Nonfiction Books on Children's Literature
1. 
Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children's Literature as an Adult
by:
Bruce Handy
3.75 avg rating — 1,891 ratings 2. 
3. 
Children's Literature: A Reader's History, from Aesop to Harry Potter
by:
Seth Lerer
3.67 avg rating — 301 ratings 
6. 
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8. 
Books under Fire: A Hit List of Banned and Challenged Children's Books
by:
Pat R. Scales
3.82 avg rating — 76 ratings 9. 
1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
by:
Julia Eccleshare
4.10 avg rating — 547 ratings 10. 
Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History of '80s and '90s Teen Fiction
by:
Gabrielle Moss
3.76 avg rating — 4,094 ratings 11. 
The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales
by:
Bruno Bettelheim
3.83 avg rating — 6,185 ratings 
13. 
Everything I Needed to Know about Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume 3.49 avg rating — 2,044 ratings
14. 
Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise 4.10 avg rating — 3,301 ratings
15. 
The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia
by:
Laura Miller
3.81 avg rating — 1,143 ratings 16. 
The Witch Must Die: The Hidden Meaning of Fairy Tales
by:
Sheldon Cashdan
3.91 avg rating — 700 ratings 
18. 
Touch Magic: Fantasy, Faerie & Folklore in the Literature of Childhood
by:
Jane Yolen
4.15 avg rating — 407 ratings 
20. 
Children's Picturebooks: The Art of Visual Storytelling
by:
Martin Salisbury
4.27 avg rating — 396 ratings 21. 
Inside the Rainbow: Russian Children's Literature 1920-1935: Beautiful Books, Terrible Times 4.38 avg rating — 47 ratings
22. 
Boys and Girls Forever: Children's Classics from Cinderella to Harry Potter
by:
Alison Lurie
3.38 avg rating — 133 ratings 23. 
Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book: Life Lessons from Notable People from All Walks of Life
by:
Anita Silvey
3.89 avg rating — 339 ratings 24. 
Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading
by:
Lizzie Skurnick
3.64 avg rating — 1,154 ratings 25. 
Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature 3.91 avg rating — 137 ratings
27. 
What Are Little Girls Made Of?: A Guide to Female Role Models in Children's Books 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings
28. 
Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination
by:
Brian Jay Jones
4.20 avg rating — 1,678 ratings 29. 
Fierce Bad Rabbits: The Tales Behind Children's Picture Books
by:
Clare Pollard
4.15 avg rating — 330 ratings 30. 
Black Books Galore! Guide to Great African American Children's Books
by:
Donna Rand
4.50 avg rating — 16 ratings 31. 
Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies: Shapeshifters and Astral Doubles in the Middle Ages
by:
Claude Lecouteux
3.95 avg rating — 256 ratings 
33. 
Looking for Anne of Green Gables: The Story of L.M. Montgomery and Her Literary Classic
by:
Irene Gammel
3.61 avg rating — 868 ratings 
35. 
Should We Burn Babar?: Essays on Children's Literature and the Power of Stories
by:
Herbert R. Kohl
3.57 avg rating — 175 ratings 35. 
Walking with Ramona: Exploring Beverly Cleary's Portland
by:
Laura O. Foster
3.93 avg rating — 137 ratings 
39. 
42. 
Too Good to Be Altogether Lost: Rediscovering Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House Books 4.72 avg rating — 18 ratings
43. 
Don't Tell the Grown-Ups: The Subversive Power of Children's Literature
by:
Alison Lurie
3.71 avg rating — 361 ratings 43. 
Show Me a Story!: Why Picture Books Matter: Conversations with 21 of the World's Most Celebrated Illustrators 3.98 avg rating — 519 ratings
45. 
47. 
Talking Books: Children's Authors Talk About the Craft, Creativity and Process of Writing
by:
James Carter
4.50 avg rating — 10 ratings 48. 
Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children's Literature
by:
Philip Nel
3.76 avg rating — 86 ratings 49. 
A Family of Readers: The Book Lover's Guide to Children's and Young Adult Literature
by:
Roger Sutton
3.95 avg rating — 480 ratings 50. 
Radical Children's Literature: Future Visions and Aesthetic Transformations in Juvenile Fiction 4.06 avg rating — 53 ratings
50. 
