For the kid in every book group
Posted by: Kaite Stover
Children’s literature is a favorite among book groups. Titles aimed at kids are usually a speedy, easy read and can provoke all sorts of memories, good and bad about libraries, reading, books, and beloved or beloathed characters.
Book groups looking for a one-stop resource for selecting a youth title that will appeal to the largest group should certainly page through 1001 Children’s Book You Must Read Before You Grow Up. The general editor is Julia Eccleshare, but there are contributions from many well-known authors, illustrators, and reviews of children’s books.
There are five sections to the book beginning with ages 0-3 and concluding with 12+. Unless a book group has a penchant for discussing picture books, the first three sections can be glossed over. The last two chapters, covering ages 8+ and 12+ have the most discussable content.
What facilitators will find most delightful are the numerous titles outside of American and English publishing. The many contributors have scoured the world for children’s classics. There are favorites and perennial bestsellers from France, Australia, China, Japan, and Germany, and this is only scratching the surface.
Readers and facilitators will find plenty of beloved classics in these pages. Each title comes with a perfunctory summary and some salient points are mentioned. The more well known titles come with a short list of readalikes. It should come as no surprise that the majority of titles harken back to the late 19th and 20th centuries. But this is no black mark on the book. Instead, 1001 Children’s Books reminds facilitators and general readers what is magical and enduring in children’s literature.
