Fans pick 100 books like The Littlest Viking

By Alexandra Penfold, Isabel Roxas (illustrator),

Here are 100 books that The Littlest Viking fans have personally recommended if you like The Littlest Viking. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of Mia Moves Out

Charlotte Offsay Author Of How to Return a Monster

From my list on picture books for expanding families.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a picture book author living in Los Angeles with my husband and two small children. Through my work, I hope to make children laugh, to inspire curiosity, and to create a magical world readers can lose themselves in time and time again.

Charlotte's book list on picture books for expanding families

Charlotte Offsay Why did Charlotte love this book?

When Mia’s new brother arrives, she finds herself without a place of her own – Brandon’s stuff is everywhere! She moves from place to place around the house, but nowhere feels quite right. In the end, Mia comes to find that having her own space doesn’t have to mean moving away from Brandon. This book beautifully opens the door to conversations around adjusting to a new sibling, sharing, and personal space. I also love that it incorporates adoption without making that the focus point of the story.

By Miranda Paul, Paige Keiser (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mia Moves Out as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A sweet sibling story about one fed-up big sister who wants to find a space of her own, perfect for fans of Ashley Spires's The Most Magnificent Thing.

Mia loved her big, bright room . . . until she had to share it with her new brother. With Brandon's toys, books, and even underwear taking up space, Mia has finally had it. "I'm moving out!" There are lots of new and interesting spaces she could settle into--the bathroom, the basement, even a pillow fort. But something is always missing. What could it be? Tackling the oh-so-relatable topic of finding a…


Book cover of His Royal Highness, King Baby: A Terrible True Story

Charlotte Offsay Author Of How to Return a Monster

From my list on picture books for expanding families.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a picture book author living in Los Angeles with my husband and two small children. Through my work, I hope to make children laugh, to inspire curiosity, and to create a magical world readers can lose themselves in time and time again.

Charlotte's book list on picture books for expanding families

Charlotte Offsay Why did Charlotte love this book?

When King Baby arrives, a young princess is forced to share her kingdom. The princess protests her new brother and his attention-demanding ways. She plots to break the spell King Baby holds over the rest of the kingdom until she discovers that perhaps there are benefits to co-ruling after all. Filled with humor, this voice-y princess is sure to be a hit with young rulers everywhere.

By Sally Lloyd-Jones, David Roberts (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked His Royal Highness, King Baby as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Once upon a time there was a happy family: A mum, a dad, a gerbil, and the most beautifulest, cleverest, ever so kindest Princess Marianna. Until one horrible no good day when a new ruler was born...

From two of the most revered picture book creators working today comes a unique home-grown fairy tale about a little girl with a new baby brother. Marianna, the most beautiful, ever so kindest princess, lives happily with her mum, dad and gerbil. Happy, that is, until the new baby comes along. His Royal Highness King Baby is so smelly. He's so noisy. And…


Book cover of The New Small Person

Serene Chia Author Of I Love My Little Brother

From my list on preparing older child for new baby.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started writing children's books to connect more with my daughter. When she was born, I struggled to bond with her because I felt like I had lost part of who I was. My husband reminded me how important it was to build a strong bond with her, so I began spending more one-on-one time with her. Our favorite activity was looking for the moon together, which led to my first book, "Mommy, Mommy, Where Is The Moon?". When my son came along, I made sure my daughter knew she was still loved, promising our special time together wouldn't stop and she would always be my first baby.

Serene's book list on preparing older child for new baby

Serene Chia Why did Serene love this book?

I thought the introduction of a boy named Elmore Green and how life used to be helped to set the stage for the day everything changed when his little brother was born.

I loved that it goes through some of the struggles that Elmore goes through, like having to share his toys and space, which is something that every older sibling will need to go through. 

By Lauren Child,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The New Small Person as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Elmore Green started life as an only child, as many children do. He had a room all to himself, and everything in it was his. But one day, everything changed.
This brand new picture book from the hugely talented Lauren Child about the arrival of a new sibling is bound to be a hit with parents and children. Told with humour and with wonderfully stylish artwork, this is Lauren Child at her absolute best.


Book cover of The Bossier Baby

Charlotte Offsay Author Of How to Return a Monster

From my list on picture books for expanding families.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a picture book author living in Los Angeles with my husband and two small children. Through my work, I hope to make children laugh, to inspire curiosity, and to create a magical world readers can lose themselves in time and time again.

Charlotte's book list on picture books for expanding families

Charlotte Offsay Why did Charlotte love this book?

Boss Baby is used to being in charge but when his baby sister arrives, it is clear that there is a new CEO in town, and he is not happy about the perks she is getting that he never got. Boss baby feels replaced and ignored until an unexpected move from the new CEO shows that perhaps there is room for two CEOs after all. With a loud fun voice and adorable artwork, this is a hilarious and heart-squeezing read.

By Marla Frazee,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Bossier Baby as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Change is in the air-the Boss Baby's staff has stopped taking his direction! It seems that there is a new CEO in town; from the moment she comes home, Boss Baby's little sister is extremely loud and is demanding all sorts of corporate perks he never got. Can the Boss Baby and his staff get used to the new corporate structure?