From Little Houses to Little Women: Revisiting a Literary Childhood
by:
Nancy McCabe
3.37 avg rating — 101 ratings 
54. 
Book Crush: For Kids and Teens: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Interest
by:
Nancy Pearl
3.97 avg rating — 667 ratings 55. 
The Irresistible Fairy Tale: The Cultural and Social History of a Genre
by:
Jack D. Zipes
3.81 avg rating — 325 ratings 56. 
Breaking the Magic Spell: Radical Theories of Folk and Fairy Tales
by:
Jack D. Zipes
3.75 avg rating — 312 ratings 56. 
Feeling Like a Kid: Childhood and Children's Literature
by:
Jerry Griswold
3.97 avg rating — 134 ratings 
59. 
Racial Innocence: Performing American Childhood from Slavery to Civil Rights (America and the Long 19th Century)
by:
Robin Bernstein
4.46 avg rating — 127 ratings 60. 
Minders of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children's Literature 3.75 avg rating — 281 ratings
61. 
Childhood's Pattern: A Study of the Heroes and Heroines of Children's Fiction, 1770-1950
by:
Gillian Avery
3.78 avg rating — 9 ratings 62. 
Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children about Their Art
by:
Eric Carle
4.23 avg rating — 862 ratings 63. 
Once Upon a Time in Great Britain: A Travel Guide to the Sights and Settings of Your Favorite Children's Stories
by:
Melanie Wentz
3.97 avg rating — 64 ratings 64. 
In the Great Green Room: The Brilliant and Bold Life of Margaret Wise Brown
by:
Amy Gary
3.61 avg rating — 2,329 ratings 65. 
Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children's Literature
by:
Donna E. Norton
3.60 avg rating — 91 ratings 66. 
Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults: A Comprehensive Guide 4.56 avg rating — 18 ratings
66. 
The Magic Words: Writing Great Books for Children and Young Adults
by:
Cheryl B. Klein
4.41 avg rating — 563 ratings 68. 
Who's Who in Children's Books: A Treasury of the Familiar Characters of Childhood
by:
Margery Fisher
3.67 avg rating — 6 ratings 
74. 
Trust Your Children: Voices Against Censorship in Children's Literature
by:
Mark I. West
4.09 avg rating — 11 ratings 
76. 
Telling Tales: The Impact of Germany on English Children's Books, 1780-1918
by:
David Blamires
0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings 77. 
The Graphic Canon of Children's Literature: The World's Great Kids' Lit as Comics and Visuals
by:
Russ Kick
3.82 avg rating — 227 ratings 
79. 
Welcome to Lizard Motel: Children, Stories, and the Mystery of Making Things Up, A Memoir
by:
Barbara Feinberg
3.21 avg rating — 68 ratings 
84. 
A Caldecott Celebration: Seven Artists and their Paths to the Caldecott Medal 3.79 avg rating — 106 ratings
85. 
From Reader to Writer: Teaching Writing Through Classic Children's Books
by:
Sarah Ellis
3.65 avg rating — 40 ratings 
87. 
How the Heather Looks: A Joyous Journey to the British Sources of Children's Books
by:
Joan Bodger
4.07 avg rating — 531 ratings 
88. 
Ways of Being Male: Representing Masculinities in Children's Literature
by:
John Stephens
4.12 avg rating — 17 ratings 90. 
Children's Book Covers: Great Book Jacket and Cover Design
by:
Alan Powers
3.73 avg rating — 41 ratings 91. 
The Children's Literature Lover's Book of Lists
by:
Joanna Sullivan
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 13 ratings 
93. 
The Magic Bookshelf: A Parent's Guide to Showing Growing Minds the Path to the Best Children's Literature
by:
Janie Jarvis
3.50 avg rating — 8 ratings 94. 
95. 
Bottersnikes and Other Lost Things: A Celebration of Australian Illustrated Children's Books
by:
Juliet O'Conor
4.57 avg rating — 14 ratings 96. 
Joy of Reading: One Family's Fun-Filled Guide to Reading Success
by:
Debbie Duncan
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings 
98. 
100. 
The Essential Guide To Children's Books And Their Creators
by:
Anita Silvey
4.36 avg rating — 59 ratings