Nothing inspires growth and development quite like reading (and being read to). Here are lists of the top children's fiction and storybooks to line your child's bookshelf.

Books for Growing Minds

Lifestyle

What are the best Dr. Seuss books? Every book written by the brilliant Theodor Seuss Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) is a wonderful book. Seuss penned, and illustrated, many of the greatest children's books of all time. They are excellent <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-books-to-read-to-your-kids" target="_blank">books to read to your kids</a>, too. Everyone, it seems, has at least one favorite. What is yours? Vote for the Dr. Seuss books you like the most, and feel free to re-rank this list in any order you choose.At what age do kids begin reading Dr. Seuss books? Many parents start reading Seuss books to their children before the kiddos even know how to read. The books are whimsical, lyrical and a truly wonderful way to introduce kids to the magic of reading, after all. Dr. Seuss's nursery collection books are some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-board-books/dad-of-the-year" target="_blank">best board books for babies and toddlers</a>.As kids learn to read, they'll likely love tackling some &quot;grown up&quot; hardcover Dr. Seuss books. They might already be familiar with the stories, and they'll love the familiarity. Dr. Seuss's greatest books, including The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and certainly Horton Hears a Who! are all worth revisiting, time and time again. When is the best time for a child to read Dr. Seuss? Any time. Green Eggs and Ham, for example, is without question an <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-books-for-first-graders/dad-of-the-year" target="_blank">excellent book for first graders</a>, but some younger children might be ready to read it much earlier.It's really hard to pick favorites when it comes to Dr. Seuss books, but let's give it a try: Vote for the best, vote down any books you don't like and yes, add any that might be missing, too. After you're done voting, head on over and check out the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-board-games-for-kids-7-12/dad-of-the-year" target="_blank">best board games for kids aged 7-12</a>!

The Butter Battle Book

The Best Dr. Seuss Books

Book

List of the 60+ Best Dr. Seuss Books of All Time

Stan Holton

Parenting

Everyone has a story that paints the perfect picture to what they were like as a kid or teen.&nbsp;On Twitter,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/LilahSturges" target="_blank">Lilah Sturges</a>&nbsp;started a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/LilahSturges/status/1458795024276201487?s=20" target="_blank">thread</a>&nbsp;asking people to share these exact kinds of stories and the responses are filled with hilarious childhood memories.&nbsp;Be sure to vote up the funniest stories!

People Are Sharing Stories That Perfectly Describe What They Were Like As Kids

General

M. Garcia

Pop Culture

Many children have imaginary friends as they are growing up. Are they figments of their imagination, a family member that has passed on,&nbsp;or perhaps something darker?&nbsp;Some imaginary friends are&nbsp;lighthearted and&nbsp;considered harmless and temporary additions to the family. Others have a more sinister feel to them that puts both the child and parents on&nbsp;high alert. These stories show that maybe the boogeyman is not just a silly Halloween figure, but a real entity that is far too creepy to imagine.

Parents Share The Moment They Realized Their Child's Boogeyman Was Not Imaginary

Amanda Ashley

Over on the subreddit <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/ChoosingBeggars/" target="_blank">Choosing Beggars,</a> entitled and clueless parents are doing their best to get as much free child care as they possibly can. From &quot;generous&quot; offers of $2/hr to allowing the sitters to pay for rent or food costs for the privlege of babysitting their offspring, these parents are working on a whole different level. Vote up the offers that make you say, &quot;Thanks, but no thanks.&quot;&nbsp;

15 Times Entitled Parents Tried To Hire A Babysitter With Incredibly Insulting Offers

Damon Davis

Mask Up

This pandemic is bringing out the worst in some people. Whether they are&nbsp;not taking the pandemic seriously at all or utilizing this time to make it about themselves, these parents are acting insane. Vote up the worst offenses down below!

17 Insane Parents Who Are Making This Pandemic About Themselves

Joshua Rhee

poll

The best overall books for children, ranked by readers of all ages. Anyone can vote on this kids&#39; book list, which makes these rankings a trustworthy way to find out which books your kids will love. Is a title missing? You can also add your own books to this list, and see how your taste stacks up against everyone else&#39;s. No matter if your kids are 9 year old budding lit experts, 5 year-olds just beginning to read on their own, or pre-schoolers still having you read aloud -- these are the books you remember and hope your own kids will.

For children in pre-school or younger, check out this list of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-books-for-toddlers/ballerina-tatyana">best books for toddlers</a> or the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-childrens-books-2019/ranker-books" target="_blank">best new children&#39;s books</a>.

