15 Best Children's Books That Will Make an Adult Cry
Discover the most heart-wrenching and middle-grade children's books that will make an adult cry. The best in sad and sentimental fiction for all ages.
Today we will share 15 Best Children's Books That Will Make an Adult Cry. Sad children's stories have a special magic.
The saddest children's books that make you cry are the ones that pack an emotional punch and make the reader think about life differently.
Adult readers will appreciate these sentimental children's books because they have a deeper meaning than most kids’ books.
While reading to your child is one of the best ways to help them develop as a reader, it’s not just beneficial for them.
Reading has been proven to reduce stress, increase vocabulary and performance at school, and even improve empathy—and all of these benefits are more pronounced if you read with your child rather than letting them read alone.
In this article, we have listed some of our favorite fiction and middle-grade sad books for kids that will make an adult cry, not only as adults but also as parents reading them to their kids.
1. The Little Prince
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The little prince said: "You people here have planted five thousand roses in a garden, but they can't find what they want in it.
This book is about love. When encountering similar people, you have a high degree of resonance in your thoughts and a consistent emotional pattern, but you don’t dare to go out of your way, so it’s better than the ignorant impulses of youth.
The fearlessness of youth. People only want to see all the good, and can't wait for him to be a character created exactly according to the ideal.
The fox said: You are always responsible for what you have domesticated. The little prince said: As long as you pay attention, what you are looking for can be found in every rose or a little water. It takes two people who are very firm with each other.
It will be very difficult to cultivate a combination where one is firm and the other keeps giving up because of fear. Begin to believe that the old-fashioned marriage is good, the two people hold the firm and inseparable determination to let time and patience accumulate and hold the hand of the child to grow old together.
What is growth? Growth is to face up to fear and fully experience fear. Only by crossing the area of fear can we broaden our boundaries of ourselves. The same is true of love. Irreplaceable love comes from rational judgment.
After the fundamentals are in harmony, we will not be separated from each other. Now temptations are everywhere. The price of the betrayal is far from being destroyed. The one and only her.
There are so many people in the world, and there are always people who fit you. If you still look forward to the love of the little prince, then it is to be yourself, and when you meet that person, love fearlessly, and love like blindness.
Today, we have seen countless people, and we can judge the fit between the other party and ourselves with a few glances. What we lack is not a skill but courage and commitment, so if we feel right, just love as if we have never been hurt.
2. The Giving Tree
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The first time I saw this book when I was in college, I picked up a book at random in a bookstore: I finished reading the entire thick book in less than 3 minutes and then felt that this book would take a lifetime When I came to read, my thoughts were very long: in it, I thought of her, when I was in love with a girl secretly. She was my classmate in elementary school.
She had a special affection since she was a child. When she was in college, one day, she suddenly found out that she had fallen in love with her, although she didn't know what love was at that time.
I decided to give her the book and tell her "If she were that little boy, I would be such a tree". Just to express my true feelings: I believe this should be called love.
Later, I actually gave her the book and told her "If she were that little boy, I would be such a tree". She said nothing. She also had a boyfriend at the time.
Later, she told me, "She was reading this book in a self-study classroom, and when she read: "As time goes by ---," she couldn't help crying."
In fact, what I want to share is just: "Everyone has some things worth remembering when they grow up, or some feelings worth savoring. These things are very simple and natural. In fact, they have always existed in our hearts, maybe in the busy and busy growth.
In middle school and work, it has gradually been forgotten, and when something touches us, we will suddenly discover how full and warm our hearts are, and these things are the direction and motivation that promotes us to move forward.”
The plot of the story is not beautiful, but the story is beautiful because I found something about my inner quiet world and my original dream.
Thank you for this book, for the story this book brings to me, and for all the people who have touched me in my life. This person may be a relative, a friend, a lover, a classmate, or even someone who doesn't know his name. stranger.
