8 Reasons You Should Reread Your Childhood Favorite Book
The sad fact for most bookworms is that our best reading years are behind us. Reading as an adult opens us up to far more choices, and we’ll likely read the most literary, challenging, and thought-provoking works in those years—but that pales in comparison to devouring a stack of Goosebumps by flashlight in our formative reading years. Kids love books like no one else. I still remember the stories that made me think, “Books can do this??” Those books I read as a kid have made an indelible impression on my mind.
We may not be able to fully go back to reading as a kid, but there are so many reasons it’s worth returning to those books you loved as a child. There can be some hesitation about losing some of the magic of that reading experience, but I have eight good reasons to overcome that and revisit a childhood favorite. Oh, and here’s another: task #2 of the 2025 Read Harder Challenge is “Reread a childhood favorite book”!
#1: To reconsider a controversial classic.
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Sometimes, reading a childhood favorite as an adult means seeing it in a whole new way. While you may have adored The Rainbow Fish or The Giving Tree wholeheartedly as a kid, those stories may feel different now. There’s a reason they’re some of the most polarizing children’s books ever written. Is the Giving Tree generous or is the child just selfish? Does The Rainbow Fish encourage people to erase anything about themselves that makes them different, or is it just a lesson in sharing? Luckily, as adult readers, we can hold both the childhood love of a story and a more critical view of it at the same time—or you might just find you disagree with the critiques!
#2: To introduce a new generation to it.
The Little Mermaid (Once Upon a World) by Hannah Eliot, illustrated by Nívea Ortiz
Readers spend years anticipating the time when they can share their favorite stories with the kids in their lives, whether it’s reading them a chapter a night or gifting them your favorite picture books. This can help you see a familiar story through their eyes, and it’s also a way to keep your love of that story alive through generations. If possible, I recommend picking up a version of that story with new illustrations or an updated cover that appeals to today’s young readers, like the Once Upon a World versions of classic fairy tales. And that brings us to my next reason to reread a childhood favorite…
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#3: To experience it in a new way.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, narrated by Eden Riegel
Another fantastic way to revisit a childhood favorite is to pick it up in a new format or version. This can be a picture book with new illustrations, or you can try listening to it as an audiobook. Ella Enchanted was one of my favorite books as a kid, and I was delighted by the audiobook version. By listening instead of flipping pages, I was able to return to this beloved story but still experience something new.
#4: To appreciate what you might have missed as a kid.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
I read Animal Farm for the first time when I was about 12. And I loved it! I understood it was allegorical…but I obviously didn’t pick up on everything the book was trying to communicate. Sometimes, revisiting books like these as an adult means enjoying them even more, finding richness, jokes, and nuance that went right over our heads as kids.
#5: To see the flaws you might have missed as a kid.
Little House On the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Like reason #1, sometimes revisiting our favorite books means seeing the flaws within them. Little House On the Prairie was a very popular children’s book series, but it also contains a lot of anti-Indigenous racism. Rereading books like these is especially relevant for parents to decide whether they want to pass these stories along to their kids, and if so, how to discuss them with the appropriate context. For more about this, check out Jaime Herndon’s article Deconstructing Little House On the Prairie.
#6: To read with an academic lens.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Children’s literature is its own field of academic study, and one fun way to return to a childhood favorite is to take an academic lens! You can go Rachel Cordasco’s route and analyze them in a tongue in cheek way, or you can do some research and see what the academic articles say about this title and whether you agree with their analysis.
#7: To pair with a retelling.
Anne of Greenville by Mariko Tamaki
Many children’s classics have a ton of modern retellings. Try reading books like Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery and Anne of Greenville by Mariko Tamaki back-to-back to spot the references you may have missed otherwise and to consider why the author decided to make the changes they did. There are also several Anne of Green Gables graphic novel retellings, like Anne of West Philly, Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort Of), and the upcoming Dan in Green Gables (out in June).
#8: To confirm it still holds up.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
There are lots of creative ways to return to a childhood favorite as an adult, but every once in a while, a simple reread reminds you that your childhood self was right: this book is still a five star read. I read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry for the first time as an adult, but for those of you who loved it as a kid, I can tell you it definitely holds up now. Every few years, I reread Holes by Louis Sachar and confirm it’s still one of my favorite books of all time.
And there we have it: eight good reasons to revisit your childhood favorite book—but I’m sure you can come up with a lot more! For more recommendations, check out 10 Books You Read as a Kid That are Worth Rereading as an Adult.
Which childhood favorite do you plan to read for this task? Let’s chat in the comments!
Check out all the previous 2025 Read Harder posts here.
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