Who is the best children’s book author?
Children’s book authors write for diverse ages and genres.
There are 233,045,000 children’s books sold every year. There are almost 50,000 new children’s books written every year. To determine the best children’s book author, we will start with the youngest age which is called picture books for children 0 to 12 years old.
The formula to determine “best” children’s book author is compiled by books sold, number one bestseller, awards, and children’s response. Getting the “Read It Again Award” is the highest indicator to determine best children’s book authors.
Because an author has a publisher that spends thousands of dollars on advertising and promotion does not necessarily make that author one of the best children’s book authors. Parents are looking for an author who can entertain, teach, stir the imagination, and create a desire to read in the child, without preaching.
The following children’s book authors have met the criteria to be included in this list of best children’s book authors starting with picture books. Picture books engage the child to have a word picture association which is proven to be one of the greatest teaching tools the child can have when learning to read. Picture books are normally assigned to ages 0 to 3. However, children stay engaged, read more, learn more if pictures are added to the story to help with the text, tell the story, up even until age 12. This list of best children’s book authors are not listed in order of popularity, but instead in order of parent-teacher approval, child approval, but most of all child engagement in the story.
Margaret Wise Brown was an American writer, is best known for her books Good Night Moon, and The Runaway Bunny. These books are known for their ability to lull the child to sleep, cognizant things and sounds in a story that cause children to ask, “read it again”.
Judy Blume is an American children’s book author that most readers would assign to children over eight. Judy Blume is included in this best children’s book author list because of her truthful honest stories about families, school, friendship, puberty, racism, death, sex, and, of course, freckles. Although she has written dozens of books, the ones that appeal to first readers 0 to 3 are The One in the Middle Is The Green Kangaroo and Freckle Juice.
Dr. Qooz
is an international best-selling children’s book author, who grew up in the Everglades of 
Florida.
He promotes common sense, honesty and good citizenship in every book, clothed in a story about animal children with everyday issues of life. The illustrations in Dr. Qooz’ books set the standard of best children’s picture books with vibrant colors, realistic characters and believable word associations. Dr. Qooz introduces an imaginary land of Fargone, that has a twist of reality recognized by the reader as history, present and future. Who Are you and Sight to See are award winning examples of his writings.
Eric Carle’s books about animals fascinate children. The Very Hungry Caterpillar and the illustrated Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? are two books that Eric Carle’s art is instantly and is distinctively recognizable. His artwork is created in collage technique, using hand-painted papers, which he cuts and layers to form bright and cheerful images. This author’s stories are usually drawn from his extensive knowledge and love of nature giving a young child a way to learn about the world around them.
Roald Dahl was a British novelist who wrote his stories set in richly imagined worlds, sprinkled with made-up words and laced with sly humor. Roald Dahl created a fabulous story, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, from which we garnered Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Although this was not an early children’s picture book, he made up for this genre when he wrote Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Maurice Sendak wrote Where the Wild things Are. Even though labeled slightly frightening, his imaginatively illustrated children’s books never forget their audience. Maurice Sendak’s books were gleefully silly, but always inventive, intelligent, and colorful but children respond with enthusiasm to both its honesty as well as to his wonderfully zany artwork. In the Night Kitchen is Sendak’s second most popular book. It is also a book that was banned by the American Library Association because of its nudity of a small boy. Because this book is for very young children it is not generally viewed as a book that should be banned.
Andrea Davis Pinkney writes award winning picture books, emphasizing black culture, where the illustrations clearly depict families of color as in Sleeping Cutie and I Smell Honey. Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times best-selling author of several books for young readers, including the novel Bird in a Box. She has teamed up with her husband, Brian Pinkney, that illustrates her books.
Adam Rubin is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of ten critically-acclaimed picture books including Dragons Love Tacos and the Those Darn Squirrels. Energy, rhythm and rhymes best describes his books. The author invents puzzles, games, and creates brain teasers. Adam currently lives in Barcelona, Spain.
Enid Mary Blyton Pollock, this English author wrote the “Famous Five Series” and The Secret Seven. Enid Blyton wrote 186 novels/novelettes, 285 character books, 997 short story series books, 273 education books, 365 recreation books, 237 continuation books, 297 Enid Blyton contributions. Enid’s style is simple with appropriate humor and desired by children all over the world.
Shel Silverstein was a cartoonist, songwriter and later a children’s book author. He is famous for his book, the Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends followed by Uncle Shelby’s ABZ, A Giraffe and a Half, and Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back.
Alice Schertle is a former teacher, award-winning poet and children’s book author. Her Little Blue Truck Series, and All You Need for a Snowman books have made her a household name as a children’s book author.
Sherri Duskey Rinker, a #1 bestselling children’s book author, writes books about smiles, and encouraging kids to dig deep and dream big. Two of her successes are Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Steam Train, Dream Train both are bedtime whimsical, dreamlike cartoonish imagery, nighttime books for preschoolers.
Stan and Jan Berenstain were cartoonists turned children’s book authors. Their motivation was to help new parents. They were inspired by some of the difficulties parents faced, as well as some childhood tribulations when they were kids themselves. Their cartoon signature bear family incorporated humor and reminded parents not to take every situation too seriously. At the time Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), was working as an editor in the children’s division of Random House Publishing and approved of the Berenstain Bears series and created a lasting franchise. The Berenstain Bears were extremely popular and instigated more books, television series, toys, and stage productions.
Dr. Seuss, was an American children’s book author, political cartoonist, illustrator, poet, animator, screenwriter, and filmmaker. His first book, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times before he ran into an old school mate, who was the juvenile editor of Vanguard Press and declared the book, “the cleverest book I have met with for many years.” A contract was signed on the spot. Although Theodor Seuss Geisel illustrated more than 60 books under the pen name of Dr. Seuss, his books are known for ridiculous silliness, fantasy creatures with fanciful names while writing in rhyme. Most of his books are for lighthearted entertainment. Little known is his children’s philosophy quotes that will long out live Green Eggs and Ham, and the Cat and the Hat:
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
“Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!”
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”
“Don’t give up! I believe in you all. A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
“Sometimes you will never know the value of something, until it becomes a memory.”
“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”
“You are you. Now, isn’t that pleasant?”
