"Since it was founded in 1924, The Horn Book Magazine has celebrated notable achievements in the writing and illustrating of books for children. A logical consequence of this emphasis is the periodic compilation of lists of classics, beginning with an article by pioneering librarian Alice M. Jordan in 1947."

The Horn Book’s Children’s Classics is available as a PDF file. It is newly updated and revised by Mary M. Burns and is a comprehensive list of both classic and recent books that every parent and child should know. Print out this list and bring it with you on your trips to the library and bookstore. The Horn Book also offers other lists of recommended books under various categories such as paperbacks, summer reading, African-American books, etc. 

In addition to information on recommended books, they have expanded their Teachers & Parents Page, adding several annotated lists of recommended books and articles about family reading. 

This is a wonderful service The Horn Book Magazine is providing parents and educators at large. Bookmark their Parents Page and return to it often for new suggestions appropriate to children's reading ability as they grow. As your young readers grow, you can return to this page for new suggestions appropriate to their reading ability.

amazon.com carries many of the wonderful titles listed in the Horn Book Magazine's Children's Classics. Most of them are available used at a good discount. Type the title in this amazon.com search box and, if the book is available, you'll be taken to where you can purchase it online. You can also browse through the complete list we've posted below. Because the Horn Book Magazine's Children Classics lists just that, classics, some of the titles might not longer be available for sale. You should, however, be able to check them out from your local public library. Print the entire list we've posted below and check them off as you introduce these titles to your children.

Search Now:

The Horn Book Magazine's has compiled their Children's Classic List in a new PDF file. It’s 14 pages long in an easy-to-read format. You can browse through the table below that lists the titles or access the entire annotated and illustrated list by going directly to The Horn Book's PDF file. Click here to find out more.

