65 Essential Children’s Books, from The Story of Ferdinand and Caps for Sale to The Snowy Day and Where the Sidewalk Ends. Oh and KDO superfave, Cars and Trucks and Things That Go.
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Yay for The Little Blue Truck! And for all the other wonderful books. What a great list.
Little blue truck has always struck me as stealth rural propaganda. You have this poor city truck that is likely on a tight deadline due to a boss who doesn't care about his time, driving through an underresourced rural community where all the inhabitants are pissed that he's there. Then when he gets stuck in the road that they refuse to pay to keep up, they all snub him until ol' blue puts on his savior hat and gets him out of the muck. And don't get me started on the sequel when ol' blue goes to the city, flips out, and demands that everyone play by his culture's rules.
One that my brother and I, and our various kids, loved is Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen. It’s a charming meet-and-greet of the various house and farm and wild animals in and around the farm. It’s a little long for younger kids with shorter attention spans, but it has a great generosity and gentle energy. (It was published in 1974, whatever Bookshop says.)
Great list. But no Pippi?!
These all seem to be picture books, while Pippi is a chapter book.
Such a pleasure to see Taro Gomi included on that list. His books are always a delight, at any age. And he's such a prolific author, I'd love to see more interviews with him (besides in Japanese, which sadly I don't speak). Two other wonderful books by him are “The Crocodile and the Dentist” and “Over the Ocean”.
My only quip is the lack of Julia Donaldson books. Room on the Broom, The Gruffalo, Zog, etc. These are the absurdist stories that kids need and love.
Great list. Caps for Sale is one of my all-time favourites. Also George and Martha and The Snowy Day. And Ferdinand, of course. We even have it in Latin (never read it in Latin to the kid, though).
Must add The Book with No Pictures, by B.J. Novak. I would take that to school every single time I was asked to read to my kids' classes, and it was a smash. They're teenagers now, and they still like to spring it on unsuspecting houseguests.
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