What are the best 'classic' children's books?

[babybouncer]

I've finally got round to unpacking my old collection that I bought (and boxed!) before my kids were born. I spent a very happy childhood with my nose permanently in a book and wanted to create a collection of classics to share with my nieces and my own children (and maybe grandchildren way off in the future!) and now the eldest is 4 I am getting excited about reading some of them to him. I have quite a few Winnie the Pooh, Just William, Peter Rabbit leading on to things like Treasure Island, Swallows and Amazons, Charlotte's Web and The Railway Children.

I feel I'm missing Enid Blyton (but which books?) and now I can't think of what else to add to my wish list?

What others could I look out for that are classic (especially primary school age) children's books?

Famous Five
Twins at St Claires
Mallory Towers

Should all be good to tick.off Enid Blyton.

Get the set of Roald Dahl

Alice in Wonderland
Little.Women

The Railway Children
Oliver Twist

Teddy Robinson
Noel Streatfield esp Ballet Shoes
Professor Branestawm
Narnia books
Sophie books by Dick King Smith

I'd avoid Michael Morpurgo as in my experience they have to read them endlessly at school!

Wow that was quick! I've just read the suggestions and gone 'yes, of course!' to each one (except Teddy Robinson, which I'm off to look up now...).

Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. I still dip into them, occasionally.

Picture books?

The Tiger Who Came To Tea
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Brown Bear Brown Bear
Rosies Walk

Funny Bones

My Naughty Little Sister series

Narnia
Alice

Blyton - Wishing Chair; Faraway Tree

The Secret Garden, and as much E Nesbit as you can handle (in my world, that is 'all of it').

Books by:
Astrid Lindgren ( the brothers Lionheart, Ronia the robbers daughter...)
Tove jansson
Laura Ingels wilder ( the little house books)
Ursula leguin (sp ?)

Little House books
Children at Greene Knowe (and possibly chimneys too)
Wolves of Willaby Place
Emile and the Detectives
School at the Chalet
Willard Price adventures
Little WHite Horse
No Boats on Bannermere (may be expensive)
Jennings
Biggles

Dewe I totally agree about the Greene Knowe books (never read them as a child, have read the whole series to DD and love them!)

Little House on the Prairie
The Harry Potter series
The Chalet School Books (there's loads)

Roald Dahl - especially Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and The Witches.

I cant believe no one has mentioned Black Beauty!

Also The Silver Sword by Ian Serallier.

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield

Oh yes to Green Knowe, Teddy Robinson (I'd forgotten him! :)) and E. Nesbit, who writes siblings in such a realistic argumentative manner.

Dick King-Smith is a lovely writer who made me a vegetarian taught me to be kind to animals.

Try to get a good big book of poems/rhymes for children, something they can flick through when they get old enough to try to read on their own. Children love poems before they realise poetry's thought of as "difficult".

Flower fairies poem books are beautiful and great for kids who like being in the garden (and there are boy and girl fairies, which is a nice ruddy change).

I don't know if it counts as a classic or how well known it is but I couldn't wait to introduce DS to The King of the Copper Mountains

Yes to all of the above
Proper Paddington chapter books.

Another one - again not so well known - but an absolute favourite of mine for reading aloud: Martin Pippin in the Daisy Field. (Out of print but looks like it will be reprinted soon by Red Fox.)

Oh, and I'd add proper Wombles chapter books to the Paddington ones.

Worst witch
Gobbolino the witches cat
the Enid Blyton ones I enjoyed the most were the 'something of adventure' ones. castle, ship etc.
non fiction - Usborne. you HAVE to have some usborne ones, we love looking at them with the kids, the 'See Inside' ones are particularly good I think.
Wombles I agree but Paddington really are my favourite.
my old copies of The Naughtiest Girl in the School have gone down well with our girls.
trying to think what else we had in the loft. Ballet Shoes, Swish of the Curtain, Secret Garden, Heidi.

Puppy Longstocking and the Anne of Green Gables series are good too.

Also What Katy Did, and Little Women.

The Hobbit, I am David, Children of the new forest, Stig of the Dump, Archers Goon (anything by Diana Wynne Jones), Tom's midnight garden.

And Lord of the Rushie River. I think it's by the same person as Flower Fairies
Princess and Curtie
Dark is Rising series
101 Dalmations
Moon of Gomrath/ Weirdstone of Brisingamen (not sure about that spelling)
The Hobbit
Charlotte's web

Rosemary Sutcliff - the eagle of the ninth especially.
The Dark is Rising - I LOVED this.
The weird stone of brisingamen.
Mrs Frisby and the rats of nimh.