I believe this book can bring you value. I hope you can truly discover everyone who brings you to love and touch in this world and tell her (him) that you are willing to bring her (him) happiness That Giving Tree.
We believe that gratitude and dedication make the world more beautiful.
3. Love You Forever
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
A story of a mother's love; the painting style is warm and full of life, and the sentences are simple, repetitive, and easy to catch; I just disagree with the mother's practice of rocking forth and back while the child is asleep and then facing the sleeping nine-aged, teen-aged & grown-up boy, shaking in his arms, I really doubt that mother's affection is unnecessary...
There is such a mother, who has a baby. Her favorite thing to do is hold the baby, shake it, and sing a beautiful song:
I will always love you, love you forever, and you will always be my baby as long as I live.
The boy grew up day by day, from a teenager to a young man until he finally became an adult and moved out of his parent's house, and his mother's favorite thing to do all the time was to climb to the head of his bed, make sure he was asleep, pick him up and shake him. Ah, sing that song again until the day she died.
Yes, no matter how old a child is, in the eyes of parents, they will always be the little baby in their arms.
Only this lyric poem is dedicated to all parents and children and the fate and affection between them that last a lifetime.
4. A Little Princess
Book Summary: A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
After watching 'A Little Princess' and "Little Princess", I began to know the story when I was very young and watched the TV show "A Little Princess" played by Lan Dengbo.
The second time I saw this story was when another young actor played the role on TV. Yes, I was moved twice after reading it, and now I have found the book to read, and I am also secretly reading it during work hours!
There are differences between the movie and the book. In the movie, the little princess's father is not dead, but in the book, the little princess's father is dead! But the storytelling of the little princess and the fairytale-like turning into reality all make me feel very beautiful, very happy, and very excited.
When I saw the little princess starving, I felt very sad. How could a child like that endure so much suffering? Her little heart is so kind that she thinks the world is so dirty; she sees through everything in the world, her strong performance and the hypothetical fairy tale make me feel that everything is still so beautiful!
I also like the portrayal of the little characters in it, I like Lottie the crying child, I like the poor Becky, I like the bakery owner who changed because of Sarah, and I like the Indian servant and the little monkey.
Everyone no matter where they are Don't give up your "assumptions" in such a situation, and maintain a princess attitude and politeness no matter what the environment is! Every fairy tale must believe that it is true!
5. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
A global celebration of adorable baby fingers and baby toes--now available in a lapboard book edition. Born in the hills or in a town, in a tent, or on the ice, these babies from across the globe all have one thing in common --adorable fingers and toes. But one little baby has something only its mother can give.
I like it better than my baby likes it. Maybe this kind of faint picture is not enough to catch the baby's attention. But it does not prevent this is a very beautiful book.
I feel that he is praising the common attributes of people and telling you that although people in the world are different in one way or another, we are all the same creatures and have the same biological attributes.
In this sense, each life is equal. But at the end of the story, the story changes again, saying that despite the similarities between people, the little baby in my arms is so different in my eyes, because he is a little baby that belongs only to me. Once I read this, I cried.
6. Charlotte's Web – EBWhite
Beloved by generations, Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little are two of the most cherished stories of all time. Now, for the first time ever, these treasured classics are available in lavish new collectors' editions.
In addition to the larger trim size, the original black-and-white art by Garth Williams has been lovingly colorized by renowned illustrator Rosemary Wells, adding another dimension to these two perfect books for young and old alike.
Whether you are returning once again to visit with Wilbur, Charlotte, and Stuart, or giving the gift of these treasured stories to a child, these spruced-up editions are sure to delight fans new and old. The interior design has been slightly moderated to give the books a fresh look without changing the original, familiar, and beloved format.
Garth Williams's original black-and-white line drawings for the jacket of Stuart Little have also been newly colorized by the celebrated illustrator Rosemary Wells. These classics return with a new look, but with the same heartwarming tales that have captured readers for generations.