The Horn Book Magazine's Children's Classics Lists	For the Very Young Picture Books For Beginning Readers Stories Echoes of Times Past: Part One Echoes of Times Past: Part Two Myths, Legends, and Folklore Nonfiction
For the Very Young	The ABC Bunny . Written and illustrated by Wanda Gág. Coward, 1933. The Carrot Seed. Written by Ruth Krauss. Illustrated by Crocket Johnson. Harper, 1945. Freight Train. Written and illustrated by Donald Crews. Greenwillow, 1978. Goodnight Moon. Written by Margaret Wise Brown. Illustrated by Clement Hurd. Harper, 1947. Max's First Word. Written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells. Dial, 1979. Mr. Gumpy's Outing. Written and illustrated by John Burningham. Holt, 1971. Rosie's Walk. Written and illustrated by Pat Hutchins. Macmillan, 1968. The Snowman. Written and illustrated by Raymond Briggs. Random House, 1978. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Written and illustrated by Eric Carle. Putnam, 1970. [Top of Page]
Picture Books	Alfie Gets in First. Written and illustrated by Shirley Hughes. Lothrop, 1982. Andy and the Lion. Written and illustrated by James Daugherty. Viking, 1938. Anno's Alphabet: An Adventure in Imagination. Written and illustrated by Mitsumasa Anno. Crowell, 1975. Caps for Sale. Written and illustrated by Esphyr Slobodkina. Harper, 1947. Corduroy. Written and illustrated by Don Freeman. Viking, 1968. Crictor. Written and illustrated by Tomi Ungerer. Harper, 1958. Curious George. Written and illustrated by H. A. Rey. Houghton, 1941. Doctor Desoto. Written and illustrated by William Steig. Farrar, 1982. George and Martha. Written and illustrated by James Marshall. Houghton, 1972. Harry the Dirty Dog. Written by Gene Zion. Illustrated by Margaret B. Graham. Harper, 1956. Horton Hatches the Egg. Written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. Random House, 1940. Ira Sleeps Over. Written and illustrated by Bernard Waber. Houghton, 1975. Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book. Written by Muriel Feelings. Illustrated by Tom Feelings. Dial, 1974. The Little House. Written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton. Houghton, 1943. Madeline (Picture Puffin). Written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans. Viking, 1939. Make Way for Ducklings (Picture Puffins). Written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey. Viking, 1941. Millions of Cats (Paperstar). Written and illustrated by Wanda Gág. Coward, 1928. The Polar Express. Written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. Houghton, 1985. Miss Rumphius. Written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney. Viking, 1982. The Snowy Day. Written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats. Viking, 1962. Story of Ferdinand (Picture Puffin). Written by Munro Leaf. Illustrated by Robert Lawson. Viking, 1936. The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter. Warne, 1902. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. Written by Jon Scieszka. Illustrated by Lane Smith. Viking, 1989. Where the Wild Things Are. Written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Harper, 1963. [Top of Page]
For Beginning Readers	The Cat in the Hat. Written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss. Random, 1957. Frog and Toad Are Friends. Written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel. Harper, 1970. Little Bear Boxed Set: Little Bear /.... Written by Else Holmelund Minarik. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Harper, 1957. [Top of Page]
Stories	Babe - The Gallant Pig: The Gallant Pig. By Dick King-Smith. Illustrated by Mary Rayner. Crown, 1985. Intermediate. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. By Barbara Robinson. Illustrated by Judith G. Brown. Harper, 1972. Intermediate. The Book of Three. By Lloyd Alexander. Holt, 1964. Intermediate. The Borrowers. By Mary Norton. Illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush. Harcourt, 1953. Intermediate. Bridge to Terabithia. By Katherine Paterson. Illustrated by Donna Diamond. Crowell, 1977. Intermediate. Charlotte's Web. By E. B. White. Illustrated by Garth William. Harper, 1952. Intermediate. Harriet the Spy. By Louise Fitzhugh. Harper, 1964. Intermediate. The Hobbit: or There and Back Again. By J. R. R. Tolkien. With illustrations by the author. Houghton, 1938. Intermediate. Humbug Mountain. By Sid Fleischman. Illustrated by Eric von Schmidt. Little, Brown, 1978. Intermediate. The Hundred Dresses. By Eleanor Estes. Illustrated by Louis Slobodkin. Harcourt, 1944. Primary, Intermediate. The Incredible Journey. By Sheila Burnford. Illustrated by Carl Burger. Little, Brown, 1961. Reissued Bantam/Skylark, 1990. Intermediate, Young Adult. Island of the Blue Dolphins. By Scott O’Dell. Houghton, 1960. Young Adult. Johnny Tremain. By Esther Forbes. Illustrated by Lynd Ward. Houghton, 1943. Young Adult. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. By C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes. Macmillan, 1950. Intermediate. Little House in the Big Woods. By Laura Ingalls Wilder. Illustrated by Garth Williams. Harper, 1953. Intermediate. Many Moons. By James Thurber. Illustrated by Louis Slobodkin. First published, 1943. New edition illustrated by Marc Simont. Harcourt, 1990. Primary. Mary Poppins. By P. L. Travers. Illustrated by Mary Shepard. First published, 1934. Revised edition, Harcourt, 1981. Primary, Intermediate. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. By Robert C. O’Brien. Illustrated by Zena Berstein. Atheneum/Macmillan, 1971. Intermediate. The Perilous Gard. By Elizabeth Marie Pope. Illustrated by Richard Cuffari. Houghton, 1974. Young Adult. Pippi Longstocking. By Astrid Lindgren. Translated from the Swedish by Florence Lamborn. Illustrated by Louis S. Glanzman. Viking, 1950. Primary, Intermediate. Ramona the Pest. By Beverly Cleary. Illustrated by Louis Darling. Morrow, 1968. Primary. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. By Mildred D. Taylor. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Dial, 1976. Young Adult. Sarah, Plain and Tall. By Patricia MacLachan. Harper, 1985. Intermediate. The Shrinking of Treehorn. By Florence P. Heide. Illustrated by Edward Gorey. Holiday, 1971. Primary, Intermediate. The Sword in the Stone. By T. H. White. With decorations by the author and endpapers by Robert Lawson. Putnam, 1939. Intermediate, Young Adult. Tuck Everlasting. By Natalie Babbitt. Farrar, 1975. Intermediate. Winnie-The-Pooh. By A. A. Milne. Illustrated by Ernest Shepard. Dutton, 1926. Primary. The Witch of Blackbird Pond. By Elizabeth G. Speare. Houghton, 1958. Young Adult. A Wizard of Earthsea. By Ursula LeGuin. Illustrated by Ruth Robbins. Parnassus, 1968. Atheneum/Simon, 1991. Young Adult. [Top of Page]
Echoes of Times Past: Part One A selection of retellings for children based on works from Ancient Days through the Eighteenth Century.	Black Ships before Troy: The Story of the Iliad. Retold by Rosemary Sutcliff. Illustrated by Alan Lee. Delacorte, 1993. Young Adult. The Canterbury Tales. Written by Geoffrey Chaucer. Adapted by Barbara Cohen. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Introduction by Christopher Baswell. Lothrop, 1988. Young Adult. David’s Songs: His Psalms and Their Story. Selected and edited with an introduction by Colin Eisler. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Dial, 1992. All ages. Gulliver in Lilliput. Retold by Margaret Hodges from Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, illustrated by Kimberly Bulcken Root. Holiday House, 1995. Primary, Intermediate. Robinson Crusoe. Written by Daniel Defoe. Illustrated by N. C. Wyeth. Repr. of 1990 edition. Running Press. Young Adult. St. George and the Dragon. Adapted by Margaret Hodges from The Faerie Queen by Edmund Spenser. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Little, 1984. Primary, Intermediate. Stories from Shakespeare. Retold by Geraldine McCaughrean. Illustrated by Anthony Maitland. McElderry, 1995. Intermediate, Young Adult. [Top of Page]
Echoes of Times Past: Part Two Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries through 1920	The Adventures of Pinocchio. (1883, 1891 — first English translation) By Carlo Collodi. Illustrated by Roberto Innocenti. Translated by E. Harden. Creative Education, 1988. Intermediate. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. (1876) Written by Mark Twain. Illustrated by Barry Moser. Afterword by Peter Glassman. Morrow, 1989. (Books of Wonder) Intermediate. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. (1865) By Lewis Carroll. Illustrated by John Tenniel. Afterword by Peter Glassman. Morrow, 1992. (Books of Wonder) Intermediate, Young Adult. Anne of Green Gables. (1908) By Lucy Maud Montgomery. Illustrated by Inga Moore. With an introduction by Naomi Lewis. Holt, 1994. (Little Classics Edition) Intermediate. Around the World in Eighty Days. (1873) By Jules Verne. Illustrated by Barry Moser. Afterword by Peter Glassman. Morrow, 1988. Intermediate. Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse. (1877) By Anna Sewell. Illustrated by Charles Keeping. Farrar, 1990. Also Holt (Little Classics Edition), 1993. Illustrated by Victor Ambrus. Introduction by Naomi Lewis. Intermediate, Young Adult. A Christmas Carol. (1843) By Charles Dickens. