My 6-year-old daughter has been read 25 of these. She's currently listening to me read The Odyssey (not a children's retelling either). Excellent list!
What a wonderful list! Really made me nostalgic as I read most of these books in my childhood. Reading these books sparked a lifelong love of reading, as well as animals (I’m a conservation biologist).
I was surprised at the omission of The Little Princess and the Secret Garden! I could not get enough of those as a child. Also, no Roald Dahl?! 😢 though I totally get that not everything could make the cut.
Thanks again for this list, I will definitely be saving it.
Unfortunately, the Dahl books have been edited from the originals since 2023. I recommend finding used copies until they eventually enter public domain.
Don't want to um actually but there was such a backlash they had to release a 'classic' edition of the unbowdlerised versions. Or yes, get earlier sets secondhand. My kids gobbled these up; my 5 year old's copy of the BFG is falling apart from re-reading. Also agree that missing FHB is odd. Narnia is also beloved by my two.
As in the sense those who deny the Mother who is recognized as the head of the Catholic Church (Mother Mary), yet their orthopraxy as including the Eucharist (as distinct from the Sacrament as well as Communion) as part of an extensive Feast Calendar which is acutely unamerican (the New World was sought out as escaping death and torture at the hands of the Pentarchy when we refused to consume the body and blood of Jesus).
The book of mormon includes more repurposed Protestant, Celtic, and Hindu names than you can find in a list on Wikipedia.
Jesus and Mathew are even portrayed as what might be considered appropriate to Ramaa (see Ramayana and the Yamnaya Culture).
Current practices by Mormon missionaries (or the equivalent) include the belief that their precept is to increase the proportion of native A’marycans in the congregation at their main and most original location near the Mississippi River (see vanished Serpent Culture) in Nauvoo, IL to:
50% at which point they believe, the Book of Mormon that was written by two brothers who were trampled to death by a mob after writing it, and then rewritten by the disgusting lost bigot who forcefully took over for them following their co-incidental death, will be increased from 600-700 pages (depending on the format) to something like 2,500 or more than even 5,000.
For why what happened to the Twin Brothers who wrote the Original Book of Mormon happened to them i.e., why did the devil lesser than our Greater Good, want them dead so badly after writing it, as well as what will happen to those who abandon their truth for the rewritten Orthodoxy of the Mormon Church, and how their Orthopraxy of its members will change if that were to take place, see Private Equity kingpin and Mormon, Mitt Romney.
The other side of transgender i.e., as in opposition to or neglect of thea Ever Vernal or Eternal Mother , in any setting, is to choose to kneel as to the King, to the King’s Mother, and Every Woman, our Mother Earth.
No list is complete without Green Smoke and its lesser sequel, Dragon in Danger, by Rosemary Manning.
Half a century after having read them (multiple times!), on visiting Cornwall, I saw the broad coast and called to spouse, "I'm for Kynance Cove!" And there I was.
Any kid of eight can read it. Might help to like dragons. Also stories about Arthur and Excalibur.
Is a single one of these by an author of colour? I appreciate your focus on very American classics, but unless the gatekeepers of literacy acknowledge the imbalance we will never discover the diversity of classics already published.
Have recently discovered The People Could Fly- American Black Folktales edited by Viegina Hamilton- It’s an outstanding collection with gorgeous illustrations representing a core part of American history, culture, and creativity. Highly recommend.
What favorites would ypu add? So many of my favorite chiñdren’s works came from my visits to the 1970s public library, so it would be great to know more about the expanded canon.
Handa’s Surprise is by a white author but has a Black protagonist, and is a lovely story. It's the closest thing from my childhood to representation that I remember.
Thanks for the extensive list. You are making me realize I should ask a local children's librarian for some favorites and see which may stand out as potential classics.
When my children were growing up I had the book Honey for a Child’s Heart. I’d take it to the library with me to find the books. They are grown now with children, but that book helped us find the best.
I read so many of these books as a kid! I also suggest “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” because I remember thinking to myself “why do all stories have a climax and resolution if life doesn’t have that? Plenty of things kind of just happen in life and it’s never one big thing.” And then I read that book and felt satisfied to finally read a book that reflected life. My only warning is that it had an assault scene (ending with a defense killing) that spooked the hell out of me
Anyone else here because they saw the name John Senior? I’m a graduate of the integrated humanities program at University of Kansas, which became the cornerstone of my liberal arts education. Didn’t see another mention of him in the article, but the list is fabulous. Thank you.
Me, too! Those were some of the most wonderful days in my college education. John Senior, Frank Nelick, and Dennis Quinn were three of the wisest and most thoughtful of my professors.
