Hand That Rocks the Cradle

If you're not into lists, don't buy this book. Hand That Rocks the Cradle is one of the longest lists you'll encounter, but it's also one of the most helpful and (if you're a list lover) most fun. What's in the list? 400 classic books to read aloud with your children. It might not be a comprehensive list, and not every title will appeal to every reader, but this is a great place to start if you're looking for great books to read and discuss as a family.

There are many reasons to read out loud. Many of the reasons author Nathaniel Bluedorn offers simply relate to literature in general, whether read aloud or not—good books teach good writing, good character, and comprehension skills. But he also suggests that reading aloud as a family is a great way to build familial bonds and memories. We'd like to add that reading aloud is a great way to teach children how to be attentive.

The books in Hand That Rocks the Cradle appeal to a variety of ages (pre-K to teens) and interests (adventure novels, historical fiction, family dramas, fantasy, etc.). There is only one list, arranged alphabetically by author, with brief synopses of the selected works as well as symbols representing suggested age-range, time and geographic setting of the story, and the book's publication date.

Titles range from classics like Charlotte's Web and Ben-Hur to lesser-knowns like Beau Geste and the true-life adventure Kon-Tiki. Each book is selected for the quality of its writing and the moral character of its content; that's not to say, however, that there aren't moral dilemmas and difficult concepts in these stories to provide fodder for excellent and wide-ranging family discussions.

