As a library employee, I see so many kids’ books that either bring back fond memories or make me think, “I wish that had been around when I was that age! I would have loved it!” The good news is that you don’t have to be a kid or a parent to read children’s books. I’ve picked up all kinds of picture books and juvenile fiction as an adult and thoroughly enjoyed them. Maybe the vocabulary isn’t as advanced as I’m capable of reading, but a good story is a good story!

It’s also fun to revisit old favorites as an adult. Not long ago, I reread The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth. It was published in 1956, and I first read it circa 1988. At the time I accepted the story at face value and enjoyed the tale of a boy who found and hatched a dinosaur egg. As an adult, I picked up how much the world has changed in the past sixty-eight years. Everything from telephones and television to language and transportation has evolved. (To be fair, a lot has changed since 1988, too!) I still had fun reading about the dinosaur, but I got a dose of history along with it.

The best example of revisiting an all-time favorite is my lifelong love affair with Richard Adams’ Watership Down. I first read it in elementary school (although I don’t necessarily recommend it for most young children due to the themes, violence, and vocabulary level. Wait until middle or even high school). I have re-read it many times since, and, depending on what stage of life I’m in, I get something new and different out of it each time. On the surface, it’s a group of rabbits going on an adventure. As I’ve matured and broadened my horizons, I’ve uncovered a wealth of other threads running through the book: bravery, community, leadership, starting over, recovering, mourning, utopia and dystopia, folklore, the hero’s journey, resisting fascism, war, peace, trust, aging, family, hope, and more. And that’s the beauty of Watership Down: you can read it on so many levels. Characters like Hazel, Fiver, and Bigwig are old friends I never tire of revisiting, and Woundwort is one of the most intimidating villains I’ve encountered.

Rereading picture books I enjoyed as a kid can also be thought-provoking. It’s not that I didn’t pick up on themes like environmentalism or feminism as a kid, but as an adult I have a different perspective. Sometimes, though…it ain’t that deep. A picture book about a dragon raised among crocodiles who doesn’t understand why he hates the water is an entertaining story with delightful artwork. A story about a boy trying to figure out what to do with the whale that suddenly appeared in his backyard kiddie pool is silly fun—and most reading should be fun!

Which do I enjoy more? Discovering heretofore unknown depths in old favorites, or the simple enjoyment of cute art and fun stories? Both can be entertaining, but honestly, adult life is already so full of complex situations, gray morality, and serious themes that it’s important to take time for silliness just for the joy of it. So take a stroll through the Picture Books selection at the library. I dare you not to smile at a little Tyrannosaurus Rex learning that eating her classmates are rude, or a bear being shrunk to the size of a kitten after annoying a witch just one time too many.

Here are some more picture books that I’ve discovered and enjoyed as a grown-up:

From Our Catalog

I, an employee of the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, am hereby officially giving you permission to read kids books, no matter what age you are. I promise we aren’t going to check your I.D. to see if you’re young enough to check out The Monster at the End of This Book.

Go forth and enjoy, and remember: you may not be getting any younger, but good stories are timeless.