10 Picture Book Favorites of 90s Kids that Still Hold Up

Leaves are falling, school is in session, and the holidays are coming. You may be looking for the right gift to give the small kiddos in your life. Maybe your kid loves to read but you want to shake up their favorites (perhaps one of our Best Picture Books for Toddlers in 2024) with something that you loved as a kid. Look no further than 10 of our favorite picture books that hit that nostalgia button for 90s kids that still hold up today in the modern world. There’s something for everyone so dive right in to find your toddler’s next favorite.

The Going to Bed Book – Age 0-3

• The Going to Bed Book – Sandra Boynton – Boynton Bookworks
• 0-3 Years
• $6.99 USD / $8.99 CAN
• Barnes & Noble | Amazon

We are starting the list with the perfect book to read before bedtime. Your toddler will love following the animals of all shapes and sizes through their nighttime routine, and may even be more willing to brush their teeth, take their baths, and settle in for the night like the adorable critters illustrated in the book.

Originally published in 1985, this book has been a staple of bedtime routines for nearly 40 years. With a gentle rhythm and easy rhyme, this adorable picture book will calm and settle your animal-loving tots night after night.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Age 1-3

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle – Penguin Young Readers Group
• 1-3 Years
• $10.99 USD / $14.99 CAN
• Barnes & Noble | Amazon

The Very Hungry Caterpillar may be one of the most iconic children’s books of all time by one of the most iconic children’s book authors and illustrators, Eric Carle. This book has spawned many adorable Halloween costumes, plushies, and more.

The book was written in 1969, well before any 90s kid was born, but it is just as influential now as it has been for the last five decades. With its unique pages, which change in size depending on how much the titular caterpillar is eating, amazing colors, and adorably illustrated mealtime list through the week in the caterpillar’s life before its transformation into a beautiful butterfly, it is a must-read for all kids.

Giraffes Can’t Dance – Age 1-3

• Giraffes Can’t Dance – Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees – Scholastic, Inc.
• 1-3 Years
• $6.99 USD / $9.99 CAN
• Barnes & Noble | Amazon

For anybody, child or adult, who has ever felt like they don’t walk to the same beat as everyone around them, this picture book is for you. It may possibly even be my favorite board book on this list.

This story follows Gerald the Giraffe who just wants to participate in the annual Jungle Dance with the other animals, but can’t dance in the same way they can. Instead, he bravely dances in his own way. Gerald’s story will encourage your child to dance to their own rhythm and the music of their life.

For the young toddlers in your life, the board book is a can’t-miss, but it also comes in hardcover and paperback for your early elementary school-aged kiddos. While a bit newer than many of the books on this list, it is loved and remembered by younger Millennials and older Gen-Z everywhere, and may just become your child’s new favorite read.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom – Age 1-4

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom – Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault – Simon and Schuster
• 1-4 Years
• $7.99 USD / $8.99 CAN
• Barnes & Noble | Amazon

This picture book is just fun! It’s got great rhymes, a bouncy rhythm, and amazingly vibrant colors all working together to tell a great story. Your toddler will love following the story of the little letters racing each other to the top of the coconut treat before they run out of room.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is an entertaining book for the whole family and will be a favorite book on any home’s bookshelf. It is also a really exciting way to practice the alphabet with the littles in your life without it feeling routine or monotonous.

The Little Engine That Could – Age 1-5

• The Little Engine that Could – Watty Piper – Penguin Young Readers Group
• 1-5 Years
• $18.99 USD / $24.99 CAN
• Barnes & Noble | Amazon

The Little Engine that Could is a story that has been told a thousand times, in many different mediums. This 90th Anniversary Edition has some of my favorite illustrations on this list. This is a classic tale that has inspired millions with the kindness, generosity, and determination of the Little Blue Engine.

This story has taught generations of children that, even though small, they, too, can do whatever they put their minds to. It is a message that resonates with children and adults alike and is a tale that will never go out of style.