I read many of those as a kid or my parents read them to me. They were both great at doing voices! Some other favorite authors were Roald Dahl (originals not edited!) Beverly Clearly (Ramona, Henry Higgins etc) Judy Blume and Lois Lowry (I got to hear her speak once which was really cool!)
Great list. 👍 I would add the Chronicles of Prydain for children who are at least 9 or onwards. It’s a simple story, but the characters are so well-written and they grow on you, it’s a treat to go on this journey with them.
So appreciative of you providing this list. These are the stories that cultivate the mind, build critical thinking skills, and instill kindness, compassion, and love into our fractured society. Too many children are fed a diet of hate.
I was obsessed with Understood Betsy as a child, and I think this is the first list I’ve ever seen that includes it. (And Half Magic! ) I would include Mrs. Pigglewiggle in this list.
Almost all of these are on the Ambleside Online schedule for years 0-5. I am on my 4th time through them, finishing up years 3 and 4. I will start back over with all of them again in 3 years. They never get old!
My 6-year-old daughter has been read 25 of these. She's currently listening to me read The Odyssey (not a children's retelling either). Excellent list!
Thank you! Which translation are you reading here?
Fagles!
What a wonderful list! Really made me nostalgic as I read most of these books in my childhood. Reading these books sparked a lifelong love of reading, as well as animals (I’m a conservation biologist).
I was surprised at the omission of The Little Princess and the Secret Garden! I could not get enough of those as a child. Also, no Roald Dahl?! 😢 though I totally get that not everything could make the cut.
Thanks again for this list, I will definitely be saving it.
Unfortunately, the Dahl books have been edited from the originals since 2023. I recommend finding used copies until they eventually enter public domain.
Don't want to um actually but there was such a backlash they had to release a 'classic' edition of the unbowdlerised versions. Or yes, get earlier sets secondhand. My kids gobbled these up; my 5 year old's copy of the BFG is falling apart from re-reading. Also agree that missing FHB is odd. Narnia is also beloved by my two.
Good to hear it!
As in the sense those who deny the Mother who is recognized as the head of the Catholic Church (Mother Mary), yet their orthopraxy as including the Eucharist (as distinct from the Sacrament as well as Communion) as part of an extensive Feast Calendar which is acutely unamerican (the New World was sought out as escaping death and torture at the hands of the Pentarchy when we refused to consume the body and blood of Jesus).
The book of mormon includes more repurposed Protestant, Celtic, and Hindu names than you can find in a list on Wikipedia.
Jesus and Mathew are even portrayed as what might be considered appropriate to Ramaa (see Ramayana and the Yamnaya Culture).
Current practices by Mormon missionaries (or the equivalent) include the belief that their precept is to increase the proportion of native A’marycans in the congregation at their main and most original location near the Mississippi River (see vanished Serpent Culture) in Nauvoo, IL to:
50% at which point they believe, the Book of Mormon that was written by two brothers who were trampled to death by a mob after writing it, and then rewritten by the disgusting lost bigot who forcefully took over for them following their co-incidental death, will be increased from 600-700 pages (depending on the format) to something like 2,500 or more than even 5,000.
For why what happened to the Twin Brothers who wrote the Original Book of Mormon happened to them i.e., why did the devil lesser than our Greater Good, want them dead so badly after writing it, as well as what will happen to those who abandon their truth for the rewritten Orthodoxy of the Mormon Church, and how their Orthopraxy of its members will change if that were to take place, see Private Equity kingpin and Mormon, Mitt Romney.
The other side of transgender i.e., as in opposition to or neglect of thea Ever Vernal or Eternal Mother , in any setting, is to choose to kneel as to the King, to the King’s Mother, and Every Woman, our Mother Earth.
Link to an old copy of the Ramayana held in the Library of Congress (Digital Edition): https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/public/gdcmassbookdig/ramayunaofvalmee01valm/ramayunaofvalmee01valm.pdf
No list is complete without Green Smoke and its lesser sequel, Dragon in Danger, by Rosemary Manning.
Half a century after having read them (multiple times!), on visiting Cornwall, I saw the broad coast and called to spouse, "I'm for Kynance Cove!" And there I was.
Any kid of eight can read it. Might help to like dragons. Also stories about Arthur and Excalibur.
Is a single one of these by an author of colour? I appreciate your focus on very American classics, but unless the gatekeepers of literacy acknowledge the imbalance we will never discover the diversity of classics already published.
I was just about to write a similar comment. This list is incomplete and unbalanced because there is very little diversity among the authors.
