Welcome to the third installment of important children’s books over time! If you’re new, enjoy reading about well-known children’s books from 2000, and check out the previous articles detailing books from 1925-1975 and 1976-1999. New children’s books come out each day, but the older ones are just as good, and having the ability to read your favorites to your child is something special. Enjoy this list of six books to explore alongside your child.
Related: Fantastic Children’s Books for Your Kid: 1925-1975
Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type (2000)
Featuring cows, a farmer, and other farm animals Click, Clack, Moo is a story that will entertain your child for nights on end. The cows have gotten ahold of a typewriter, and the title of the book lends itself to the repeated sound that the farmer hears. If that wasn’t enough, the cows start leaving the farmer notes, like asking for electric blankets to keep them warm.
Winner of the Caldecott Award, NYT bestselling authors Doreen Cronin and Betsey Lewin have created a fun, repetitive book that will stay on their bookshelves for years. And if you like this book, check out Click, Clack, Quackity Quack for more adventures with the farmer, cows, and now a duck.
Mooseltoe (2000)
A continuation from the original book Moosetache, dad moose is preparing for the holidays in Mooseltoe. As he is decorating the house, he realizes that there is one big piece missing – the Christmas tree! This drives the story until finally moose figures out that his mustache can be the Christmas tree, and all is solved for the holidays.
Margie Palatini and Henry Cole’s fantastic stories and illustrations make this series enjoyable for kids and parents alike. Check out other stories following Moose like Moosekitos, where a family reunion doesn’t go quite as planned.
Related: Fantastic Children’s Books for Your Kid: 1976-1999
I Want My Mom! (2000)
When Jake the Snake wakes up, his mother is gone! In this short tale by Woody, follow Jake along as he tries in vain to find his mother. Each twist and turn in the road only brings him more despair, until he finally realizes that he has been traveling on his mother’s back the entire time.
Though this book is quite short, the message is clear – there is a strong bond between mother and child. The colorful illustrations and repeated phrase “I want my mom!” checks off all the boxes for a memorable children’s book.
Dog’s Colorful Day (2000)
One of my favorites as a child was Dog’s Colorful Day, a book that combines both colors and counting in a clever way that will entertain young readers. Dog begins the day with one black spot on his ear, but as the hours move forward Dog continues to find ways that add spots to his white coat, making him a speckled mess that ends in a bath.
Emma Dodd has published several other books that highlight Dog’s antics, such as Dog’s Noisy Day, Dog’s Birthday, and others. Keep following Dog as he discovers more about the world, or check out Dodd’s other stories featuring new animals.
Also Read: 10 Best Baby Books to Add to Your Shelves
Attack of the 50-foot Teacher (2000)
Similar to the movies Honey I Blew Up/Shrunk the Kids, Attack of the 50-foot Teacher is about Miss Irma Birmbaum. Miss Irma is one of the meanest teachers at school, and decides to give her students homework on Halloween. Once she gets home however, an alien encounter causes her to grow to fifty feet tall! Will she wreck everyone’s Halloween, or is there a sweet side to Miss Irma?
This is the first of three books that feature poor Miss Irma, with the other titles being The Incredible Shrinking Teacher and The Abominable Snow Teacher. Whichever book you decide to read, the illustrations by Lisa Passen make the books entertaining and memorable.
Mr. Betts and Mr. Potts (2000)
The rhyme scheme and curious ailments makes Mr. Betts and Mr. Potts one book to keep on your bookshelf. Mr. Betts has eight pets; a cat, fish, snake, rat, rabbit, canary, frog, and dog. As they continue to get weirder and weirder ailments, he brings them to Mr. Potts in order to be cured.
If you’re looking for an updated version of this book, there was one printed in 2017 by the newer name of Dr. Potts, My Pets Have Spots! Whichever one you decide to read to your child, the hilarious illustrations will keep them giggling until they fall asleep.
Check Out: 15 Best Dinosaur Books for Kids
These are just some of the children’s books published during the year 2000, but all of these have impacted millions of readers in a way that will continue for years to come. If you’d enjoyed exploring this time period of children’s books, check back in the future for the last article concerning 2001-2010 to get the full range of children’s books.
