I've decided to post my lists of essential reads for children and teens. These lists differ slightly from my list of personal favourite reads (not posted - maybe another day) because many of the books I keep coming back to are out of print and I want the lists here to contain only books that are readily available, either in local bookstores or online, or even in school and public libraries.
Also, I've decided to keep the lists that appear here relatively short. There are so many great books out there that keeping to 10 titles for each category was very difficult, even painful (because I had to leave out several titles that I like in order to present lists that are more widely representative of the wide range of fiction available).
Lastly, I was going to include an Essential Fantasy list, but you can figure that out for yourselves from the sidebars on Diana Wynne Jones and other fantasy writers.
(And Liz, if you're looking for recommendations ...)
Anyway, here goes ...
Picture/Board Books
1. The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr2. Horns to Toes and In Between by Sandra Boynton
3. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffer
4. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
5. Granpa by John Burningham
6. William's Doll by Charlotte Zolotow
7. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
8. Arnold by Mick Inkpen
9. Archie Hates Pink by Barbara Nascimbeni
10. The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter
Essential Classics
1. Uncle Cleans Up by J. P. Martin2. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls
3. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
6. Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
7. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
8. The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
9. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield
10. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
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