7. Guess How Much I Love You
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
How much is my love for you? Almost all people who are immersed in the happiness of love do not think about such a question. However, a little rabbit thought of it. It raised its innocent face and said to the big rabbit, "Guess how much I love you?"
This is a thin little book, light blue, green and yellow. The watercolor depicts a simple story.
A little rabbit and a big rabbit spread their arms, jumped to the treetops, looked up at the sky, and just wanted to figure out who loved whom more.
Can love be calculated?
"There are no two things in the world that are exactly the same, and the two strands of hair on your head can't be the same length.
However—please, my little ones, praise me in unison! Only the love of a mother in the world, or Hidden or manifest, or appearing or disappearing, whether you measure with a bucket, measure with a ruler, or speculate with the measure of the soul; my mother is to me, your mother is to you, her and his mother are to her and him; their love is generally long, wide and high and deep, and there is no difference."
This is an understanding of love.
"I love you until the moon."
"I love you as far as the moon, and back here from the moon..."
This is also an understanding of love.
We always think that love is a feeling that is too deep and too great to be spoken. It seems that if you say it, it will lose its original appearance.
However, the children know that love needs to be expressed. Although love may not be calculated, the result of calculating the amount of love is not important, but the process of calculation: in the process, we open our arms, jump to the treetops, and look at the sky - and finally, on the moon, We finally saw each other's hearts happily. It turned out that we were so in love with each other...
When the Chilean poetess Mistral was about to become a mother, she shyly said: "Mom, now put the love you know Tell me about the knowledge."
The science of love, ah, never forget this sentence. Indeed, love is a science, which requires us to learn and teach in our whole life.
In the long and lonely night, when holding his hand, lying beside him, and telling a dreamlike story, don't forget to say to him, "I love you."
In the cold winter, wrap him up with a warm Warm coat, before he runs out, when hugging him gently, don't forget to say to him: "I love you."
Between the dark and hard cement bricks, a soft seed of life is buried for him, When the shoots break out of the ground, don't forget to say to him: "I love you."
Teach him, love, and let love grow up in his heart slowly. In this way, many, many years later, he will naturally say this to his lover and children. He will live happily. When every child understands the meaning of this sentence and how to say it to others, the world will be happy.
Did you tell him today - "Guess how much I love you?"
8. The Velveteen Rabbit
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"
"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.
Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby.
But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
9. The Tenth Good Thing About Barney
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney by Judith Viorst
"The Tenth Good Thing About Barney" was the first time I read it and put it back on the bookshelf, because I felt immersed in it, and I wanted to scramble to escape the sadness that surged up.
My kitten Barney died and my mom made me think of 10 good things about Barney and I just want to come up with 9. We buried the barney under the tree and I thought number 10 - barney in the soil, would help the plant grow leaves and bloom.
Yes, the cycle of life is like that. There's a good quote from Dad in the book -- I said to Dad, I don't like Barney leaving us. He said, why would you like it?
This used to be a sad thing. Yes, in the face of loss, "allowing" to be sad may be the best healing.
Regarding the picture books on issues such as death, I also thought of "I Love You Forever" by Shangyi. If I look at these two books, I prefer "The Tenth Good Thing About Barney".
I think it is the ending. I planted a little seed on top of the soil buried in Barney and told the little boy that everything would change... Compared to the ending of "I Love You Forever", Dad said to buy a new puppy Come, and the little boy said no because the puppy Aya is already alive in my heart.
"The Tenth Good Thing About Barney" has infinite beauty and imagination, and "I Will Always Love You," tells the reader an answer, Susu's own feeling is quite different, after being moved by "The Tenth Good Thing About Barney",
Because its cover and opening number are different from the usual tonality of the East, I usually feel that the East does not pay much attention to the visual of the cover, focusing more on the content and ignoring the texture of the book.
In addition, the original title of "The Tenth Good Thing About Barney" is The Tenth Good Thing About Barney. Why is it called The Tenth Good Thing About Barney?