Goodnight Moon

The Best Overall Books for Kids

 Best Books for Kids | List of Top Children's Books

Ranker Community

Kids will sometimes say and do the darnedest things. Often, these moments happen in the blink of an eye, and become stories to tell them when they&#39;re older. Reddit user&nbsp;u/<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/makbxa/parents_of_reddit_what_are_your_i_looked_away_for/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web2x&amp;context=3" target="_blank">blamingpig456</a> asked: &quot;Parents of Reddit, what are your &#39;I looked away for ONE second&#39;&nbsp;stories?&quot; and they had us remembering when we were in time out.

16 Funny Stories From Parents Who Looked Away For One Second

Brian Roque

Lists for all parents trying their hardest to raise happy, emotionally healthy, successful children—or, at least, to keep the kids alive while maintaining some modicum of sanity.

Raising Little People

Kids can be sweet, but unfortunately for parents, they can also be accidentally embarrassing. Parents from all over the internet are bravely sharing the&nbsp;most publically humiliating moments they&#39;ve experienced thanks to&nbsp;their children. Be sure to vote up the most&nbsp;embarrassing stories!

Some posts have been&nbsp;edited for length and clarity. All posts come courtesy of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/sf2xsf/parents_of_reddit_whats_the_most_embarrassing/?sort=new" target="_blank">this AskReddit</a>&nbsp;posted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/ironbolt124/" target="_blank">u/ironbolt124</a>.

Parents Are Sharing The Most Embarrassing Things Their Kids Have Ever Done In Public

Even some of the&nbsp;nicest parents won&#39;t hesitate to make fun of their kids. Twitter parents are no different, though they&#39;ll also give us some truly wholesome content as well. Vote up your favorite tweets from this week!

28 Of The Best Tweets From Parents This Past Week

<a href="https://twitter.com/Lin_Manuel" target="_blank">Lin-Manuel Miranda</a> may have countless fans of own, but no one is a bigger fanboy than he is of his own 2 sons. Here are our favorite times Lin-Manuel tweeted pure comedy gold about his adorable boys.

29 Of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Best Tweets About His Sons

Erika Valverde

@<a href="https://twitter.com/crookedroads770/status/1353075354575900673" target="_blank">crookedroads770</a>&nbsp;shared a relatable parenting tweet about a close call, and fellow adults reminisced about their own close calls. Vote up your favorite tweets!

20 Daredevil Kids Caught Pulling Their Wildest Stunts

The absolute best children&#39;s book series ever written, ranked by the community and book fans everywhere. This list has the most popular kid&#39;s book series and includes release date information, authors, and photos. It can be difficult to encourage kids to read, but the book series on this list will keep them engaged. What are the absolute best children&rsquo;s book series of all time?

These kids&#39; book series feature magical universes filled with interesting characters, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-narnia-characters/ranker-books">such as The Chronicles of Narnia</a>, and other novels and series that will keep your kids reading all year long. Some kids enjoy the interactive nature of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-choose-your-own-adventure-books/ranker-books">the Choose Your Own Adventure series</a>, while others simply like to follow their favorite characters as they grow and learn, as with the Harry Potter books.

This list features the most successful book series for kids that were ever written, penned by various authors, and includes both <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-2010s-childrens-books/ranker-books" target="_blank">modern children&#39;s books</a> series and classic favorites such as The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dr. Seuss, Pendragon, Fancy Nancy, The Boxcar Children, Lemony Snicket&rsquo;s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Magic Tree House books. Vote up the best book series for kids below, or add a series that keeps your kids reading, if it isn&#39;t already below, and take a look at these <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/books-that-changed-my-life">books that will change your life</a>.&nbsp;

<a href="https://cratejoy.evyy.net/c/1217251/277724/4453?subid1=1756982&amp;subid2=littlebookishwardrobe&amp;subid3=comlink&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cratejoy.com%2Fsubscription-box%2Flittle-bookish-wardrobe%2F"><img alt="Little Bookish Wardrobe" src="https://d3lri94xwt3wfr.cloudfront.net/8a9c87563a2d409f8bb0c1cbabcdc567_600_70.jpeg" style="width: 150px; height: 100px;" /></a>&nbsp;Inspire imagination in your child with a subscription box from <a href="https://cratejoy.evyy.net/c/1217251/277724/4453?subid1=1756982&amp;subid2=littlebookishwardrobe&amp;subid3=comlink&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cratejoy.com%2Fsubscription-box%2Flittle-bookish-wardrobe%2F" target="_blank">Little Bookish Wardrobe</a> containing a book, dress-up&nbsp;costume pieces matching&nbsp;the book&#39;s theme,&nbsp;arts &amp; crafts&nbsp;and more.