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Holiday, 1983. Intermediate, Young Adult. The Enchanted Castle. (1907) By E. Nesbit, Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. Afterword by Peter Glassman. Morrow, 1992. (Books of Wonder) Intermediate. Heidi. (1884 — first English translation) By Joanna Spyri. Illustrated by Ted Rand. Holt, 1994. (Little Classics Edition) Intermediate. The Jungle Book: The Mowgli Stories (1894, 1895) By Rudyard Kipling. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Afterword by Peter Glassman. Morrow, 1995. (Books of Wonder) Intermediate. Little Women. (1868) Louisa May Alcott. Centennial Edition. Little Brown, 1968. Intermediate, Young Adult. Peter Pan (1904) By James M. Barrie. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Scribner’s/Macmillan, 1980. Intermediate. The Secret Garden. (1911) By Frances Hodgson Burnett. Illustrated by Tasha Tudor. HarperCollins, 1987. Intermediate. Treasure Island. (1883) By Robert Louis Stevenson. Illustrated by N. C. Wyeth. Scribner’s/Macmillan, 1981. Intermediate, Young Adult. Twelve Tales: Hans Christian Andersen. (1835-1871) Selected, translated, and illustrated by Erik Blegvad. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 1994. (Primary, Intermediate). The Wind in the Willows (1908) By Kenneth Grahame. Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. Scribner’s/ Macmillan, 1991. Intermediate. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. (1900) By L. Frank Baum. Illustrated by W.W. Denslow. Afterword by Peter Glassman. Morrow, 1987. (Books of Wonder) Primary, Intermediate. [Top of Page]
Myths, Legends, and Folklore	About Wise Men and Simpletons: Twelve Tales from Grimm. Written by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm. Translated by Elizabeth Shub. Illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian. Macmillan, 1971. Primary, Intermediate. Aesop’s Fables. Illustrated by Fritz Kredel. Grosset, 1963. (Deluxe edition.) Primary, Intermediate. The Arabian Nights: Their Best Known Tales. Edited by Kate D. Wiggin and Nora A. Smith. Illustrated by Maxfield Parrish. Scribners/Macmillan, 1993. Intermediate. D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths. Retold and illustrated by Ingri and Edgar P. D’Aulaire. Doubleday, 1962, 1980. Primary, Intermediate. D’Aulaire’s Norse Gods and Giants. Retold and illustrated by Ingri and Edgar P. D’Aulaire. Doubleday, 1967, 1986. Primary, Intermediate. Favorite Fairy Tales Told around the World. Selected and retold by Virginia Haviland. Illustrated by S. D. Schindler. Little Brown, 1985. Primary. The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. Written and illustrated by Howard Pyle. Dover, 1968. Intermediate. Nursery Tales around the World. Selected and retold by Judy Sierra. Illustrated by Stefano Vitale. Clarion, 1996. Primary. The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales. By Virginia Hamilton. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Knopf, 1985. Intermediate, Young Adult. The Rainbow People. Retold by Laurence Yep. Illustrated by David Wiesner. Harper & Row, 1989. Young Adult. Uncle Remus: The Complete Tales. Retold by Julius Lester. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Dial, 1999. Intermediate, Young Adult. Also recommended: The Three Bears and 15 Other Stories. Retold by Anne Rockwell. Crowell, 1975. Preschool, Primary. [Top of Page]
Nonfiction	And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? Written by Jean Fritz. Illustrated by Margot Tomes. Coward-McCann, 1973. Primary, Intermediate. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Written by Anne Frank. Rev. ed. Translated by B. M. Mooyart. Introduction by Eleanor Roosevelt. Doubleday, 1967. Young Adult. Anne Frank. Beyond the Diary: A Photographic Remembrance. By Ruud and Rian Verhoeven. Viking, 1993. Young Adult. Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction. Written and illustrated by David Macaulay. Houghton, 1973. Intermediate. Charlie Needs A Cloak. Written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola. Prentice Hall, 1973. Primary. The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia. By Esther Hautzig. Crowell, 1968. Intermediate, Young Adult. Harriet and the Promised Land. Written and illustrated by Jacob Lawrence. Simon, 1993. First published in 1962. Primary, Younger. Lincoln: A Photobiography. Written by Russell Freedman. Clarion, 1987. Intermediate, Young Adult. Indian Chiefs, a collection of short, incisive biographies of Native Americans leaders, published by Holiday House, 1987, is also recommended. [Top of Page]