In 1991, an author working on a book about “what people read” reached out to beloved American TV personality Fred Rogers. Following his own adages on the importance of spreading kindness and helping others, Mr. Rogers responded with a type-written list of ten books that had most influenced his life and work – noting the one book he considered the very best to be the Bible:

From The Little Prince to the works of William Shakespeare and Robert Frost, find a list of ten books recommended by Mr. Rogers below. Complement with the reading lists of Tom Hanks and Bill Nye.


The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (also rec’d by Hayao Miyazaki, Stevie Nicks & Trevor Noah)

Childhood and Society by Erik Erikson

The Writings of Henri J.M. Nouwen

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (also rec’d by Hayao Miyazaki)

The Vegetarian Times Cookbook

The Angry Book by T.I. Rubin, M.D.

Collected Poems of Robert Frost

The Works of William Shakespeare

The Old Testament of the Bible

The New Testament of the Bible

(via The Neighborhood Archive)

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