1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up [Hardcover]

As a children's book collecter (fiction, not picture books), I snapped this book up the moment I saw it.

The good - it reviews many wonderful children's books, including quite a number that are in danger of disappearing from memory. The 8+ section of the book contains many of the best children's books ever written, including The Phantom Tollbooth, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Charlotte Sometimes, Tom's Midnight Garden, The Neverending Story (the REAL story, not the dreadful movie),and many others. Thank you to the authors - I hadn't realised my copy of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler was missing and have now replaced it, just as my 8 year old daughter is old enough to love it.

The somewhat disappointing - there are books reveiewed that I would LOVE to read, but as I don't read in French, Swedish, Japanese or Finnish that pleasure is unlikely to come my way. Other reviewers may bemoan the anglo-bias of this collection, but I bemoan the inclusion of books in an English publication that can't be read in English!

The not so good - the omissions. A Candle in her Room, When Marnie was There, Summer of my German Soldier, The Great Gilly Hopkins, People Might Hear You ... just looking through one of the first shelves of books near me I can see some glaring omissions. (Yes, I know, there is a whole history of children's literature and only 1001 books that can be included!)

Then, too, there are some books that are not really children's books at all. When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit is a children's book and an excellent example of a book to introduce a dark period of history to an older child (say, 10 or so). However, Watership Down is not a children's book - as I can attest vigorously, having read it to terrifying effect as a child. It is in the 8+ section ... I would give it to my 13 year old, but not my 8 year old. And When the Wind Blows (about a nuclear war) - for an 8+ audience?? From the review, "The couple survive the blast (represented by a truly terrifying white and pink double-page spread), emerge to a world of withered lettuces and melted buildings, run out of food and water, and die from ratiation sickness."

Overall, a fantastic resource and one that I am glad to own.

This book is beautiful! I love children's literature and this seems to be an excellent collection. It has many of my favorites growing up( "Goodnight Moon", " Where The Wild Things Are" etc) and many books I have loved reading with my kids ( "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive The Bus", "Harry Potter" "Skippyjon Jones" etc). We have a new family goal of reading all of these books with our kids. I personally love that it has books from all over the world because I like seeing other cultures through the lens of their children's books. I think it will take a long time to find and read all of the books, but I think that will be part of the fun.

I have always loved children's literature and have been collecting editions of favorite titles for some years now. Since I have a five-year-old child, I find myself enjoying children's literature even more, as I get to share favorite classics with her whilst also discovering new authors.

I like the quote attributed to Children's Laureate Michael Rosen in the Introduction, "I think of children's books as not so much for children, but as the filling that goes between the child world and the adult world. One way or another, all children's books have to negotiate that space." I think this beautifully sums up the essence of children's literature, and of the blurry lines between the adult world and the children's world, and how these lines change over time. For example, some works deemed inappropriate for children years ago, may be considered quite tame by today's standards.

The book itself has an index of titles at the beginning, which is arranged alphabetically. This is then followed with the 1001 list of children's books, organized in terms of age appropriateness (suggested age group, really), beginning with 0-3, 3+, 5+, 8+, and finally, 12+. At the end of the book there is an index by author/illustrator and a compilation of featured reviewers and picture credits (as far as possible, an attempt has been made to feature the first edition covers in the original language of publication).

The book does not only contain chidlren's books written in English, but a host of titles written in foreign languages such as French, Danish, German, and the Asian languages. This gives the book a universal appeal, though I imagine some of the foreign titles may be difficult to procure, especially if one is looking for English translations of these works. For example, "Tatu and Patu in Helsinki" by Aino Havukainen and Sami Toivonen is a Finnish work, and the title of the English translation is not provided. I had to do some research before I found it, under the title This is Finland.

There might also be some misgivings about the omission of certain titles in this book. I for one, was disappointed to find the Noddy books missing (though I realize these books did have racial stereotypes I loved the creative stories and adventures of Noddy). I was also disheartened to find the Malory Towers series missing, also by one of my favorite children's authors Enid Blyton - books which I devoured over and over again as a child. Many of my favorites are mentioned though, which made me feel happy, especially that of Asterix the Gaul and Tintin, though specific titles are mentioned instead of the entire series. I shuddered a little at seeing "Twilight" listed here, but I suppose there's a certain sense of inevitability about its inclusion given its massive appeal amongst adolescents.

It would have been nice if the author had listed sources where some of the foreign language titles could be obtained, or the availability of the English translation of these works. It is left to the reader to do the research on these titles. Final verdict - a wonderful resource to guide and inform children and adults alike on the great diversity in children's literature, whilst motivating readers to go out and look up some of the interesting yet obscure titles!

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