The Indian in the Cupboard

The Best Children's Book Series

Best Childrens Book Series | List of Book Series for Kids

Ranker Books

Toot toot. The secondhand embarrassment train is comin' through.

Guaranteed to Make You Cringe

Kids are a lifelong commitment that can seem like an eternity.

Highlights of Parenting

Fails

Parenting may be a full time job, but as these hilarious notes from parents prove, there's no need for it to be humorless job. Here you'll find funny notes penned by moms and dads who decided to employ a little creativity when it came to teaching their kids things like discipline and other helpful skills for not being an idiot&nbsp;in general. So if you're looking for a few ideas on how to raise your own kids with a touch of hilarity, or are just out for a good laugh, you've come to the right place. Life is full of moments and conversations that parents and kids alike don't want to have. Mostly during those awkward teenage years. These parents handled some of those situations with a bit of levity, but it's cringe-worthy all the same. So,&nbsp;let the cringing begin!

27 Funny Notes From Parents Who Are Sick of Their Kids' Antics

27 Funny Notes From Parents Who Are Sick of Their Kids' Bullcrap

Ashley Reign

Culture

Parent Twitter is full of hilarious tweets every week - but there&#39;s also a wholesome gem every once in a while. Here are some of the best ones we could find - vote up your favorites below!

35 Of The Best Wholesome Tweets From Parents

Sweet, creative, and hilarious notes and artwork that only kids could dream up.

From the Minds of Babes

@<a href="https://twitter.com/meganmuircoyle/status/1356769961910308864" target="_blank">meganmuircoyle</a> sent a tweets about teaching her kids about the &quot;birds and the bees&quot; and what a hilarious Twitter thread followed. Vote up your favorites!

22 Of The Best Kid Reactions After Learning Where Babies Come From

We&#39;ve collected up all of our favorite parent tweets from this past month. Vote up your favorites!

25 Of The Best Parent Tweets From This Past Month

Parenting lists at Ranker - The ultimate source for hundreds of parenting lists and rankings

Parenting lists on Ranker

Lists about films and TV shows told by the visuals-intensive medium that allows storytellers to weave fantastical legends told by unforgettable characters.

Animation Mania

Animated TV

There have been many fantastic animated TV shows throughout the history, but which ones are the best? Some people think that cartoons are just for children (just check out our list of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-kids-cartoons/ranker-tv" target="_blank">best kids&#39; cartoons</a>), but there are many that have frequent themes that even adults will enjoy. From classic <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-animated-series-ever-made?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">animated series</a> like &quot;Looney Tunes,&quot; &quot;The Flintstones,&quot; and &quot;The Jetsons&quot; to the modern day hits of &quot;The Simpsons&quot; and &quot;South Park,&quot; there are many great cartoons available. Both classic cartoons and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-current-animated-series/ranker-tv" target="_blank">current animated series </a>make this list of the best cartoons of all time.&nbsp;For anime, check out these lists of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-anime-series-all-time">best anime series</a> and&nbsp;the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-anime-series-all-time">best superhero anime</a> of all time..

The cartoon was created during the silent movie era as a short that was shown before movies. They gained even more popularity when the talkies came around, most notable of these were made by the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/walt-disney-facts/coy-jandreau?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Walt Disney</a> company and Warner Bros with &quot;Merry Melodies&quot; (which later became &quot;Looney Tunes&quot;). With the invention of the television, cartoons and animated programs finally found a realm in which to flourish.

This is a list of the best cartoons of all time, including series <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-popular-cartoon-year-you-were-born/mallory-weiler" target="_blank">from years past</a> and ones that are still going today. Vote up your favorite or make your own version.

&nbsp;

The Flintstones

The Best Cartoons of All Time

TV Program

The Best Cartoons & Animated Shows Of All Time, Ranked

90s TV

These are the best Saturday morning cartoons from the &#39;80s and &#39;90s. Thankfully, with the advent of the DVD, the DVR, and even VHS tapes, Soul Train can&#39;t ruin our fun anymore. Rank your favorite &#39;80s cartoons and <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-10-cartoons-of-the-90s?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">90s cartoon shows</a>, from the original TMNT to Bucky O&#39;Hare. What were your favorite &#39;80s and &#39;90s cartoons? These awesome Saturday morning cartoons, voiced by <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-childhood-cartoon-voice-actors/math-erao" target="_blank">some fantastic and recognizable actors</a>, made weekends just the best. Seeing them now instantly brings back glorious memories of those carefree, childhood days.

