Kids and Families

Classics for Children

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.