1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. 1950 BritLit kid fantasy adventure classic. Equally appealing to both boys & girls. The first and best of the seven book Narnia series. ... Of course, if you or your particular kid doesn't like it, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him.

aulsmith: Read as an adult and hated it.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. Multiple award winner. The 1998 book that started it all, first of the 7-book series. Harry Potter learns he's to be a student wizard at Hogwarts and so escape his awful Muggle relatives. Despite the dire predicaments his new status brings him, he is buoyed up with new friends and a wizard mentor. If you read one, you'll end up reading them all ... aulsmith: You have this listed as recommended book #67. Perhaps you might wish to delete if from your list if you hate it?

: Has hidden messages of racism, antisemitism, segregation, etc.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. 1937 BritLit kid fantasy adventure classic. Prequel to LOTR (and actually the only book of that series that I found truly enjoyable). A hobbit's journey and adventures with a wizard and dwarf troupe. Don't recommend the movie adaptations.

sturlington: My son preferred the graphic novel adaptation. The full text was a little too slow-going for him. He loves the movies.

PitcherBooks: YA, All Ages. Award-Winner. 1. It's a well-written, interesting and altogether compelling piece of historical fiction. 2. You can't live in America without reading it at least once. 3. If you love the movie (who didn't?), the book is even better. 1960 Pulitzer Prize winner. "Deals with the issues of racism that were observed by the author as a child in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. Despite being Lee's only published book, it led to Lee being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom of the United States for her contribution to literature in 2007. Lee has also been the recipient of numerous honorary degrees..." per Wikipedia.

sturlington: All the little baby spiders ballooning away brought my son to tears.

sturlington : Dated and overly didactic.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA. 1880 Swiss KidLit classic. A little orphan girl's idyllic life and adventures for three years with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps disrupted by her aunt's taking her to a large town to be a companion to a rich family's daughter. A sweet story and a childhood favorite. Free ebook at Gutenberg.org.

sturlington: This is the very first book I read aloud to my son. I don't think he understood much of it, but I love this book!

sturlington: Listened to the audio version. Wonderful.

aulsmith: Again a very adult book.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. Politically-Correct CHILDREN's VERSIONS AVAILABLE. 1884 Kid classic adventure story. Sequel to Adventures of Tom Sawyer and just as entertaining. A childhood favorite. Free ebook at Gutenberg.org. I still recommend the original rather than re-write history. Discuss the book with your child after s/he reads it. .... Of course, if you or your particular kid doesn't like it, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

sturlington : This is a great book that is appropriately introduced in college with the historical context to demonstrate its importance in the canon. Not a book I think a lot of children would understand or enjoy these days.

xuesheng : While this is an important book, it is NOT included in the book "1001 Children's Books You Must Read before You Grow Up" which I think this list should be. Therefore, I vote Thumbs Down.

aulsmith: I missed a lot of what this book was about as a child.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. 1908 BritLit kid classic animal adventure story. Great fun for all. Equally appealing to boys & girls. Free ebook at Gutenberg.org. If you're buying a hard copy, get an edition with one of the best illustrators: Michael Hague, Inga Moore, Charles Van Sandwyk, Ernest H. Shepard

sturlington : Read myself but not to my son. We'll just watch the Muppet version again.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. Politically-Correct CHILDREN's VERSIONS AVAILABLE. 1876 Kid classic adventure story that will still thrill kids today. Tom Sawyer is an American icon! A childhood favorite. Free ebook at Gutenberg.org. I still recommend the original rather than re-write history. Discuss the book with your child after s/he reads it. .... Of course, if you or your particular kid doesn't like it, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

sturlington : Started but my son didn't want to continue

sturlington : Not for children.

katie4098 : This is not a children's book

: Way too difficult for a child to read. I don't think it was ever aimed at children.

PitcherBooks : I know this is extremely popular tale of a rabbit society fantasy. Did nothing for me. No explanation on what makes this particular edition a top 1000 must-read. So tell me why you love it.

sturlington : We only read this halfway, to be truthful. My son got bored. I still love these books but they do seem a little dated now.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. KID's VERSIONS AVAILABLE. 1883 KidLit Pirate Adventure Classic. A "Boy's Novel" of buccaneers, treasure maps and buried gold. But girls enjoy it too. A childhood favorite. Picture Book versions available for the younger set. Free ebook at Gutenberg.org. .... Of course, if you or your particular kid doesn't like it, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

sturlington : I recently reread this and enjoyed it but I didn't read it to my son. I'm not sure a lot of kids would have patience for it nowadays.

