Top Classic Little Golden Books To Add To Your Collection

These Top Classic Little Golden Books will be the perfect way to build a library for the kids in your life.

And, if you’re choosing these for a gift, check out our other book posts. There are more gift ideas within them too.

I love Little Golden Books. My parents still have some from when we were growing up. I have such great childhood memories that involve reading those books. They’re memories that I will cherish forever. Give the kids in your life the same memories with their own Little Golden Books.

I went through to pick out the top classic Little Golden Books to add to your collection.

There are over 20 books in our list, so you can pick them all up and have a really great Little Golden Books collection to enjoy.

If you’re purchasing these books as part of a gift, be sure to check out our Holiday Gift Guide filled with tons of shopping ideas (not just for the holidays).

Top Classic Little Golden Books To Add To Your Collection

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Little Golden Books started with a dozen books back in 1942, making this October the 80th anniversary of the series. One of the original 12, The Poky Little Puppy, is the best-selling children’s book of all time.

The majority of the books are educational, focusing on nature, bible studies, classic fairy tales, science, and other similar topics. New books are realized often, including an annual Christmas book.

If you don’t want to buy the books individually, you can just purchase the Little Golden Books 75th Anniversary collection, which comes with a dozen books, instead. This set includes books from the launch in 1942 until the compilation of the series. That was five years ago, so of course, new titles released since then won’t be included.

If you just go with that Little Golden Books set and don’t shop through the list, you should read the list. I think you’ll appreciate my descriptions of the stories.

The Little Red Hen

This is the classic story of the little red hen, who needs help planting her wheat but can’t find any helpers. Just wait until that wheat grows into food, though.

The Three Bears

Goldilocks stumbles upon a home in the woods that’s not hers, although some of the items are “just right.” But what will happen when the owners come home?

Three Little Pigs

Three friends try their hand at housebuilding. When an unexpected houseguest arrives, things don’t go as planned.

The Little Red Caboose

The steam engine on the front of the train is Mr. Popularity. And the caboose, well, isn’t that popular. Or, is he?

The Gingerbread Man

In a story that’s oddly not about working out, but has a lot to do with running, The Gingerbread Man spends quite a bit of time rhyming and running away from his problems.

Pinocchio

Lying has consequences. Both physical and worldly. Pinocchio finds that out in this story.

The Shy Little Kitten

Even the shyest of character can have big adventures, as this shy little kitten learns.

The Monster At The End Of This Book

There’s a monster at the end of this book. The title gives that spoiler away. Grover absolutely doesn’t want to see the monster and encourages the reader to stop reading. But the story will have your child quickly turning pages.

This one is definitely my favorite on the list.

The Fuzzy Duckling

The fuzzy duckling goes on an adventure on a farm and meets lot of friends along the way. They happen to be in groups that increase in number (which yes, if you didn’t know, this is a counting book).

The Saggy Baggy Elephant

When someone picks on the saggy baggy elephant’s appearance, he gets pretty down on himself (don’t we all?). But he meets some new friends who look like him and bring his confidence right back up.

Tawny Scrawny Lion

This lion keeps eating animals. Until he discovers soup. Because friends are not food, right?

Scuffy The Tugboat

Scuffy wants to leave home, the man with the polka dot tie and his little boy. The grass is always greener on the other side. Right? Well, Scuffy learns it may not be.

My First Counting Book

Cats and counting. What more do you need to know?

The Ugly Duckling

Sure, some people are born ugly ducklings. But then they grow up. (Or, actually, in this retelling, the duck doesn’t grow up. It gets adopted. And unless that’s the Mandela Effect working, I’m pretty sure the original version had the duckling growing up and getting beautiful.)

Big Bird’s Red Book

This is my second favorite book on the list.

Big Bird wants to teach readers about the color red. But no matter how hard he looks, he can’t find something red in his bag. However, red things just keep driving and flying by. It’s very, very funny for young kids.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

A lady goes into the woods, befriends seven men, eats something that doesn’t agree with her, and is still the prettiest person in all the land.

The Poky Little Puppy

One of the original 12 Little Golden Books, The Poky Little Puppy is the bestselling picture book of all time. So get it just for that sake, then read about the puppy and his adventures (and lack of strawberry shortcake!).

Dumbo

Dumbo starts as a sad story about an elephant separated from his mom, but turns into a joyous tale about success (unless you hate the circus; then it stays a sad tale the whole way through).

Bambi

Bambi is also a tragic tale because she loses her mom. But she finds a whole family in some woodlands creatures.

The Princess and the Pea

A teeny, tiny, little pea disturbs the peace of this princess who is just trying to get some shut eye. Just wait until she discovers alarm clocks and the fear of hitting off instead of snooze. That’ll really keep her awake.

Good Night, Little Bear

Little kids don’t want to go straight to bed and neither does Little Bear. Papa Bear is looking all over and can’t find him. But little kids reading this book sure can.

Walt Disney’s Cinderella

Cinderella is a classic fairytale that has pleased for generations (until that Amazon Prime version came out, that didn’t please anyone).

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Arguably the best classis Christmas movie, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer gets its Little Golden Book treatment in this book.

Purchase Little Golden Books Online:

Of course, this isn’t a list of all Little Golden Books. There are more, and you can find them online at the following stores:

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Books A Million
• Etsy (This is good for older titles)
• Target
• Walmart

Be mindful of a store’s minimum cart total for free shipping. Also, consider instore or curbside pickup to avoid shipping charges.

Little Golden Books Complete List

This isn’t the full list of Little Golden Books. It focuses on the classics, too, so modern Little Golden Books didn’t make the list.

However, if you head over to the following Wiki page, you can find the Little Golden Books complete list. It gives the Little Golden Books in alphabetical order, and you can select a specific letter to jump around the list.

Purchase Little Golden Books Items:

If you love Little Golden Books, but you have enough books, you’re not alone. There are some really cute Little Golden Books-themed items out there. Our favorites are:

• Raised by Books T-Shirt (pictured above). The shirt has images from popular Little Golden Books on it.
• Little Golden Book Bags. Actual Little Golden Books are turned into purses. The shop that sells those also sells book themed mini wallets that are incredible.
• Little Golden Books Mini Candy Bar Labels. If you’re having a Little Golden Books-themed party (which now I want to have), or just want a fun way to display candy in your home, these labels are perfect. They have covers of the Little Golden Books imprinted on them.

More Book Lists:

If you need more books ideas, we have a couple posts you might enjoy:

• 30 Dr. Seuss Books To Read On Read Across America Day
• 9 Martin Luther King, Jr. Books For Kids
• Back-To-School Books (Preschool To Sixth Grade)
• 10+ Gifts For Young Book Lovers

Which of these Top Classic Little Golden Books To Add To Your Collection is your favorite?