The 11 greatest children’s books
Whether you are by the beach, waiting to meet up with your friends or simply curled up with your favourite cushion at home, a book is always handy to have with you to while away the time.
BBC has culled a list of the best books for kids, from journalists and book experts. Here are the top 11 books – perhaps it is time to visit the neighbourhood library.
Little House on the Prairie (1935), Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Little House on the Prairie” is a series of books about a little girl living in the “Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little grey house made of logs” with her parents, two sisters and their dog, Jack. It was inspired by the writer’s own 19th century childhood in the Midwest.
A Wrinkle in Time (1962), Madeleine L’Engle
A science fiction story, “A Wrinkle in Time” revolves around a young girl, Meg, whose father, a government scientist, disappears after working on a mysterious project called a tesseract. With her brother and a friend, Meg travels through time and space to find her father.
A Wizard of Earthsea (1968), Ursula K Le Guin
Better suited for older children, “A Wizard of Earthsea” follows the education in sorcery of a young boy, Sparrowhawk, in the fictional world of Earthsea. Sparrowhawk experiences several challenges, struggles and temptations before he gains the wisdom and understands that “his task had never been to undo what he had done, but to finish what he had begun."
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), Roald Dahl
The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket and his Grandpa Joe inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka, after winning one of five golden tickets. Along the way, the winners of the four other golden tickets are gradually eliminated from the chocolate factory tour. Charlie, being the last child left, wins the prize – but what it is, is for you to read and find out!
Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), AA Milne
Winnie-the-Pooh is a collection of stories set in the Hundred Acre Wood. Here, we learn about the adventures of a teddy bear called Winnie-the-Pooh and a young boy named Christopher Robin, along with their friends Piglet, Eeyore, Owl, Rabbit, Kangoo and Roo, and Tigger.
The Little Prince (1943), Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Originally written in French, The Little Prince is the third most-translated book in the world. It is about a pilot stranded in the Sahara desert who meets a young prince fallen to Earth from a tiny asteroid.
Little Women (1868), Louisa May Alcott
The story of the four March sisters as they pass from childhood innocence to young adulthood has endured the test of time. The novel about the lives of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy arch is loosely based on the author and her three sisters.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), Lewis Carroll
A Victorian fantasy, the book was actually written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It follows Alice’s trip down the rabbit hole and her encounters with the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter.
Where the Wild Things Are (1963), Maurice Sendak
“Where the Wild Things Are” is a children’s picture book about a young boy named Max who is sent to bed without supper by his mother, who then escapes into his imagination. He dreams up a jungle island on which live the ‘Wild Things’, a group of ferocious beasts.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950), CS Lewis
Step through the magical wardrobe with Lucy and her siblings and be transported into the fantasy world of Narnia. Here you will meet talking animals and mythical creatures, as well as the White Witch who has ruled Narnia for 100 years of deep winter.
Charlotte’s Web (1952), EB White
The greatest children’s book of all time, “Charlotte’s Web” is about friendship, justice and the power of the written word. It tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages praising Wilbur in her web in order to persuade the farmer to let him live.
(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)