PitcherBooks: An exemplary & noteworthy book that is and has been an appealing classic for millennia. Very short tales using animal characters to teach a specific moral or bit of folk wisdom from Ancient Greece. A childhood favorite. Free ebook at Gutenberg.org. If you're buying a picture book version, get an edition with one of the best illustrators: Michael Hague, Heidi Holder, Arthur Rackham, Milo Winter, .... Of course, if you or your particular kid doesn't like it, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

aulsmith: I don't think this book is for children. It's actually about very adult things.

PitcherBooks : Definitely not JF but fine for YA. I think the moderator needs to make clear whether s/he considers YA part of children's books or not.

sturlington : Best introduced at the earliest in the teen years.

PitcherBooks : No explanation on what makes this particular edition a top 1000 must-read. I know it's popular but it didn't do a thing for me.

sturlington : For teens perhaps, but not children.

aulsmith: This is not a children's book.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. 1726 BritLit Fantasy Adventure Satire Classic. CHILDREN'S VERSIONS AVAILABLE. (often covers just the Voyage to Lilliput but not always). The best PICTURE BOOK VERSION I've seen is Gulliver's Adventures in Lilliput illustrated by Gennady Spirin. The original adult edition contains 4 voyages: 1. Lilliput (tiny people); 2. Brobdingnag (Giants); 3. Laputa (Flying Island, Impractical Music & Math, Preposterous Schemes & Silly Science), Balnibarbi, Luggnagg (Aged & Infirm Immortals), Glubbdubdrib (Magician & Ghosts), and Japan; 4. Houyhnhnms (Intelligent horses rule, Human animals act as beasts of burden). Milo Winters did excellent illustrations for the YA/Adult version. Free ebook at Gutenberg.org. ... aulsmith: If that is your view, why do you have it on your list? .... Of course, if you or your particular kid doesn't like it, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

merrystar: My 7-yr-old enjoyed an abridged version of this. She missed the satire and just saw adventure/fantasy

PitcherBooks: JF, YA. 1952 Multiple Award-Winner. BritLit kid fantasy classic. First of a five book series. A family of tiny people live secretly in the walls & floors of an English house and "borrow" from the big people in order to survive.

PitcherBooks: YA, All Ages. Multiple Award-Winner. 1953 SF&F Classic. One of Bradbury's best. Dystopia. Societal ban on all books with book burning as the solution. ... Admin, please define children's books as I consider it to include Juv, Tweens & YA readers. Apparently some others agree and some don't. However, if you want this particular book off this list, it would also be necessary to ask everyone to delete To Kill a Mockingbird from here also. ... Of course, if you or your particular kid doesn't like it, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

merrystar : not for kids

sturlington : For teens but not for children.

: Not a kids book

PitcherBooks : I love SF&F and Le Guin. But this isn't on my top 1000 list. Why is it on yours? No explanation on what makes this particular edition a top 1000 must-read for the world.

sturlington: Read the abridged version with lots of explanatory notes and pictures, which seemed to work better for a curious 6-year-old.

PitcherBooks : No explanation on what makes this particular edition a top 1000 must-read for the world.

sturlington : Having just read this, I would be uncomfortable with sharing some of the racist content with my son.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. JF, YA, All Ages. CHILDREN's VERSIONS AVAILABLE. 1886 KidLit Historical Fiction Adventure Classic. A "Boy's Novel" but girls enjoy it too. A childhood favorite. Picture Book versions available for the younger set. Original Title: Kidnapped: Being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: How he was Kidnapped and Cast away; his Sufferings in a Desert Isle; his Journey in the Wild Highlands; his acquaintance with Alan Breck Stewart and other notorious Highland Jacobites; with all that he Suffered at the hands of his Uncle, Ebenezer Balfour of Shaws, falsely so-called. Free ebook at Gutenberg.org. ... Of course, if you or your particular kid doesn't like it, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

sturlington : My son would not like this; he hates any stories where animals are in danger.

