The Best Classic Kids' Books 2025

1. The World of Eric Carle: Pancakes, Pancakes! (Hardcover)

The barnyard rooster crows to tell Jack it's time to get up. It's very early in the morning -- and Jack is so hungry that what he really wants is a large pancake for breakfast. But first, Jack's mother needs flour from the mill, an egg from the black he, milk from the spotted cow, and butter churned from fresh cream. Will it ever be time for breakfast and that large pancake? Pancakes, Pancakes is a delightful story of an old-fashioned breakfast. Modern-day pancake mix holds little charm compared to starting from scratch, and young readers will find their mouths watering, and will wish that they, too, could have real pancakes, pancakes Author: Eric Carle Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Published: 08/20/1991 Pages: 32 Binding Type: Hardcover Weight: 0.88lbs Size: 11.44h x 8.28w x 0.39d ISBN: 9780887081200 Audience: Ages 4-8 Accelerated Reader: Reading Level: 3.6 Point Value: 0.5 Interest Level: Lower Grade Quiz #/Name: 32148 / Pancakes, Pancakes! Review Citation(s): Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/1993 - Recommended, Satisfactory About the Author Eric Carle (1929-2021) was acclaimed and beloved as the creator of brilliantly illustrated and innovatively designed picture books for very young children, including Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me; Have You Seen My Cat?; and TheTiny Seed. His best-known work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has been translated into seventy languages and sold over fifty-five million copies. Carle illustrated more than seventy books, many bestsellers, most of which he also wrote, and more than 170 million copies of his books have sold around the world. In 2003, Carle received the Children's Literature Legacy Award for lifetime achievement in children's literature. In 2002, Eric and his wife, Barbara, cofounded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (CarleMuseum.org) in Amherst, Massachusetts, a 40,000-square-foot space dedicated to the celebration of picture books and picture book illustrations from around the world, underscoring the cultural, historical, and artistic significance of picture books and their art form. Eric Carle passed away in May 2021 at the age of ninety-one. His work remains an important influence on artists and illustrators at work today. Find out more at Eric-Carle.com.

The barnyard rooster crows to tell Jack it's time to get up. It's very early in the morning -- and Jack is so hungry that what he really wants is a large pancake for breakfast. But first, Jack's mother needs flour from the mill, an egg from the black he, milk from the spotted cow, and butter churned from fresh cream. Will it ever be time for breakfast and that large pancake? Pancakes, Pancakes! is a delightful story of an old-fashioned breakfast. Modern-day pancake mix holds little charm compared to starting from scratch, and young readers will find their mouths watering, and will wish that they, too, could have real pancakes, pancakes!

2. Grimm's Fairy Tales (Hardcover) by David Borgenicht

Enchanting illustrations accompany favorite stories from the Brothers Grimm in this edition for young readers. Among the children's favorites included in this volume are "Hansel and Gretel", "The Golden Goose", "Rumpelstiltskin", and "The Frog Prince". 50+ color illustrations.

9780762400669. Pre-owned: Good condition. Hard cover. Revised ed. Language: English. Pages: 56. Sewn binding. Paper over boards. 56 p. Contains: Illustrations. Children's Classics. Intended for a juvenile audience. Enchanting illustrations accompany favorite stories from the Brothers Grimm in this edition for young readers. Among the children's favorites included in this volume are "Hansel and Gretel", "The Golden Goose", "Rumpelstiltskin", and "The Frog Prince". 50+ color illustrations.

3. Where the Red Fern Grows (Paperback)

Read the beloved classic that captures the powerful bond between man and man's best friend. This edition also includes a special note to readers from Newbery Medal winner and Printz Honor winner Clare Vanderpool. Billy has long dreamt of owning not one, but two, dogs. So when he's finally able to save up enough money for two pups to call his own--Old Dan and Little Ann--he's ecstatic. It doesn't matter that times are tough; together they'll roam the hills of the Ozarks. Soon Billy and his hounds become the finest hunting team in the valley. Stories of their great achievements spread throughout the region, and the combination of Old Dan's brawn, Little Ann's brains, and Billy's sheer will seems unbeatable. But tragedy awaits these determined hunters--now friends--and Billy learns that hope can grow out of despair, and that the seeds of the future can come from the scars of the past.

Author: Wilson Rawls ISBN: 9780440412670 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 9/01/1996

4. Perfection Learning Out of the Dust: Novel, (Paperback)

Acclaimed author Karen Hesse's Newbery Medal-winning novel-in-verse explores the life of fourteen-year-old Billie Jo growing up in the dust bowls of Oklahoma. Out of the Dust joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content! "Dust piles up like snow across the prairie. . . ." A terrible accident has transformed Billie Jo's life, scarring her inside and out. Her mother is gone. Her father can't talk about it. And the one thing that might make her feel better -- playing the piano -- is impossible with her wounded hands. To make matters worse, dust storms are devastating the family farm and all the farms nearby. While others flee from the dust bowl, Billie Jo is left to find peace in the bleak landscape of Oklahoma -- and in the surprising landscape of her own heart.