But I think the title is innocuous, and it fits the text very well. Perhaps I hope that readers will naturally think of the title of the book and have the desire to buy it!
10. I Love You Through and Through
I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti Shustak
I love your hair and eyes, Your giggles and cries...A toddler and his teddy bear illustrate a young child's happy side, sad side, silly side, mad side, and more!
Babies and toddlers will feel loved all over when they hear this declaration of adoration and affection!
The book has sturdy cardstock pages and a padded cover with rounded corners for safe handling by little ones.
I received it this evening...it's really a lovely book...
every time I turn the page, my heart is filled with joy and warmth. I decided to take this little book with me all the time.
I love you through and through.. yesterday, today, and tomorrow too.
Children... are the light and light of this world...
PS I think... the words in this book are really the first things we should let children know and learn... love is the subject of our life's efforts.
11. Peter Pan
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
Last night, I held a book and read it for a few hours. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I didn’t want to take a shower. I didn’t want to drink water. I just finished the book in one breath. , only in this way can we truly appreciate the true meaning of it.
This book is "Peter Pan" by James Barley of the United Kingdom, which has influenced the world for more than a hundred years.
I still remember the first time I came into contact with this name, in Peter Pan is a poor child who needs to be loved.
But after a few years, when I read this book myself, I clearly felt that this is a child's story, and it was clearly about myself.
At the outset, the author says, "You'll see your mother kneeling there, gleefully examining your mind, wondering where you've picked up all these weird things.
Some things she likes, others She is bored... When you wake up in the morning, the deepest thoughts in your mind are the naughty thoughts and bad tempers that you slept last night, they have been folded into small and small.
What remains on the thoughts are some peace Pure good thoughts" ... and the mother found a name in the child's mind, and it was called Peter, and it seemed familiar to the childhood self, and with a little pride.
Yes, Peter Pan grows in the hearts of every child, he represents mischief, desire, bravery, fraternity, forgetfulness, kindness, fairness, etc., which means not yet grown up, not yet by the adult world. pollute.
He will play mischievously, he will long for his mother's love, he will be responsible for watching Wendy all night to protect her, he will fight pirates with dexterity and face death bravely, he will cherish the eggs of no bird,
He also forgets some things (good and bad), he wants to keep Wendy but finally lets her go home, and he reaches for Hook who is not at his level... every little detail Tells us that Peter Pan does exist.
12. The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
It seems that I haven't come across such a delightful book in a long time. A good fairy tale should be written not only for children, but also for everyone, and to remove the dust from the hearts of those who read it.
Every word in the book is like the flowers and plants basking in the sun in the secret garden, or the heather, soft and warm. Mary and Kendi, and the little chief frolicking in the secret garden, reminded me of my childhood.
A Russian poet once said that you really grow up when you realize that a part of you remains forever in childhood.
The world of children is wonderful, and they can be extremely happy just by doing some simple things. It is difficult for adults to understand the thoughts of children. Adults hope that their children will become angels, but they forget that children themselves are angels.
I am no longer a child, I have grown up to be an adult with a sense of responsibility and a sense of mission; but a child is living in each of us, who will appear from time to time, and occasionally we will be stupid, just let your heart enjoy it, you don't have to remember that you are no longer a child.
I like this book, and I am grateful for how it touched me.
Legend has it that everyone has a secret garden in their hearts. I don't think there should be dark, black, or evil there. Instead, plant a garden full of roses and ivy and gorse, where there is a place to rest, a thread of joy, where all happiness and beauty can be pulled out by a single pull, just as Mary finds it under the guidance of a robin The key to the secret garden.
oh, there must be heather and robins in my secret garden.
I will have a secret garden of my own in the future, and I will definitely have it because I am so convinced. I also want to loosen the soil, weed weeds, talk to them, and sing with the birds...
13. Where the Red Fern Grows
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The author of this book, Wilson Rawls, kept the manuscript at the bottom of the box after he was finished, afraid to show it to anyone.