PitcherBooks : What Katie said... "Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage angst and alienation." per wiki. So maybe just for YA & older.

sturlington : For teens, not for children.

katie4098 : This is definitely not for children (12 and under).

PitcherBooks: JF. PictureBook. Edward Lear's 1871 kid classic nonsense poem wonderfully illustrated by Jan Brett. Equally appealing to boys & girls. ... Of course, if you or your particular kid doesn't like it, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA. An 1863 BritLit kid's fantasy adventure classic. A childhood favorite. Free ebook at Gutenberg.org. If you're buying a copy, make sure to get an edition with one of the best illustrators: Anne Anderson, Mabel Lucie Attwell, Warwick Goble, Harry Theaker, Jessie Willcox Smith, ... ... Of course, if you or your particular kid doesn't like it, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

souloftherose : Not on the 1,001 children's books to read before you die list.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. 1812 Swiss KidLit Adventure Classic. A Swiss family (Mom, Dad & 4 boys) shipwrecks in the tropical East Indies en route to Australia. The family scavenges the shipwreck to build a wonderful tree house and make a great life for themselves on their island. Some quibble over the improbable collection of plants and animals on the island but it's still a great adventure story. A childhood favorite. Picture Book versions available for the younger set. Free ebook at Gutenberg.org. .... Of course, if you or your particular kid doesn't like it, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

PitcherBooks : No explanation on what makes this particular edition a top 1000 must-read.

aulsmith: My mother loved this, but I found it dull.

aulsmith: I liked it as a child, but I wouldn't recommend it now. It didn't age well.

aulsmith: I certainly missed what this poem was about as a child.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. PictureBook. Robert Frost's lovely winter poem gorgeously illustrated by Susan Jeffers. The illustrations in this book turn Frost's poem into a lovely Christmas story. Equally appealing to both boys & girls. .... Of course, if you or your particular kid doesn't like it, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

sturlington : Too traumatizing for a kid who loves animals.

aulsmith: I would be amazed at any child getting through the original. I didn't get past page one. Even as an adult I found it preachy, racist and dull.

PitcherBooks: JF, YA, All Ages. Politically-Correct CHILDREN's VERSIONS AVAILABLE. 1719 BritLit Survival Adventure Classic. A Lone shipwrecked sailor's adventures on a deserted tropical island. (Based on a true story.) What kid hasn't dreamed of the same!? ... Yet it remains a classic like Twain's works. Not into white-washing history. Discuss the book and some history with your kid when reading it. Geez. ... Aulsmith: Yet you put this title on this list? I'm confused.

sturlington : Agree with aulsmith.

PitcherBooks : Agree with merrystar's evaluation.

merrystar : In my opinion this is not really a children's book.

sturlington : This book has adult themes and probably would be fairly boring for a child to read.

PitcherBooks: JF. 1883 Classic Italian fairy tale adventure of a wooden marionette that wants to become a real boy. 1988 Multiple Award-Winner illustrated by Roberto Innocenti. There are tons of versions, editions and illustrators but Innocenti makes his edition best I've seen. Various Picture Book versions available for the younger set ... Sturlington: I agree. It's a shame one is not allowed to choose the edition cover in these groups as Innocenti's is simply gorgeous. .... Of course, if you or your particular kid doesn't like it, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

PitcherBooks: Fairy tales are a necessity. Get a Sleeping Beauty picture book by one of the top artists: Errol Le Cain, Kinuko Y. Craft, Mercer Mayer, Trina Schart Hyman, ... ... "sturlington : Fairy tales seem to be on the list as both collections and individual books, so I'm thumbing down the individuals." ... Not a list duplicate sturlington's rationale is neither rational or logical. Why not thumbs down all collections instead? Please don't compare apples and oranges. Picture books adapted by various editors are geared to an various different age levels. .... Of course, if you or your particular kid don't like a book, give it a thumbs down. "sturlington: I have read a lot of these books. I decided to use this list to track books I have read with my son. I'll thumbs down books I wouldn't read with my son or that didn't work for him." Which makes me discount most of sturlington's ratings and comments as limited and anecdotal.

sturlington: Read the abridged version

sturlington : List duplicate.