http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/16/the-reading-life-what-makes-a-childrens-classic/
Dwight Garner takes the film version of “Where the Wild Things Are” as his point of departure for a meditation on what makes a children’s classic. He invites readers to post titles of children’s books passed down through the generations.
The success of “Where the Wild Things Are” has led to a sharp spike in the number of articles and reviews of children’s literature. Why is the media suddenly paying attention? I think it has something to do with the realization that picture books not only stay with us–we don’t discard them as we grow up but internalize their words and images. When we re-read them as adults, we feel a Proustian tug of involuntary memory but can also enjoy the story on an adult level, seeing and feeling things that we missed as a child.
Top 10 picture books, anyone?
Leaving out all of the fairy tales, nursery rhymes and other folklore influences, I am left with this list. 🙂
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban
Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Goodnight, Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Goodnight, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley
Froggy Gets Dress by Jonathan London
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen
Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
No, David! by David Shannon
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (Although most would argue for Green Eggs and Ham or Cat in the Hat. I HATED Cat in the Hat as a child to the point where I hated all Seuss until I discovered Horton and his egg.)
Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Curious George by H. A. Rey (It sticks even if it has been muddied with so many other retreads.)
Just wanted to pass on this link to an interview with Sendak, Jonze and Eggers: http://www.newsweek.com/id/216997/page/1
I came across it through an article in today’s (UK) Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/oct/20/maurice-sendak-wild-things-hell – I love the headline ‘Maurice Sendak tells parents worried by Wild Things to ‘go to hell”
I’m no good at lists but Where the Wild Things Are would definitely come at the top of mine.
Betsy over at the School Library Journal blog Fuse #8 compiled a list of the top 100 picture books as voted by her readers. That links takes you to number one but at the end of the post are links to all the others.
This is a great blog, fairly unique in its content. One series that I loved as a kid was about these two hippos who loved each other and all the daily activities they went through together. George and Martha were their names. http://www.amazon.com/George-Martha-James-Marshall/dp/0395199727 I loved those two. No top ten list should be without this book.