Like Billy, he had no formal schooling. Born in September 1913 in a peasant family in the Ozark Mountains, he learned to read and write from his mother in childhood.
He has engaged in a variety of manual labor in his life, and dare not hope to become a writer who can write for a living. Before getting married, he quietly burned the manuscript he had written.
After his wife Sophie found out, she encouraged him to rewrite the story, helped him revise and proofread, and mailed the manuscript to the publishing house.
The language of the book is very simple, first-person memories, simple but full of sincere emotion. At the beginning of the article, Billy, who is almost middle-aged, rescued a stray dog that was under siege near the community where he lived.
The dull, skinny dog, having eaten at Billy's house, was on his way again. It has an unwavering direction of home in its heart, supporting its frail body, rain or shine, without stopping.
It reminded Billy of the days when his two hounds and three companions used to hunt in the woods at night. The ferns must have grown mad, and the lush foliage covered the place where the two dogs rested. Let those angelic plants guard them as they once guarded Billy.
14. Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss is a Western children's writer. This book was published in 1990 and is also his last work. Although it is a book for children, the description and inspiration of life in the book should not be too much for adults to read.
This is a simple, but very thought-provoking work. I learned that this book is also an episode of Friends that Joey gave as a gift on Rachael's birthday.
The more I read Friends, the more I realize that there are many small details in it that I hadn't noticed before. Here's an excerpt: .... be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
15. The Kissing Hand
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
Little raccoon doesn't want to go to school, he just wants to stay at home.
The mother raccoon gave her baby a magical kiss, and she told: From now on, whenever you feel lonely and need the care of the home, just put your hand on your cheek and think in your heart: "Mama loves you, Mama loves you", this kiss will jump on your face and make you feel warm and comfortable.
While picture books don't really work like magic to make kids fall in love with school in one fell swoop, picture books offer a great way to deal with separation anxiety in children -- magic kisses -- to let children know that mom and dad's love will last forever.
It is really suitable for children who are about to enter kindergarten! Even without reading this picture book with your child, this method is well worth trying, isn't it?
Also, I think the mother raccoon said it especially well when she knew the little raccoons didn't want to go to kindergarten: "Sometimes, we all have to do things we don't want to do, even if they seem foreign and scary at first."
This is exactly what we want to say to our children. Everyone will have such a first time in their growth. They all need to face these "must-do things".
Even if they feel unfamiliar and afraid, as long as they do it, they will gradually change. it is good. Isn't it?
The role of kissing is very powerful. We told another story about kissing before, " The Kiss That Saved ". Adults may not believe this set, but the baby does.
Conclusion: Best children's books that will make an adult cry
Kids and adults react to stories differently. While children might be more likely to empathize with the characters, adults might be more sensitive to hidden themes and meanings.
The saddest children's books don’t just entertain, they also educate and touch hearts. If you think kid’s books can never make you cry because you're an adult, then think again.
Adults are more in tune with hidden meanings and messages than you think. These 15 middle-grade books will make you cry, there are underlying themes and concepts that will hit the mind at any age.
You May Like Also:
- Wish You More
- How Do I Love You
- Grandma Wishes
- Thank You, God, For Grandma
- Someday
- If I Could Keep You Little
- On The Night You Were Born
- The Bridge To Terebithia
- Old Yeller
- Tuck Everlasting
- Our Tree Named Steve
- Corduroy
- Knuffle Bunny Free
- City Dog, Country Frog
- Rosie Revere, Engineer
- Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You
- My Many Colored Days
- Charlie Parker Played Be Bop
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About Muhiuddin Alam
Muhiuddin Alam is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ReadingAndThinking.com. He serves as a consistent contributor to various websites and publications, including Medium, Quora, Reddit, Linkedin, Substack, Vocal, Flipboard, and Amazon KDP. Alam personally read numerous books and, for the past 10 years, has been providing book recommendations and reviews. Find Me: About Me & Google Knowledge Panel.