Book cover of Beloved Viking

Jennifer Ivy Walker Author Of Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle

From my list on medieval romance with feisty female vikings and maids.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former high school teacher and college professor of French who discovered a passion for medieval history while earning my MA in French Literature. When I spent a summer studying in Normandy, I was fascinated by the Viking influences and vestiges in that region of France. I researched tales of Valkyrie and Nordic shield maiden warriors who fought alongside their fearsome men, finding inspiration for my own medieval novel. Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle features a fire-hearted French princess descended from Viking Valkyrie who wields a sword to defend her Breton kingdom and forge her own destiny.

Jennifer's book list on medieval romance with feisty female vikings and maids

Jennifer Ivy Walker Why did Jennifer love this book?

Rúna Isaksson is feisty, fiery Viking who, as the heir to her father’s jarldom, will soon replace him as the leader of their clan.

Since she must marry a warrior from another clan to form a powerful alliance, her father creates a contest to determine the strongest suitor. Determined to choose her own husband, Rúna demands to compete as well—and finds herself battling the man she once loved whose heart is as hardened as his warrior body.

I loved how Rúna was a fierce Viking, a shield maiden supremely skilled with a blade. And I adored the passionate romance between Jordan, the warrior who loved and respected Rúna as his equal.

By Ree Thornton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Beloved Viking as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The shield-maiden must marry...

Heir to her father's Jarldom, Rúna Isaksson will soon ascend to replace him as leader, but first she must marry a warrior from another clan to form a powerful alliance. When her father creates a contest to determine the strongest suitor, Rúna demands to compete as well--if she wins, she can choose her own husband. However, she's shocked to discover that her first love is amongst the competitors, the man who abandoned her without looking back. She must not let him win.

A Viking warrior haunted by a dark past...

Jorvan Eriksson has returned from seeking…


Book cover of The Last Time As We Are

Seth Brown Author Of The Disapproval of My Toaster

From my list on human poetry for an increasingly inhuman world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've been writing poetry since second grade, although oddly it took me until after college (where I was Class Poet) to start writing poetry that *gasp* didn't rhyme. (Did I mention I grew up on Ogden Nash and Shel Silverstein?) I started attending local poetry slams and then poetry festivals like WordXWord, and listening and performing there showed me what poetry could be. Poems can crystalize in a few lines a universal truth you've felt for years but been unable to express. I think that's amazing. (I also think it's better with a dash of humor mixed in, because I'm a humor columnist and I'm biased.)

Seth's book list on human poetry for an increasingly inhuman world

Seth Brown Why did Seth love this book?

There's a good chance you're familiar with his poem “What Teachers Make”, from his other book. But this is the book that has his most poignant and human poems, including “Tony Steinberg: Brave Seventh Grade Viking Warrior”, which has long been one of my partner's favorite poems, and accomplishes in a few minutes of words what many Hollywood movies try and fail to accomplish with a full cast, two hours, and hundreds of millions of dollars: It alternately makes you laugh and cry. Which I say as someone who has seen it performed many times, and it still makes me laugh every time, and still makes me cry every time.

By Taylor Mali,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Last Time As We Are as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

You don't need a classroom to be a teacher, and you don't need to be a teacher to help someone learn a lesson. Taylor Mali's poetry explores this truth in entertaining and plainspoken ways because "the last thing this world needs is another poem" ("The Call to What We Know"). Whether discussing the language of love or the love of language, the poems contained in The Last Time As We Are prove that "He who dares to teach must never cease to learn." Not since Taylor Mali has there been a poet the likes of Taylor Mali-he is a man…


Book cover of The Age of the Vikings

Donovan Cook Author Of Odin's Betrayal

From my list on learn about the Vikings and their gods.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always loved history, especially European history, and fell in love with the Vikings and their mythology after reading the first book of the Last Kingdom Series by Bernard Cornwell. One of the reasons I wanted to write Viking fiction is because I was keen to learn more about these amazing people who had such a large influence on European history, but had been stigmatized by the Christian religion. I really wanted to learn about who they were as a people and how they saw their world through their religion and their interactions with Christian nations around them.

Donovan's book list on learn about the Vikings and their gods

Donovan Cook Why did Donovan love this book?

This was one of the first books I read when I decided to write about Vikings and I found it a treasure trove filled with information about the daily lives of the Scandinavians, away from raids and the shield walls.

It told me everything I needed to know about what Vikings wore, what they ate and how they cooked their meals. I learnt about the hierarchy of the ruling classes and how they traded with the nations of the Middle East. It is filled with information about their religion, how they felt about life and death, and much more.