Have recently discovered The People Could Fly- American Black Folktales edited by Viegina Hamilton- It’s an outstanding collection with gorgeous illustrations representing a core part of American history, culture, and creativity. Highly recommend.
What favorites would ypu add? So many of my favorite chiñdren’s works came from my visits to the 1970s public library, so it would be great to know more about the expanded canon.
Handa’s Surprise is by a white author but has a Black protagonist, and is a lovely story. It's the closest thing from my childhood to representation that I remember.
I work with older children (11+) so if you want middle-grade I can help but I defer to other librarians for younger readers: https://lvccld.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/1659879979/1682047910
I am confident there ARE classics for children written by diverse authors, but I don't know them… hence hoping my gatekeepers can share some titles.
Thanks for the extensive list. You are making me realize I should ask a local children's librarian for some favorites and see which may stand out as potential classics.
When my children were growing up I had the book Honey for a Child’s Heart. I’d take it to the library with me to find the books. They are grown now with children, but that book helped us find the best.
Also 'The Read Aloud Handbook' by Jim Trelease. My kids often went through those books to see what they hadn't read yet.
I remember that book!
That's a throwback!
I read so many of these books as a kid! I also suggest “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” because I remember thinking to myself “why do all stories have a climax and resolution if life doesn’t have that? Plenty of things kind of just happen in life and it’s never one big thing.” And then I read that book and felt satisfied to finally read a book that reflected life. My only warning is that it had an assault scene (ending with a defense killing) that spooked the hell out of me
What a list!!! Frog and Toad all the way! 💛
Anyone else here because they saw the name John Senior? I’m a graduate of the integrated humanities program at University of Kansas, which became the cornerstone of my liberal arts education. Didn’t see another mention of him in the article, but the list is fabulous. Thank you.
Thank you! We would love to interview you about your experience with the IHP. We wrote an overview of Dr. Senior’s work here: https://virtueandwonder.com/p/the-professor-who-taught-his-students
Good for you to choose the liberal arts! What are you doing now?
Me, too! Those were some of the most wonderful days in my college education. John Senior, Frank Nelick, and Dennis Quinn were three of the wisest and most thoughtful of my professors.
Outstanding list. Black Beauty was one of my favorites as a child.
Thank you!
I read many of those as a kid or my parents read them to me. They were both great at doing voices! Some other favorite authors were Roald Dahl (originals not edited!) Beverly Clearly (Ramona, Henry Higgins etc) Judy Blume and Lois Lowry (I got to hear her speak once which was really cool!)
Oh, Beverly Cleary. My childhood in a nutshell!
Great list. 👍 I would add the Chronicles of Prydain for children who are at least 9 or onwards. It’s a simple story, but the characters are so well-written and they grow on you, it’s a treat to go on this journey with them.
https://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Prydain-Lloyd-Alexander/dp/1250000939/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1D5X9UBQSR9L2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-CdmoqlUQUdMk7vCfH5tT5cICdPwuDYFTF7Z1vLbMqQ0zzKieq18QCEmBq8SPJf27ExZHgQj8qGWDKvffDC9PUHTB30e9M87P6zk5jinr8X2s4RGIOQO_D4yhJcS4Pt3v2E3m6LNNjq3sj-pRxG5A6NKG4baBfO9VliCZ5gAvHRBO7ICpBf5CX_fPsw03z58po_jtqGUgLYsN1dr4lQrtgCBw65pbcO1oy4vMFAlWBM.7wX3HPbkwYkZG96riT8Jt8NSMZDhr5_164eRhntcHUU&dib_tag=se&keywords=chronicles+of+prydain&qid=1779195523&sprefix=Chronciles+of+Pry%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-1
Thank you! I haven’t heard of that one but will look into it.
You’re welcome. 👍
This is a wonderful list. I read many of these as a child. As an adult I still read children's literature as an enjoyment.
Same here! Trying to aquire these again.
So appreciative of you providing this list. These are the stories that cultivate the mind, build critical thinking skills, and instill kindness, compassion, and love into our fractured society. Too many children are fed a diet of hate.
I was obsessed with Understood Betsy as a child, and I think this is the first list I’ve ever seen that includes it. (And Half Magic! ) I would include Mrs. Pigglewiggle in this list.
#48 From the Mixed up Files of…. One of my all time favorites. I still have a copy on my bookshelf.
Almost all of these are on the Ambleside Online schedule for years 0-5. I am on my 4th time through them, finishing up years 3 and 4. I will start back over with all of them again in 3 years. They never get old!
My 10 year old and I are making our way through the Chronicles of Narnia and loving every bit of it, just started book 4.