Every Child's Bookshelf

[Twims]

Should hold which books?

I am trying to compile a list of fabulous books every child (any age) should have - so what's on your bookshelf, what do you love and what do your children love.

Off the top of my head:

Picture books - Where The Wild Things Are / Not Now Bernard / everything by the wonderful Mick Inkpen / We're Going On A Bear Hunt / The Baby Who Wouldn't Go To Bed

Bit older - Dr Seus / Hairy McClarey /

Can't remember the ages my dds read things but also (may be a bit girl-friendly):

Alice In Wonderland
The Secret Garden
Ballet Shoes
Milly Molly Mandy
Pippi Longstocking
The Borrowers
A lovely collection of traditional fairy tales
Some nice narrative or comic Shakespeares

Everything by Roald Dahl except James And The Giant Peach, which is nonsensical

The Famous Five/Five Findouters/Island Of Adventure etc by Enid Blyton

An atlas, a dictionary, a "cyclepedium" as dd used to call it, several children's cookery books

Lots of poetry books

The complete works of Jane Austen for saving!

the hungry caterpillar

Each Peach Pear Plum.. Alan Alberg
Any Julia Donaldsons but definitely The Gruffalo

the enchanted wood collection, perhaps the wishing chair collection too, [gosh i must be old emoticon]

Tiger that came to tea

Peepo

gruffalo

gruffalo
Mog books
tiger who came to tea

ooo the lift the flap Zoo one, What's that called again?

Oh yes - how could I forget the Caterpillar?!

my zoo

Narnia

Emily Brown

Peepo
Dogger
Kipper
Hungry Caterpillar

Just William
Harry Potter
Five Children and It
Littlenose
Tin Tin
Narnia Chronicles

My dss love all of these plus I would say The Ballet Shoes as well, but I don't think they would agree with me on the one.

And Narnia! And The Hobbit. And at least two of your own very favourite books from the age your child is around now, if they are still available.

Blue Kangaroo

Brilliant column on building a children's library in the Family section of the Guardian at the moment by Lucy Mangan, here. I agree with all her choices so far (except about three that I haven't read, and I've ordered them off Amazon). Hope she makes a book of it eventually.

Hairy McClary

Stig of the Dump
Sorry have to keep adding as I think of more

Five Children and It (and other E. Nesbitts)

Treasure Island

For girls, Anne of Green Gables and Little Women (etc)

Mill Molly Mandy... my childhood favourite

Dear Zoo, That's not my ..., The Hungry Caterpillar, Spot, Kipper, Guess How Much I love you, We're going on a bear hunt.
The Gruffalo (and all the other Julia Donaldson books), all the Hairy Maclary books, The Tiger who came to tea,
Winnie the Witch books, Harry and his bucket full of Dinosaurs (all of them!),
Captain Flinn and the pirate dinosaurs, A day in the life of Bob (man in the moon), Mr Men books (all of them!), The Emperor of Absurdia, The Little Princess series of books, Charlie and Lola (though these annoy me), the M&S series of first readers - basic versions of all the fairy tales .......
I am sure there are hundreds more - ds loves books and we have lots but get loads out from the library over and over again!

Oh yes Emily Brown ... very popular in this house!

Swallows and Amazons
Biggles
Flat Stanley

Don't shoot me
Horrid Henry

Age 0-2

Shirley Hughes Nursery collection
Rod Campbell Dear Zoo and others
Osborne first picture books
Mayo/Ayliffe "Dig Dig Digging" and "Emergency"
"Thats not my...." (HATE EM BUT KIDS LIKE EM)
"Hungry Caterpillar" and others by Eric Carle
Lots of lift the flap books.
That one about little owls
Going on a bearhunt
Each Peach Pear Plum
Guess how much I love you
hAIRY mCcLARY

Age 3-5

Anything by Donaldson/Sheffler.
More Shirley Hughes-Alfie,Dogger is a personal favourite
Funnybones
Harry and his buckets of dinosaurs
Beatrix Potter
Winnie the Pooh
Preston Pig and Kipper
Litle Bear books
Richard Scarry books
Traditional fairytales

Things I'm hoping to reaad to ds 5 soon

Roald Dahl
Narnia stuff
Wind in the willows

Theres loads more but brain in meltdown

Theres loa

I don't know about fabulous but every child I've met has loved "You Choose"