This &#39;90s cartoons list also includes some great mid 1980s cartoons that you surely enjoyed. But which on this &#39;90s cartoons list were the best?&nbsp;For which did you save your bowl of sugary, soggy cereal so you could enjoy them both at the same time? Which ones had the toys that you received as gifts only from misguided aunts and uncles and then later threw in your closet never to play with again? Did you prefer the more <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/extreme-childrens-cartoons-you-forgot-about/matthew-ludwinski" target="_blank">oddball,&nbsp;extreme&nbsp;cartoons</a>?

This list of the best Saturday morning cartoons of the &#39;80s and &#39;90s includes classics with awesome theme songs and persistent franchises as well as single-season cartoon series that will make you be like, &quot;Oh yeah, I remember that!&quot; Click rerank below to make your own version of this list and vote up the best &#39;90s <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/my-favorite-cartoons-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">cartoon TV shows</a> below!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Best Saturday Morning Cartoons for Mid-'80s to '90s Kids

The Best '80s & '90s Saturday Morning Cartoons, Ranked by Fans

Lists about all types of good boys and girls for the people who want to pet every single one of them.

Must Love Dogs

Pets

Dogs have been featured in films since the dawn of cinema. The best dog movies ever feature cute pups that the audience can connect with. As they say, dog is man&#39;s best friend. If an audience doesn&#39;t like anyone in the cast, then they&#39;ll at least like the dog &ndash; this is especially important in good dog movies for kids. Unlike other animals, canines are easily trained, and therefore ideal for motion picture production. This Hollywood dog movie list includes all types of dogs. So your favorite breed is probably included. For more movie ideas&nbsp;check out our <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-disney-movies-starring-dogs/ranker-film" target="_blank">Disney dog movies list</a>&nbsp;or our list of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-dog-movies-for-kids/ranker-film" target="_blank">dog movies for kids</a>. You can also check out our lists of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-anime-on-netflix-v1/ranker-anime">anime shows</a> and the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-comedies-on-netflix-instant/polkadotking">best comedies on Netflix</a> and even the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-dog-names-from-movies/pet-project" target="_blank">best names for dogs from movies</a>.

101 Dalmatians

The Greatest Dog Movies Of All Time

Film

The All-Time Best Dog Movies, Ranked by Fans

Ranker Film

Stars: They're just like us! Havin' babies, pushin' swings, raisin' hellraisers, and givin' advice.

Celebrity Parents

Lists about and ranking the best, worst, most interesting, and most surprising names of real people, normal and famous.

What's In a Name?

Most Annoying

This is a list of the worst celebrity baby names to ever be inked on legal birth certificates. Fame does strange things to people, and these weird celebrity baby names might be a sign that some of these actors, musicians, and socialites have let the money, popularity, and power go to their heads. Most are even repeat offenders, as those celebs who name their kids dumb things&nbsp;often do it to all of their kids. Any publicity is good, right? Unfortunately for Rocket, Camera, Muziq, and Kal-El, the other kids in kindergarten aren&#39;t generally impressed by <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/worst-baby-names-of-all-time/carly-kiel?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">bad baby names</a>.

What are the most ridiculous celebrity baby names? You may think Moxie, Zephyr, and Ocean are cool baby names, and that&#39;s fine, just vote down the ones you like and vote up the ones you think are bordering on child abuse. Some of the odd celebrity baby names are long, like Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence Geldof, while others are short, like North West. Check out the funny kid names below, and be sure to vote up the ones you find craziest.

To&nbsp;keep track of other crazy, bizarre, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/top-10-dumbest-celebrity-quotes-of-the-decade/elaineyo?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword" target="_blank">dumbest celebrity</a> kid names and celebrity baby news, keep an eye on this list of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrity-babies-2021/calistylie" target="_blank">celebrity babies born in 2021</a>.

Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence Geldof

The Craziest, Most Ridiculous Celebrity Baby Names

Person

100+ Weird Celebrity Baby Names

Carly Kiel

The Lion King

Finding Nemo

Bambi

Sheriff Andy Taylor

Philip Banks

Tim Taylor

Kitty Forman

Morticia Addams

Marge Simpson

"Motherhood: All love begins and ends there." -Robert Browning

Celebrating Moms

Best Characters

The best TV moms of all time, including mothers from all walks of life. Many famous TV moms were characters on popular classic sitcoms, including The Brady Bunch,&nbsp;Happy Days,&nbsp;and The Cosby Show.&nbsp;Some were actually really good mothers, while others were just cool, funny and amusing. Which TV moms are the most memorable to you?