Every title we carry is listed below. While we'd like to carry all of them (Hand That Rocks the Cradle is an excellent list), some of them simply aren't available or are very difficult to get. If you find one you particularly want and we don't have it, let us know and we'll do our best to bring it in. The author identifies this list as one his parents compiled during years of reading aloud; we're sure it will lead to many hours of enjoyment for your family as well, and maybe you'll find your own favorites to add.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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103 Items found Print
Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), Mass market paperback
Adam of the Road
Puffin Newbery Library
by Elizabeth Gray
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99
Adam of the Road
Puffin Modern Classics
by Elizabeth Gray
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Puffin Classics
by Lewis Carroll
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 2nd-7th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
All-of-a-Kind Family
by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Helen John
from Yearling
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Bambi
by Felix Salten
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Animal Stories: Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.99
Ben and Me
by Robert Lawson
from Little, Brown & Company
Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Big Red
by Jim Kjelgaard
from Holiday House
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Black Beauty
Puffin Classics
by Anna Sewell
from Puffin Books
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Black Pearl
by Scott O'Dell
Reprint from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$9.99
Cabin Faced West
by Jean Fritz
from Puffin Books
Historical fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Simon Pulse
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Call it Courage
by Armstrong Sperry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for 2nd-6th grade
1941 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$4.99 $3.00 (2 in stock)
Courage of Sarah Noble
by Alice Dalgliesh
Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-6th grade
1955 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
Daughter of the Mountains
by Louise Rankin
from Puffin Books
Action/Adventure Animal for 3rd-7th Grade
Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Doctor Dolittle's Post Office
by Hugh Lofting
from Mayflower Books
for 3rd-7th grade
1923 Newbery Medal winner
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Door in the Wall
by Marguerite de Angeli
from Yearling
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1950 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Ellen Tebbits
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Emily's Runaway Imagination (Dockray illustrations)
by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Tracy Dockray
2008th edition from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Emily's Runaway Imagination (Krush illustrations)
by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Family Under the Bridge
by Natalie Savage Carlson, illustrated by Garth Williams
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1959 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Five Children and It
Puffin Classics
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by H. R. Millar
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew
Five Little Peppers #1
by Margaret Sidney
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Gentle Ben
by Walt Morey
from Puffin Books
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
Good Master
Puffin Newbery Library
by Kate Seredy
from Puffin Books
Realistic fiction for 4th-6th grade
1936 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Grimms' Fairy Tales
Puffin Classics
by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Folklore for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales
Puffin Classics
by Hans Christian Andersen
3rd edition from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales for 2nd-6th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Hans Brinker
by Mary Mapes Dodge
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Heidi
Puffin Classics
by Johanna Spyri, translated by Eileen Hall and illustrated by Cecil Leslie
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Hitty
by Rachel Field
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Personification story for 4th-8th grade
1930 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.99
Holes
Holes Series #1
by Louis Sachar
from Laurel-Leaf Books
for 4th-8th grade
1999 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Homer Price
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Humor for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Horse and His Boy
Chronicles of Narnia Book 3
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
House of Sixty Fathers
by Meindert DeJong & Maurice Sendak
from Inheritance Publications
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$16.95
House of Sixty Fathers RPG
by Meindert DeJong & Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Hundred Dresses
by Eleanor Estes
from Harcourt
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1945 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Incredible Journey
by Sheila Burnford
from Bantam Books
Animal Stories for 4th-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Irish Red
by Jim Kjelgaard
from Yearling
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
Jungle Book
Puffin Classics
by Rudyard Kipling
from Puffin Books
Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Just So Stories
Puffin Classics
by Rudyard Kipling
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-6th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Justin Morgan Had a Horse
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade
1946 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
King of the Wind
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-7th grade
1949 Newbery Medal winner
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
King's Fifth
by Scott O'Dell
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$15.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Lad: A Dog
by Albert Terhune
from Puffin Books
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.99
Last Battle
Chronicles of Narnia Book 7
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99 $5.00 (5 in stock)
Last Battle
Chronicles of Narnia Book 7
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Chronicles of Narnia Book 2
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Chronicles of Narnia Book 2
by C. S. Lewis, illustrated by Pauline Baynes
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Puffin Classics
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Reissue from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Dover Evergreen Classics
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
from Dover Publications
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Little Princess
Puffin Classics
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Little Riders
by Margaretha Shemin
from HarperCollins
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Little Women
Puffin Classics
by Louisa May Alcott
from Puffin Books
Realistic Romantic Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$10.99
Magician's Nephew
Chronicles of Narnia Book 1
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Matchlock Gun
by Walter Edmonds
from PaperStar Books
Historical Fiction for 2nd-4th grade
1942 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Miss Hickory
by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
from Puffin Books
Personification story for 3rd-7th grade
1947 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.50 (3 in stock)
Misty of Chincoteague
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-6th grade
1948 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
National Velvet
by Enid Bagnold
from Avon Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Now We Are Six
by A. A. Milne
from Puffin Books
Poetry for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
Number the Stars
by Lois Lowry
from Yearling
Historical fiction for 4th-8th grade
1990 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Old Yeller
by Fred Gipson
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$9.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Old Yeller
by Fred Gipson
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
1957 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Old-Fashioned Girl
Puffin Classics
by Louisa May Alcott
from Puffin Books
Realistic Romantic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
Peter Pan
Puffin Classics
by J. M. Barrie
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$6.39 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Pinocchio
Puffin Classics
by Carlo Collodi, translated by E. Hardin and illustrated by Gioia Fiammenghi
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.50 (4 in stock)
Pollyanna
Puffin Classics
by Eleanor Porter
from Puffin Books
Realistic fiction for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Prince Caspian
Chronicles of Narnia Book 4
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Rabbit Hill
Puffin Newbery Library
by Robert Lawson
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
1945 Newbery Medal winner
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
Rabbit Hill
Puffin Modern Classics
by Robert Lawson
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
1945 Newbery Medal winner
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Railway Children
Puffin Classics
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by C. E. Brock
from Puffin Books
Family Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
1982 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
1982 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Rascal
by Sterling North
from Puffin Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
1964 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Rascal
by Sterling North
from Puffin Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
1964 Newbery Honor Book
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlan
30th Anniversary from HarperCollins
Family Stories for 2nd-6th grade
1986 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Secret Garden
Puffin Classics
by Frances Burnett
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Sign of the Beaver
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1984 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Silver Chair
Chronicles of Narnia Book 6
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Soft Rain
by Cornelia Cornelissen
from Yearling
Historical fiction for 3rd-5th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.99
Story of Doctor Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting
from Yearling
Animal Fantasy for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Story of Doctor Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting
from Dover Publications
Animal Fantasy for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.99
Story of the Treasure Seekers
Puffin Classics
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by Cecil Leslie
from Puffin Books
Family Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Strawberry Girl
by Lois Lenski
from HarperCollins
Realistic fiction for 4th-6th grade
1946 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$9.99
Stuart Little
by E. B. White
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Swiss Family Robinson
Puffin Classics
by Johann Wyss
from Puffin Books
Realistic Stories/Adventure for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Tales from Shakespeare
Puffin Classics
by Charles & Mary Lamb
from Puffin Books
Shakespeare Stories for 3rd-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Toliver's Secret
by Esther Brady
from Yearling
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99
Trumpet of the Swan
by E. B. White
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Twenty and Ten
by Claire Huchet Bishop
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Twenty-One Balloons
by William Pene du Bois
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 4th-7th grade
1948 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.99
Twice Freed
by Patricia St. John
1977 edition from Moody Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Chronicles of Narnia Book 5
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting
from Mayflower Books
for 3rd-7th grade
1923 Newbery Medal winner
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Wheel on the School
by Meindert DeJong
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1955 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Wheel on the School
by Meindert DeJong
from Inheritance Publications
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1955 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$21.90
When We Were Very Young
by A. A. Milne
from Puffin Books
Poetry for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Where the Red Fern Grows
by Wilson Rawls
from Bantam Books
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
White Stag
Puffin Newbery Library
by Kate Seredy
from Puffin Books
Heroic Legend for 4th-6th grade
1938 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Wind in the Willows
Puffin Classics
by Kenneth Grahame
from Puffin Books
Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99
Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame
from Wordsworth Editions
Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
12