The 10 most popular children's books for reading aloud

"One learns to love, laugh, and walk from their parents. But only when you come into contact with books do you discover that you have wings." This was said by the American actress Helen Hayes, succinctly capturing the power of books. Reading aloud is an important part of your child's development, and it’s about more than just promoting reading and language skills. But what can you read aloud? That’s exactly what we asked the LILLYDOO Community on . The results can be found here: The ten most popular children's books among LILLYDOO moms and dads.

Reasons why reading aloud is important

Before we reveal the favorites of the LILLYDOO community, we want to explain to you the importance of reading aloud for early childhood development. Here's one thing to note beforehand: There is no such thing as being too early when reading aloud. . Even babies benefit from listening to stories and thus get accustomed to books – even if your baby obviously doesn't understand what you're reading. :) If your child is a little younger, they will surely enjoy interactive books. These promote development in a playful way. motorischen und cognitive abilities strengthened. The perhaps most obvious advantage of reading aloud is that it the Language Development promotes. In the long run, the vocabulary and the Concentration ability grows.

But reading aloud offers so much more: books stimulate the Imagination and creativity on and let your child learn about the various subject areas learn. Additionally, in the stories, often important values how to instill courage, trust, and justice that reinforce your little explorer in becoming a confident and empathetic personality to develop.

And one more advantage: Reading aloud strengthens the Attachment between you and your child. In the meantime, you share a special moment of closeness and experience the most beautiful stories together. Reading aloud in the evening helps many children to calm down. Books not only support falling asleep but can also be a helping hand with other difficult topics. For example, there are books about the Potty training or those that deal with the first day of kindergarten or the dental visit. The stories provide a simple hook to to engage in conversation with each other and also to talk about topics that may cause discomfort in your child.

The Top 10 Most Popular Children's Books

There are also many bookworms in our LILLYDOO Community who enjoy the regular storytime with their child. We asked on Instagram what your favorite children's books are. The books mentioned most frequently can be found here.

1. "Do you actually know how much I love you?" by Sam McBratney

Most popular among children in the LILLYDOO community is the enchanting picture book bestseller “Do you actually know how much I love you?” from 1990. It is about how much the little bunny loves the big bunny and how he can show it. The book is suitable for children from about two years old.

2. "The Gruffalo" by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

"The Gruffalo" tells the adorable story of a fearless mouse who encounters the Gruffalo, whose favorite meal is a butter sandwich with little mice. The book is suitable for children aged three and up and conveys values such as courage, cleverness, and trust.

3. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle

In third place in our community poll is a real classic: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” for children aged two and up. Perhaps you yourself were read the story of the caterpillar, which munches its way through all kinds of food until it becomes a butterfly, when you were a child. What is the book trying to convey? Mainly the principle of hope: it’s worth “digesting” everything until you become a wonderful person.

4. "Good Night, Little Excavator" by Natalie Mendes and Joachim Kruse

Especially popular among the children from our community: excavators! :) In the bedtime story for children aged about two and up, the little excavator wishes all the other construction vehicles good night. Likewise, the little construction site fans enjoy the books about "Excavator Ben," written by Dörte Horn.

5. "Tickle the Cockatoo: An Interactive Book" by Nico Sternbaum

A book where not only is it read aloud, but your little explorer must actively participate: they are allowed to shake the book, rock it, tap on it, or blow over its pages – depending on what the story requires. Nico Sternbaum has more interactive books for children aged two and up that promote motor skills and creativity.

6. "Where is Mommy?" by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

"Where is Mommy?" is perfect for training the logical thinking and the ability to combine in children from two years old. The story centers around a little monkey who has lost his mother in the middle of the forest and is searching for her together with a butterfly.

7. "The Little Bumblebee Bommel" by Britta Sabbag and Maite Kelly

The picture book story "The Little Bumblebee Bommel" aims to convey the message "Be yourself, believe in yourself, and you can achieve anything!" You can read the story of the brave little bumblebee, who learns to fly, to your child from about three years old.

8. "The Little Seven Sleepers" by Sabine Bohlmann and Kerstin Schoene

Not just one book, but an entire book series that should not be missing from the children’s rooms of the LILLYDOO community. And who’s surprised?! Because in the series of little seven-sleeper, there is something for every age group. There are books with bedtime stories and fall-asleep tricks, ideas for crafting, playing, and cooking for the whole family, as well as a beginner reader book for school enrollment.

9. "Good Night, Gorilla" by Peggy Rathmann

A good-night story for all animal fans: "Good Night, Gorilla" is about a gorilla who takes the zookeeper's keys, causing all the zoo animals to follow him into the bedroom. The humorous picture book invites children from two years old to look closely – with the right perspective, you and your little explorer might even discover a parallel story.

10. "Seven Little Hares" by Sabine Praml

Another animal book series where the adorable protagonists lovingly and simply convey a variety of topics: from bedtime to colds and helpfulness, everything is covered. The books are suitable for children aged two and up.

We hope there was a book among them that will soon find a place on your shelf and turn your child into a little bookworm. :) Have fun reading aloud!