By Anders Winroth,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Age of the Vikings as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Vikings maintain their grip on our imagination, but their image is too often distorted by myth. It is true that they pillaged, looted, and enslaved. But they also settled peacefully and traveled far from their homelands in swift and sturdy ships to explore. The Age of the Vikings tells the full story of this exciting period in history. Drawing on a wealth of written, visual, and archaeological evidence, Anders Winroth captures the innovation and pure daring of the Vikings without glossing over their destructive heritage. He not only explains the Viking attacks, but also looks at Viking endeavors in…


Book cover of Viking Kings of Britain and Ireland: The Dynasty of Ivarr to A.D. 1014

Rory Naismith Author Of Early Medieval Britain

From my list on Britain in the Early Middle Ages.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a Professor of Early Medieval English History at the University of Cambridge. I also work on relations with the rest of Britain, and between Britain and its European neighbours, especially from an economic and social point of view. My interest in early medieval history arose from the jigsaw puzzle approach that it requires: even more so than for other periods, sources are few and often challenging, so need to be seen together and interpreted imaginatively. 

Rory's book list on Britain in the Early Middle Ages

Rory Naismith Why did Rory love this book?

‘Viking’ really refers more to an activity than an ethnicity, and has developed an unhelpful amount of baggage in modern times. This book, however, is about vikings red in tooth and claw who fought, raided, and conquered across Britain, but did so as conscious and coherent historical figures rather than an aggressive force of nature. Through delicate source-work that traverses several linguistic and cultural divides, Downham traces the activities of a powerful Scandinavian dynasty that played a formative role in the history of Britain and Ireland across the ninth and tenth centuries.

By Clare Downham,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Viking Kings of Britain and Ireland as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Vikings plagued the coasts of Ireland and Britain in the 790s. By the mid-ninth century vikings had established a number of settlements in Ireland and Britain and had become heavily involved with local politics. A particularly successful viking leader named Ivarr campaigned on both sides of the Irish Sea in the 860s. His descendants dominated the major seaports of Ireland and challenged the power of kings in Britain during the later ninth and tenth centuries. This book provides a political analysis of the deeds of Ivarr's family from their first appearance in Insular records down to the year 1014. Such…


Book cover of Kin

Elizabeth Bear Author Of All the Windwracked Stars

From my list on understanding the Viking mindset and relationship with the world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm the granddaughter of a Finno-Swedish immigrant and I grew up on his stories and insights. Because he came from the melting-pot generations of immigrants, he kept very little of the traditions of his origins, but his culture and sense of his ancestral home informed my interests. For as long as I can recall, I've been trying to fill in the gaps in that cultural experience, which led me to researching and writing about Viking and Nordic history and culture, and visiting the Nordic countries whenever I've been able to manage it.

Elizabeth's book list on understanding the Viking mindset and relationship with the world

Elizabeth Bear Why did Elizabeth love this book?

It's probably not by accident that three of the five books on this list are by Icelandic authors, as so much of the history and mythology of that nation is tied up with its Viking heritage. This novel, while somewhat unevenly paced, is a vivid depiction of life in Medieval Iceland, where kinship and honor were the basis by which human society clung to an unforgiving landscape. Its thematic emphasis falls on entrapment and isolation, and it offers a gorgeous sense of a premodern Nordic landscape.

By Snorri Kristjansson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Kin as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'For Vikings done right, come to Snorri Kristjansson' - Mark Lawrence

'Truly entertaining' - Yrsa Sigurdardottir

'A dark mystery in a dark age brought vividly to life' - Robert Fabbri

Everyone loves a family reunion.

970: For the first time since Helga was adopted, her family will be gathered in one place. But her siblings are coming with darkness in their hearts.

Everyone knows their father, the Viking warlord Unnthor Reginsson, has a great chest of gold hidden somewhere on his land - and each of his heirs is determined to find it.

Then one morning Helga is awakened by…


Book cover of The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings

Ian Stuart Sharpe Author Of Old Norse for Modern Times

From my list on researching Vikings.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ian Stuart Sharpe likes to imagine he is descended from Guðrum, King of the East Angles, although DNA tests and a deep disdain for camping suggest otherwise. He is the author of two novels set in his alternate Vikingverse, the All Father Paradox and Loki’s Wager. He once won a prize at school for Outstanding Progress and chose a dictionary as his reward, secretly wishing it had been an Old Norse phrasebook. It took him thirty years, but he has finally realised his dream.

Ian's book list on researching Vikings

Ian Stuart Sharpe Why did Ian love this book?

Lars Brownworth’s The Sea Wolves is a great place to begin your Viking voyage. Like any good Norse raid it is breathtaking and action-packed. It has a wide scope, colouring in all the corners of the Viking world, from the Vinland to Byzantium. It is easy to digest, and as swaggering as it is educational.

By Lars Brownwort,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Sea Wolves as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In AD 793 Norse warriors struck the English isle of Lindisfarne and laid waste to it. Wave after wave of Norse ‘sea-wolves’ followed in search of plunder, land, or a glorious death in battle. Much of the British Isles fell before their swords, and the continental capitals of Paris and Aachen were sacked in turn. Turning east, they swept down the uncharted rivers of central Europe, captured Kiev and clashed with mighty Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

But there is more to the Viking story than brute force. They were makers of law - the term itself comes…


Book cover of Mia Moves Out
Book cover of His Royal Highness, King Baby: A Terrible True Story
Book cover of The New Small Person

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,517

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Vikings, sibling, and infants?

Vikings 118 books
Sibling 230 books
Infants 40 books