Some of the most iconic TV moms somehow always managed to get everything done with ease. How, exactly, did Carol Brady keep up with that whole bunch? To be fair, she had a lot of help from Alice, but still...it&#39;s not easy. And yes, not all of the favorite TV mothers on this list are as capable as say, Shirley Partridge (The Partridge Family), or as kind and nurturing as Caroline Ingalls (Little House on the Prairie). No, there are hot messes here too, including Peggy Bundy (Married...With Children), one of the greatest &#39;90s TV mothers.&nbsp;She might not be perfect, but she definitely loves her (totally messed up) kiddos. Claire Dunphy (Modern Family), for all her crazy, is actually a pretty awesome, fun mom to have. TV&#39;s most memorable Black mothers include Vivian Banks (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and&nbsp;Dr. Rainbow &quot;Bow&quot; Johnson (Black-ish). We also can&#39;t forget about cartoon mothers, like Lois from Family Guy and Marge from The Simpsons. With so many good shows over the years, there have been many memorable mother characters in TV history.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Vote up your favorite TV moms, and vote down the ones you think are the worst.&nbsp;

Roseanne Conner

The Best TV Moms Of All Time

Fictional Character

The 50+ Best TV Moms Of All Time, Ranked

Celebrating the tough, goofy, loving men of the house who know and can fix everything.

Here's to Dad

List of the greatest and most memorable dads from through television history. Which TV fathers were the most inspirational? Who taught you the most about growing up and becoming an adult? Which TV fathers were just the funniest and most entertaining? Any TV dads who fit these criteria are eligible for this list, an attempt to drill down into the definitive answer to the question: "Who's the world's favorite TV Dad?"Vote: <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/favorite-tv-moms-of-all-time-v3">Favorite TV Moms of All Time</a>Classic sitcoms revolving largely around the family gave us a ton of Dads to choose from, and for the most part, they were traditionally good fathers. Guys like Rob Petrie, Andy Taylor and Howard Cunningham looked out for their kids, paid attention to their needs and gave them solid life and career advice.Through the '80s and '90s, pop culture got a bit a bit more realistic or cynical, depending on who you ask, and TV Dads became more of a hodge-podge of responsibility and immaturity, reflecting the real, complex and often difficult job of being a father. Though there remain the shining examples of great TV dads like Cliff Huxtable from "The Cosby Show" and Dan Conner from "Roseanne," you now had alternative views of fatherhood, like Homer Simpson and the iconic Al Bundy.But this list doesn't discriminate! If your favorite TV dads are likely to lose their kids at the mall, ignore them in favor of football and beer or forget their birthdays, vote for 'em anyway! Your old man would be proud.

Ward Cleaver

Which TV Dad Do You Wish Was Your Own?

TV Character

Adorable animals playing, posing, helping, hiding, eating, and waiting for you to pet them.

All Creatures, Great and Small

Animals

The top animal movies on this list&nbsp;feature cute pets, barnyard critters, jungle animals, and dangerous beasts. But which one&nbsp;is the best animal movie of all time? This is a crowdranked list of great movies that star real, animated, or animatronic animals. Pet movies aren&#39;t just for the dogs anymore. What&#39;s the best movie about animals? If a movie makes you cry or cheer or feel unusually invested... odds are good that there&#39;s a plucky animal involved. If a film makes you grip your arm rests, cover your eyes, and feel like something&#39;s crawling on you, there might just be an animatronic shark or CGI spider on the screen. (But we&#39;d rather look at <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/cutest-baby-animals">cute baby animals</a>.)

Some of the most heart-wrenching scenes in movies involve children or strong heroic lead men losing their beloved <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/10-amazing-things-about-spiders/analise.dubner">dogs</a> or horses. The best funny <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-talking-animals-in-tv-history/ranker-tv?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">talking animal movies</a> have a diverse mix of animal actors, including cats, dogs, birds, monkeys, and sea mammals. Voice talent from famous A-list actors provides laughs and quotable lines for both children and adults.

These are the best movies with animals either as the main characters or as the main focus. Vote up your favorites to move them higher on the list, or do a full re-rank to create a list of your favorite <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-disney-movies-starring-animals/ranker-film" target="_blank">animal movies</a>. If you see your favorite animal films are missing, go ahead and add them!