Many parents and grandparents ask me "Which classics should I buy for my kids?"
Every teacher, librarian or parent has different ideas about what makes a book a classic.
I do have favorites, and I use a certain criteria to judge which books I consider classics! I look at how old the book is. A newly written book may be well written, and popular, but I don't consider it a classic - yet. A classic will stand the test of time. It will still be popular and people will want to read it many years after it was written. A classic should be part of our cultural literacy. In other words, you've grown up knowing about it. If someone mentions Winnie the Pooh, you should know who they're talking about!
So with that in mind, let me tell you my 'top ten' children's classics. I bought all of these books for my children, and they grew up hearing them.
1. Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes - Who has never heard of Pat-A-Cake? Mary had a little lamb? Kids need to know these things!
2. Bible Stories for Children - Even if you're not into the Bible or religion, these stories are part of our cultural heritage, and a child who goes into school not knowing these stories, is at a disadvantage. My favorite is 'Marian's Big Book of Bible Stories'.
3. Aesop's Fables - by Aesop. Any nicely illustrated volume will do. Aesop's Fables - Illustrated Junior Library, is my favorite.
4. Anderson's Fairy Tales - by Hans Christian Anderson. Again, any beautifully illustrated version will do.
5. Brother's Grimm Fairy Tales - by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Watch these, they can be harsh and/or inappropriate!
6. Winnie-the-Pooh - by A.A. Milne. Try to get the original books with the original illustrations by Ernest Shepard. They are different from the Disney versions!
7. The Tale of Peter Rabbit - by Beatrix Potter. Adorable stories and illustrations about everyone's favorite bunny!
8. Wind in the Willows - by Kenneth Grahame. Charming stories of Mole, Rattie, Toad and Badger. One of my favorites that everyone should be familiar with!
9. A Child's Garden of Verses - by Robert Louis Stevenson. Sweet beautiful poems that should be part of every childhood. My children and I can still recite several of these from memory.
10. Tales of the Arabian Nights - by Anonymous. Find a copy that you like with nice illustrations. The stories of Aladdin, Sinbad and Ali Baba!
I would say these should be part of every child's growing up. After they are eleven, or in sixth grade. I would recommend another ten books to add to their shelf. Briefly, here is that list:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain Black Beauty - Anna Sewell Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling King Arthur and the knights of the round table - Sir Thomas Mallory (or various authors) A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett Swiss Family Robinson - Johann David Wyss Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving
Ok, so that's eleven. I have a hard time sticking to only ten! Happy reading with your children and grandchildren!
