ANNOUNCING: Australia’s Top 50 Kids Books 2020!

Each year, Better Reading asks young Australian readers, their families, librarians and teachers to vote for their favourite book. This year we’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response! It’s clear that Australian love reading across a broad range of children’s titles in all formats – paperback, hardcovers and board books.

The 2020 list includes old favourites, newcomers, award winners and some anniversary titles that have stood the test of time. As we did last year we have split the list into two sections: the Top 25 for older readers and Top 25 for early readers.

Coming in at #1 for older readers is The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. Harry Potter has won this coveted position for the last two years so this was a big surprise. This year Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K. Rowling was number three for older readers, which demonstrates its continuing popularity. Number two for older readers was Does My Head Look Big In This by Randa Abdel Fattah. This award-winning book was released in 2005 and shows that our community appreciate books that reflect the diversity of our Australian society.

For younger readers The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle has once again wormed his way to the top, narrowly beating Possum Magic by Mem Fox which came in second place. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson was in third place, a long-term favourite celebrating 21 years on the bookshelves.

A host of Australian authors and illustrators are prominent within the 25 titles for younger readers. Mem Fox, Aaron Blabey and Alison Lester hold three positions each in the list of 25 books. True blue nostalgic dinky-di characters Grug and Snugglepot and Cuddlepie also made an appearance.

Better Reading Director, Cheryl Akle says, ‘It’s clear there is a deep love for picture books. We saw this with the response our readers had to Grug’s 40^th birthday and Spot’s 40^th anniversary this year. There’s a fondness and respect for characters we know from our own childhood that makes us want to share them with the next generation. We also open our hearts to new characters like Thelma the Unicorn.”

Older readers are completely won over by a good series. There were 12 different series represented in the top 25 books for older readers. Fantasy series dominate the list with the Faraway Tree, Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, Nevermoor and Percy Jackson. Humorous series were well-represented too by WeirDo, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Treehouse series. Aussie author Jacqui Harvey has two series in the list: Kensy and Max and Alice-Miranda.

But overall Roald Dahl ruled the older readers category with five titles voted favourites!

The vote also revealed:

21 Australian books made the list
22 books have a female author
The most popular series is The Faraway Tree, closely followed by Harry Potter, and then ( in order) The Chronicles of Narnia, Nevermoor, Weirdo, Alice Miranda, Kensy and Max, the Treehouse series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the Tomorrow series and Percy Jackson.
Australian children enjoy a diverse mix of literary and popular fiction and they particularly love a funny read

Cheryl Akle initiated the annual Top 100 Better Reading poll for adult books in the hope that it would inspire Australians to read and to share ideas with other readers about the books they love. Soon after she realised that the same is true for children’s books. This is the fourth year the poll has run.

“People are always telling me how hard it is to find the right book for a child in their life,” says Akle. “With so many wonderful new books hitting the shelves each month, making a decision can be overwhelming so this list is something you can take with you to the bookshop. When you give a book to a child you want to know it’s a book they’re going to love.”

