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

PitcherBooks: JF. 1963 Multiple Award-Winner. KidLit fantasy classic written & illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Naughty Max is sent to his bedroom. His bedroom transforms to a jungle and he sails to the Island of the Wild Things but then decides to return home. Equally appealing to boys & girls. Every kid needs a copy. Totally skip the horrendous movie.

sturlington : Not a favorite for read-alouds.

sturlington : List duplicate.

PitcherBooks : No explanation on what makes this particular edition a top 1000 must-read. Not on my list. Maybe there should be a pop-lit list for books like this rather than a must-read list.

sturlington: My son and I both loved this story. Captivating.

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.

sturlington: My son read this to himself.

PitcherBooks: Multiple Award Winner. JF, YA, All Ages. 1962 KidLit SF&F classic. Loved this as a kid. Still do. First and best of the four book series.

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

PitcherBooks: JF. Multiple Award-Winner. 1981 Swedish KidLit classic. Ronia, a kick-ass tomboy, and a rival robber chieftain's son become secret friends in a magic forest. Complications ensue, of course. Boys, girls & grown-ups will love it.

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.

sturlington: I don't think we finished it, but we got a good ways into it.

sturlington : I really hate reading this book aloud.

aulsmith: Eager is one of my favorites, both as a child and an adult, though if I were to list only one, this one wouldn't be it.

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. 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.

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 to my son as a toddler. Not a favorite of mine.

sturlington: Read the abridged version

PitcherBooks : Fun PopLit but not a top 1000. No explanation on what makes this particular edition a must-read.

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.

PitcherBooks : Fun PopLit but not a top 1000. No explanation on what makes this particular edition a top 1000 must-read for the world.

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

sturlington : Dated and overly didactic.

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 listened to the audio version. Great.

sturlington: Have always loved.

sturlington: An all-time favorite.

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.

sturlington: Listened to the audio version. Wonderful.

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!

PitcherBooks: JF. PictureBook. 1947 Kid Classic. Self-confidence shaken by a taunt about his saggy-baggy skin, all is well by the end when the little elephant finds others just like himself who find him just perfect. Equally appealing to boys & girls. A childhood favorite. Art by golden-age illustrator, Gustaf Tenggren. ... 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 : 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.

sturlington: Listened to the audiobook. Loved it.

PitcherBooks : One of the few books in which I found the movie more appealing than the book. No explanation on what makes this particular edition a top 1000 must-read for the world.