Growing Up and Growing Older: Books for Young Readers

This booklist is a compilation of carefully selected children’s literature that contains positive portrayals of older adults. The book collection is housed at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Hodges Library, Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Books on the booklist portray aging as a natural and lifelong process of growing and developing, present similarities between young and old, show young and old enjoying each other and learning from each other, view older adults as valuable and contributing members of society, and help children to think about life’s later years. Books that focus on death, dying, illness and disability are not included on this list. These topics are not synonymous with aging.

This updated 2016 edition replaced the 2009 edition.