COMMENTS

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JEAN pierre CORNU says:
1 October 2020 at 2:10 pm
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Kerry Heubel says:
15 April 2023 at 9:02 pm
I think Andy Griffiths Tree House series has been the most popular among the children in my grandson’s age. They share the books and laugh together. They have already read all of the Harry Potter series and talked about them as well as others on your list but have agreed they preferred the Tree House series and that included his other stories as well.
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Rejekibet Apk says:
17 March 2025 at 4:40 am
What an exciting list! I can’t wait to explore these top picks for 2020. It’s always great to see such a wonderful selection of children’s books that can inspire young readers. Thank you for sharing!
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ok Win says:
26 March 2025 at 5:49 pm
I absolutely love seeing the diversity in this year’s selections! It’s fantastic to find new titles that can spark a love for reading in kids. Can’t wait to check these out! Thank you for sharing such a great list!
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OK Win Login says:
19 May 2025 at 11:48 am
What a fantastic list! I’m always on the lookout for new and exciting books for my kids, and it’s great to see some familiar favorites alongside new titles to discover. Thanks for putting this together!
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90 club login says:
27 May 2025 at 11:08 pm
What an exciting list! I can’t wait to check out the top kids’ books for 2020. It’s always great to see fresh recommendations that can inspire a love for reading in our little ones. Thanks for sharing!
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dm Game Login says:
19 June 2025 at 7:27 am
I love this list! It’s such a fantastic resource for parents looking to inspire a love of reading in their kids. I’m excited to discover new titles and revisit some classics. Thank you for putting this together!
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dabang game says:
29 July 2025 at 10:48 pm
What an exciting list! I can’t wait to explore these top kids’ books. It’s always great to see what resonates with young readers and discover new favorites for my kids! Thank you for sharing!
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tt789 apk says:
22 August 2025 at 4:10 am
What a fantastic list! I’m excited to check out these top kids’ books and see which ones my little ones will enjoy. Thanks for putting this together—it’s so helpful for finding great reads!
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101u says:
24 August 2025 at 10:17 pm
Thank you for sharing this amazing list of top kids’ books! I’m excited to discover new stories to enjoy with my little ones. It’s so important to cultivate a love for reading early on, and these selections look fantastic. Can’t wait to check them out!
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tc lottery says:
27 August 2025 at 1:22 pm
What a fantastic list! I’m always on the lookout for great kids’ books, and it’s so exciting to see such a diverse range of titles. Can’t wait to explore these and share them with my little ones. Thanks for putting this together!
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Basant game says:
31 August 2025 at 5:10 am
I’m so excited to see the Top 50 Kids Books for 2020! It’s always a joy to discover new reads for my kids. Any favorites you would recommend from the list?
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In 999 login says:
1 September 2025 at 10:08 am
What an exciting list! I’m always on the lookout for new reads for my kids, and it’s great to see such a fantastic selection. I can’t wait to check out some of these titles and see which ones become their new favorites. Thanks for putting this together!
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vidmate says:
10 September 2025 at 5:55 am
I absolutely love this list! It’s fantastic to see so many wonderful books for kids highlighted. I can’t wait to check out some of these titles with my little ones. Thank you for putting this together!
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91 lottery Login says:
16 September 2025 at 2:06 am
What a wonderful list! I’m excited to explore these titles and share them with my kids. It’s great to see such a diverse range of stories representing different themes and cultures. Thanks for compiling this!
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orca slicer says:
18 October 2025 at 7:41 am
What a fantastic list! I’m excited to see so many beloved titles featured. It’s great to have a variety of genres and themes represented, ensuring there’s something for every young reader. Can’t wait to check out the ones I’ve missed! Thank you, Better Reading, for this wonderful resource!
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sodium says:
12 November 2025 at 9:13 pm
What an exciting list! I can’t wait to explore these top picks for 2020. It’s always great to see a variety of genres and themes for kids. Thanks for the recommendations!
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Truecaller mod says:
13 November 2025 at 5:24 pm
What an exciting list! I can’t wait to check out these top kids’ books from Australia. Thanks for sharing such a great resource for parents and young readers!
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91 club says:
19 November 2025 at 8:42 am
I absolutely loved this list! It’s always exciting to see new and wonderful titles for kids. I’m particularly interested in how these books can spark imagination and love for reading in young minds. Can’t wait to check out some of these recommendations! Thank you for curating such a fantastic selection!
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BDT login says:
25 November 2025 at 1:38 pm
What an exciting list! I can’t wait to explore these top kids’ books and find new favorites for my little ones. It’s always great to see what resonates with kids today. Thanks for sharing!
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ri188 says:
6 February 2026 at 12:12 pm
What a fantastic list! I can’t wait to explore these titles with my kids. It’s great to see such a diverse range of stories and authors represented. Thanks for putting this together!
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Y2mate says:
27 March 2026 at 6:44 pm
I love seeing the variety in this year’s top kids’ books list! It’s great to discover new titles and authors that I might not have come across otherwise. Can’t wait to share some of these with my little ones! Thank you for compiling and sharing this list!
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Get Yu sleep says:
23 April 2026 at 12:46 am
What an exciting list! I’m always on the lookout for great reads for my kids, and I can’t wait to explore these top picks. Thanks for sharing!
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