As adults, we tend to shy away from children's books. We assume that since we have reached an age where we can read and comprehend words above a 6th grade level that our reading material has to display just that. Wrong.
Re-reading some of your favorite childhood stories can 1. make you fall in love with that story again. 2. allow your reading comprehension to pick up on context clues that you may have missed at a younger age. 3. dive into and understand a deeper and more complex meaning of the text.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
This book is an adventure for all who read it, it tells of mystical creatures and curious tales all the while being at a reading level that many children can understand. But, after re-reading it, you can grasp at a theme that may have been lost at an age of innocence. This book focuses on duality, within Alice and within the author. Pick it up again and see what you may have missed!
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Another book that focuses on adventure. A story of bored Milo who comes in possession of a magical tollbooth. This texts centers around puns that you may or may not get the first time around, so giving it a second read at a more mature age will only hone in it's greatness! This book has a central theme of appreciating everyday life, with is a theme that can still resinate with us adults.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
This one is more advance that the first two, but still deserving of another read. This utopian society makes it seem that the perfect society creates for a perfect world, but later Jonas finds out that "sameness" erases what makes humanity so beautiful, diversity. What is meant to be utopian is actually dystopian. This theme of everyone's diversity is what makes the world so great is still a theme that us adults can relate to and strive for.
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Warner
This is a series and not just one book, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be re-read! These books are at a much lower level than the rest but hold a great message about family. The plot focuses around orphan children finding their grandfather all the while sticking together through adventures.
Dr. Seuss (EVERYTHING)
Everything that Dr. Seuss has written has an underlying message that may be lost for a child because they are distracted by the illustrations and imaginary characters. Re-reading all these books at and age where you can fully comprehend the complex plots and themes will really radiate for an adult!