Classics for Children

Older Classics | Contempory Classics | For Further Information

 

Older Classics

The following titles commonly appear on lists of classic children's literature. Most have been issued in several different editions, offering a range of illustration styles from which to choose.

  • Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women. c1868
  • Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan. c1904
  • Baum, L. Frank. The Wizard of Oz. c1902

  • Bond, Michael. A Bear Called Paddington. c1958

  • Brink, Carol Ryrie.  Caddie Woodlawn. c1935
  • Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Secret Garden. c1911
  • Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. c1866
  • Collodi, Carlo. Adventures of Pinocchio. c1833
  • Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. c1836
  • Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. c1844

  • Farley, Walter. The Black Stallion. c1941

  • Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremain. c1943
  • Frank, Anne. The Diary of a Young Girl. c1952
  • Gannett, Ruth Stiles. My Father's Dragon. c1948

  • Gipson, Fred. Old Yeller. c1956

  • Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. c1954
  • Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows. 1907
  • Kipling, Rudyard. The Jungle Book. 1894

  • Knight, Eric. Lassie Come-Home.  c1940

  • Lewis, C.S. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. c1950
  • Lindgren, Astrid. Pippi Longstocking. c1945
  • Milne, A. A. Winnie-the-Pooh. c1926
  • Montgomery, Lucy Maud. Anne of Green Gables. c1908

  • Norton, Mary. The Borrowers. c1953

  • Pearce, Philippa. Tom's Midnight Garden. c1958  

  • Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan. The Yearling. c1938

  • Sewell, Anna. Black Beauty. 1877

  • Speare, Elizabeth G. The Witch of Blackbird Pond. c1958

  • Spyri, Johanna. Heidi. c1884
  • Stevenson, Robert Louis. Treasure Island. c1884

  • Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit; or, There and Back Again.  c1937

  • Travers, P. L. Mary Poppins. c1934
  • Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. c1876
  • Verne, Jules. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. c1873

  • White, E. B. Charlotte's Web. c1952

  • Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House in the Big Woods. c1932


Contemporary Classics

The following books are highly regarded by children's literature specialists, as well as being popular with children - two qualities that make them likely to stand the test of time.

  • Adams, Richard. Watership Down. c1972
  • Alexander, Lloyd. The Book of Three. c1964
  • Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting. c1975

  • Blume, Judy.  Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. c1972

  • Burnford, Sheila. The Incredible Journey. c1961
  • Cleary, Beverly. Ramona the Pest. c1968
  • Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. c1974

  • Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons. c1994

  • Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watson’s Go to Birmingham: 1963. c1995
  • Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. c1964

  • DiCamillo, Kate. Because of Winn-Dixie. c2000

  • Farmer, Nancy.  A Girl Named Disaster. c1996
  • Fitzhugh, Louise. Harriet the Spy. c1964
  • Gantos, Jack. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. c1998
  • Hamilton , Virginia. M.C. Higgins, the Great. c1974

  • Jacques, Brian. Redwall. c1986

  • Juster, Norton. The Phantom Tollbooth. c1961
  • Konigsburg, E. L. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. c1967
  • LeGuin, Ursula. The Wizard of Earthsea. c1968
  • L'Engle, Madeline. A Wrinkle in Time. c1962
  • Lowry, Lois. The Giver. c1993
  • Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. c1989
  • MacLachlin, Patricia. Sarah Plain and Tall. c1985
  • Myers, Walter Dean. Scorpions. c1988
  • North, Sterling. Rascal. c1963
  • Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terebithia. c1977
  • Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. c1987
  • Pierce, Tamora. Alanna: The First Adventure. c1983
  • Rasking, Ellen. The Westing Game. c1978
  • Rawls, Wilson. Where the Red Fern Grows. c1961
  • Rockwell, Thomas. How to Eat Fried Worms. c1973
  • Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. c1998
  • Sachar, Louis. Holes. c1998
  • Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends. c1974
  • Soto, Gary. Baseball in April, and Other Stories. c1990
  • Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind. c1989
  • Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. c1976
  • Uchida, Yoshiko. Journey to Topaz. c1971
  • Watkins, Yoko Kawashima. So Far From the Bamboo Grove. c1986
  • Yep, Laurence. Dragonwings. c1975


For Further Information

  • Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC).   All-Time Classic Books.  
  • Hearne, Betsy. Choosing Books for Children: A Commonsense Guide.
  • Horn Book Magazine. Children's Classics: A Book List for Parents. (PDF)
  • Reed, Arthea J. S. Comics to Classics: A Parent's Guide to Books for Teens and Preteens.
  • Russell, William F. Classics to Read Aloud to Your Children.