Stellaluna – Age 1-6

• Stellaluna – Janell Cannon – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• 1-6 Years
• $8.99 USD
• Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Stellaluna is another amazing book celebrating the differences between friends. Much like Dino Duckling by Alison Murray, this book will appeal to the young animal lovers in your life. It is a lovely story with beautifully detailed illustrations that follows Stellaluna, a young fruit bat who gets lost. Her world gets turned upside down as she tries to adapt to her new surroundings and new friends.

This is a familiar story, full of nostalgia, but with a more narrative tone and complex writing style than Dino Duckling or Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman. It is a great board book to transition to narrative stories and more advanced picture books but is still accessible enough for younger book fans. It is a great addition to everybody’s collection.

Guess How Much I Love You – Age 2-6

• Guess How Much I Love You – Sam McBratney – Candlewick Press
• 2-6 Years
• $17.99 USD
• Barnes & Noble | Amazon

I love everything about this book and it embodies what is so wonderful about picture books. The art is beautiful, the hare is an underutilized animal in many children’s books, and it is a gorgeous story about a father’s love for his son and a son’s love for his father.

It seems that everywhere you turn, there are loud and clashing opinions on everything from pizza toppings to political candidates and everything in between. In a world that is so divided and opinionated on the best way to raise children, it is always lovely to have a reminder about what is the most important thing: loving your kids deeply and wholly and being unafraid to tell them.

Biscuit – Age 3-6

• Biscuit – Alyssa Satin Capucilli – HarperCollins
• 3-6 Years
• $5.99 USD
• Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Yes, this is another animal main character, but most kiddos adore animals and Biscuit is not only adorable – he is relatable to your toddler as he tries to find any reason to delay bedtime. This is a great book for shared reading and is the first in a series for those who want more from this little puppy.

Biscuit has excellent, colorful illustrations that associate with the text to help guide your young reader through the story and begin to connect words with ideas. Like most young readers, the basic language choices and repetition within the text aid in learning, but I love Biscuit for both nostalgia reasons and the lack of modern hyper-branding of other canine shows.

100 Classic Stories – Age 4-9

• 100 Classic Stories – Vic Parker – Miles Kelly Publishing Ltd.
• 4-9 Years
• $20.99 USD
• Amazon

This edition is, admittedly, cheating a little bit in adding it to this list as it was published in 2007. However, many 90s favorite animated movies have tales in this book from Belle and the Beast to Thumbelina.

There is so much benefit to classic compilations, such as this one, which bring a variety of classic stories into a child’s library. Walk through any library or bookstore and you will be surrounded by retellings and reinterpretations of classic stories no matter which section you’re looking in. Having a grounding in the original stories will help literacy understanding in every area of life.

What I appreciate about this particular book, is the mixture of very familiar tales, Cinderella and Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and lesser-known stories to many Western audiences such as Amal and the Genie, a Persian Fairy Tale, Baba Yaga, the Bony-legged Witch, a Russian Fairy Tale, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, a German folk tale, and The Dragons of Peking, a Chinese folk tale, to name a few. It opens the world of literature and expands your child’s horizons beyond borders.

The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie the Pooh – Age 3-12

• The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh – A. A. Milne – Anytime Books
• 3-12 Years
• $50.00 USD
• Barnes & Noble | Amazon

I believe no library, adult or child, is complete without at least one copy of a Winnie the Pooh book. The world was introduced to this little yellow bear nearly 100 years ago and he has never gone out of style. Pooh Bear, Eeyore, Piglet, and all the other residents of the 100-Acre Wood show us ourselves. They are silly, cautious, sad, full of life, anxious, and every other emotion in between.

This was the first big book I ever read by myself and I still have sticky notes marking my favorite pages. Twenty years later, my little sister read the same book and fell in love. Whether you’re a fan of the classic illustrations, the modern Disney reimaginings, or any of the other iterations, the stories will always hold true and have the power to bring people together.

Bringing your childhood favorites to a new generation is a great way to share connection, happiness, and memories. It helps adults to remember that we were also once young and reading these stories for the first time and being mesmerized by the world. Share love, share joy – gift books.

**No sample books were used in this article**