This gripping story, written in sparse first-person, free-verse poems, is the compelling tale of Billie Jo's struggle to survive during the dust bowl years of the Depression ISBN13: 9780590371254 Publisher: Scholastic Publication Year: 1999 Format: Paperback Pages: 227

5. Lincoln: A Photobiography (Hardcover)

1988 Newbery Medal Winner Abraham Lincoln stood out in a crowd as much for his wit and rollicking humor as for his height. This Newbery Medal-winning biography of our Civil War president is warm, appealing, and illustrated with dozens of carefully chosen photographs and prints. Russell Freedman begins with a lively account of Abraham Lincoln's boyhood, his career as a country lawyer, and his courtship and marriage to Mary Todd. Then the author focuses on the presidential years (1861 to 1865), skillfullly explaining the many complex issues Lincoln grappled with as he led a deeply divided nation through the Civil War. The book's final chapter is a moving account of that tragic evening in Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865. Concludes with a sampling of Lincoln writings and a detailed list of Lincoln historical sites. This title has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades 2-3, Read Aloud Informational Text).

Lincoln: A Photobiography (Hardcover)

6. Mike Mulligan Y Su Máquina Maravillosa: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (Spanish Edition), (Paperback)

Un clásico moderno que ningún niño debe perderse. Desde que fue publicado en 1939, Mike Mulligan y su máquina maravillosa ha deleitado a generaciones de niños. Mike y su confiable excavadora de vapor, Mary Anne, excavan profundos canales para que viajen los barcos, cortan montañas para que pasen los trenes y vacían sótanos para los rascacielos citadinos --el símbolo mismo de la América industrial--. Pero con el progreso llegan nuevas máquinas y pronto el dúo inseparable se queda sin trabajo. Mike cree que Mary Anne puede excavar en un día lo mismo que pueden excavar cien hombres en una semana y ambos tienen una última oportunidad para probarlo y salvar a Mary Anne del desguace. Lo que sigue en el pequeño pueblo de Popperville es un testimonio a su amistad y al viejo trabajo duro y la ingenuidad. A modern classic now available in Spanish. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is the story of a steam-shovel operator and his steam shovel - the beguiling Mary Anne - which he would not desert, even though competition from gas and diesel-motored shovels was ruining him. The solution to Mike's problem is classic in its simplicity. Under pressure to show Mary Anne at her best, Mike digs the foundation for the town hall of Popperville and in his haste forgets to leave a way for Mary Anne to get out! The ingenious townspeople suggest that Mary Anne be remodeled into a furnace and Mike be retained to keep her heart and boiler warm. This is a classic story of the old being replaced by the new and the nostalgia often felt for archaic things. Mary Anne and Mike are a team to be admired, and now their tale can be enjoyed and shared by Spanish- and English-speaking children alike.

Mike Mulligan Y Su Máquina Maravillosa: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (Spanish Edition), (Paperback) Author: Clarion Books ISBN: 9780395861349 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 1997-10-30 Page Count: 48

7. Pre-Owned Adam of the Road (Hardcover) 0670104353 9780670104352

ADAM OF THE ROAD [9780670104352]

A Newbery Medal Winner Awarded the John Newbery Medal as "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children" in the year of its publication. "A road's a kind of holy thing," said Roger the Minstrel to his son, Adam. "That's why it's a good work to keep a road in repair, like giving alms to the poor or tending the sick. It's open to the sun and wind and rain. It brings all kinds of people and all parts of England together. And it's home to a minstrel, even though he may happen to be sleeping in a castle." And Adam, though only eleven, was to remember his father's words when his beloved dog, Nick, was stolen and Roger had disappeared and he found himself traveling alone along these same great roads, searching the fairs and market towns for his father and his dog. Here is a story of thirteenth-century England, so absorbing and lively that for all its authenticity it scarcely seems "historical." Although crammed with odd facts and lore about that time when "longen folke to goon on pilgrimages," its scraps of song and hymn and jongleur's tale of the period seem as newminted and fresh as the day they were devised, and Adam is a real boy inside his gay striped surcoat. "Engaging and beautifully written."—Children's Literature From the Trade Paperback edition.

8. Truck: A Caldecott Honor Award Winner, (Paperback)

A bright, classic book for truck-obsessed toddlers. This Caldecott Honor Book is from the beloved author-artist Donald Crews. In this wordless picture book, a large red trailer truck packed with tricycles moves through pages of fog, truck stops, and crowded highways. "Beautifully executed and appealing."--School Library Journal This is an ideal book to share with preschoolers, both at home and in the classroom--especially those who love books about transportation! Truck is written and illustrated by the celebrated creator of Freight Train, Bigmama's, School Bus, and many other classic and award-winning picture books for young children. Truck was named a Caldecott Honor Book by the American Library Association and was also named an ALA Notable Book for Children.

Truck: A Caldecott Honor Award Winner, (Paperback) Author: Greenwillow Books ISBN: 9780688104818 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 1991-03-25 Page Count: 32

9. Winnie-The-Pooh's Colors (Hardcover) by A A Milne

9780525454281. Hard cover. Language: English. Pages: 32. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 32 p. Winnie-The-Pooh. Intended for a juvenile audience. Children who love Winnie-the-Pooh's ABC will be delighted by these two new concept books. Identical in format to Winnie-the-Pooh's ABC, these new books add another dimension to the World of Pooh--as a place where childhood is celebrated and early learning begins. Full color.

9780525454281. Hard cover. Language: English. Pages: 32. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 32 p. Winnie-The-Pooh. Intended for a juvenile audience. Children who love Winnie-the-Pooh's ABC will be delighted by these two new concept books. Identical in format to Winnie-the-Pooh's ABC, these new books add another dimension to the World of Pooh--as a place where childhood is celebrated and early learning begins. Full color.

10. Andersen's Fairy Tales

9780448060057

Andersen's Fairy Tales