These books are great to read aloud to a younger reader, and is an especially fun time for grandparents. It’s never too early to start!
Published 1955 Theme: Imagination Best for: Under 11 The series of five children's books by Norton, beginning with The Borrowers, and continuing with the Borrowers Afield, Aloft, Afloat, Avenged..., are in a group by themselves. The imagination that Norton brings to the tales of these little people that live in houses, off the the lost items of humans, is so creative, that it seems like it must be true...
by E. B. White, published 1970. What could be more fantastical than a swan who can't make his trumpeting sounds and so carries a trumpet. This wonderful image seems to real because E. B. White makes it so. The wonderful descriptions of nature, the lovely relationship between the boy Sam and the swan, and the feeling of life in the wild all create such a vivid experience that one forgets that perhaps a swan carrying a trumpet is make-believe..
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published 1905. "Perhaps there is a language which is not made of words and everything in the world understands it." A Little Princess is one the best children's books I've read so far. It turns out I'm not alone in my assessment, as it continually rates in the top 100 lists among teachers, education associations, and others. Illustrating through example the power of kindness and good thoughts, this book is a masterpiece...
first published 1957 "When he was about two years old, and had been a Cat About Town for some time, glorious in conquests, but rather too thin for comfort, the Fur Person decided that it was time he settled down."When a friend loaned me this book by May Sarton, my first reaction was "I didn't know Sarton wrote children's books." After reading it, my first thought was, "Is this really just for children?" as I loved it as an adult, especially a cat-loving adult. However, there is no doubt that it does meet the needs of children...
by E. Nesbit, first published 1906. "Very wonderful and beautiful things do happen, don't they? And we live most of our lives in the hope of them." While the brilliant author Edith Nesbit may be best known for her liberal use of magic and fantasy, not all her books include magic. In this very likeable book, The Railway Children, we discover something even more important than magic...We discover that even in difficult situations, there is magic to be found right in daily life, if we only have eyes to see it...
by A. A. Milne, first published 1927 "I found a little beetle, so that Beetle was his name, And I called him Alexander and he answered just the same" This second children's book of poetry by Milne is actually my favorite. If I were to pick one of the two he wrote, I'd pick this…
by A. A. Milne, first published 1924 "A bear, however hard he tries, Grows tubby without exercise..." At first glance, one might think that this, the very first children's book by A. A. Milne, would be more appropriate for much younger children. However, one of the criteria for great literature for kids is the use…
by Shelley Davidow, published 2006 "Wisdom is fading in the world. Words are disappearing. The brightness in the sky is vanishing and the dark Cloud of Ignorance has grown suddenly dense." If I could use only one book to introduce early readers to the magic of learning to read, it would be this beautifully and…
by A. A. Milne, First published 1926. "Sing Ho! for the life of a Bear! Sing Ho! for the life of a Bear"Who among us doesn't know the world of Winnie-the-Pooh? To read it is to be a child again, seeing the world with utter innocence and simplicity.
by P.L. Travers, first published 1935 "It was one of those mornings when everything looks neat and bright and shiny, as though the world had been tidied up over night." If the way that your children know about Mary Poppins is through the Disney movie, that's certainly a good start. However, if it's the ONLY…
Litkidz 