayed by the fact that this book came out almost 80 years ago...it still hit us 90's and 2000's babies the same. It's the story of a baby bunny who wants to run away and become something other than a bunny, but his mom keeps saying the famous line of, "if you run away, I will run after you." It has been described as an example of a child wanting independence for the first time in their life but their mom always loving her child. In March of this year, HBO Max released an animated special of The Runaway Bunny that was narrated by none other than the talented Tracee Ellis Ross.

9. Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

Originally Published: 1991

There's a reason why Kevin Henkes is on this list twice--he writes great books for kids with even greater messages. The story is about a little mouse named Chrysanthemum who gets teased because of her unique name, but comes to love it after the reassurance from her teacher with an equally unique name, Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle. I think we all have had a teacher like Mrs. Delphinium Twinkle in our lives who was always kind and accepting. Definitely keeping the names Delphinium and Chrysanthemum in my baby names list.

10. Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells

Originally Published: 1973

Again, do not be alarmed by the fact that this book is from the 70's! Besides loving the smugness of Nora's smile on the cover of the book as she knocks over a chair and pot, this story describes her as an "attention-seeking" and "needing to make noise" so, same. Nora is also a middle child so middle children everywhere felt her pain of needing a little bit more attention after getting lost in the mix of her siblings. When she finally stops making noise, her family goes to look for her and they come together to realize how much they appreciate her.