Why You Should Read Children’s Books…by Katherine Rundell

71 pages

Non-fiction

Five stars *****

Pub date: 01 September 2026

My thoughts:

Katherine Rundell seems like the perfect person to write this short book. After all, she has her very own example of books that can be loved by both adults and children (See Impossible Creatures, for one).

Interestingly for me, I read this right after talking about The Secret Garden with someone and buying the first book in the Moomins series. I also admit that as an adult I have reread Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, to name just two titles.

In this book, Rundell makes an informed and informative case for the importance of children’s books. She traces their history (surprisingly, a lot on nose picking), and evolution. Most importantly, she notes that these books help children to explore other worlds and also provides them with a sense of hope. Going back and reading children’s lit can do much the same for adults. Rundell advocates for no shame in reading kid’s lit. She provides one very noteworthy example that references Heidi. What a reminder of the importance of books that was.

I recommend this short title to anyone who thinks about children’s literature. So many good books are mentioned in passing and many will close this title and think about what children’s book they want to pick up and start reading.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for this title. All thoughts are my own.

Post first published on 17 August 2026

Description:

from the publisher

A celebration, in a pocket-sized format, of the joys and vital importance of children’s literature for adult readers, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Impossible Creatures.

Katherine Rundell, one of the most accomplished modern children’s writers, offers an extended essay about the pleasures and benefits of reading children’s literature as an adult.

Rundell explores how children’s books ignite—and can re-ignite—the imagination; how children’s fiction, with its unabashed emotion and playfulness, can awaken old hungers and create new perspectives on the world.

Infinitely wise and thought-provoking, Rundell’s short book is a perfect one-sitting read, and a terrific gift for the book-lover in your life.

From the publisher:

Editorial Review

“A passionate, persuasive, and perceptive case for embracing children’s fiction—at any age.” —Kirkus Reviews