By Beatrix S
Everybody knows that reading is important, but reading to children, and having your children read, is especially important. Children who read independently have better grades in school and develop better language skills. This is why reading should be our priority if we want what’s best for our kids. Here, I’ve gathered my top five classic kids books that will hopefully make your child ask for more to read.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a short story written by Washington Irving that focuses on two men’s battle for a woman’s hand. Ichabod Crane is superstitious and he is doing whatever he can to keep Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt from winning the heart of beautiful Katrina Van Tassel. But one night, as he leaves a party at the girl’s house, he encounters a headless horseman. The horseman is carrying his head and scares Crane enough that Crane leaves town. The story was published in 1820 and it is inspired by a German folktale. A lot of movies have been made that resemble the story, but the most famous is probably the movie Sleepy Hollow starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci.
The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi is the famous story of a wooden puppet that becomes a little boy. The story starts with Geppetto, a woodcarver who wants a son. He carves a wooden doll and he calls it Pinocchio, but the wooden doll is very disobedient and starts making Geppetto’s life really hard. After putting his creator in jail, Pinocchio finally agrees to go to school; but on his first day of school, Pinocchio starts the adventure of his life. He gets kidnapped, is lied to, and ultimately returns to his father begging for forgiveness. The book is a real page-turner and the adventures Pinocchio has will keep your child entranced. The book was published in 1883 and since then it has had massive success, being turned into movies, plays, and even operas.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter is the wonderful children’s story about a misbehaving rabbit that doesn’t listen to his mother and goes into the garden of Mr McGregor. He eats Mr McGregor’s vegetables, gets chased, and loses his clothes, having to ultimately return to his upset mother. He gets punished by drinking only tea for dinner while his sisters eat milk and blackberries. The story was published in 1902 with illustrations by Beatrix Potter herself. There is a sequel to the story, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, when Petter Rabbit returns to get his clothes back. Beatrix Potter’s books have had great success and have also been adapted into cartoons. If you want something entertaining and educational for your child, The Tale of Peter Rabbit may be the book for you.
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett is the story of Sara, a girl who is sent to boarding school but who has problems getting along with Miss Minchin, the head of the institution. Miss Minchin initially treats Sara very well because Sara’s father is rich and Miss Minchin hopes she will get money from him. But as soon as Sara’s father dies, Miss Minchin starts terrorizing the girl. The book was published in 1902 and is a particularly good gift idea for a little girl who likes adventures and sad stories that turn out to have happy endings. It has also been adapted into movies, musicals, and cartoons.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum is the classic children story more commonly known as The Wizard of Oz, the name of the movie that was adapted from the book. The story is about Dorothy, a girl living with her uncle and aunt at a farm in Kansas, and her dog Toto. They become trapped in a tornado and end up in a magical land, The Land Of Oz. There, Dorothy has to find her way back home and fight along with her friends, the Tin Woodman, The Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow, against the Wicked Witch. The book has received a lot of popular acclaim, mostly due to the movie, and it has been translated into many languages, with success all over the world. It was published in 1900 and sold 21000 copies in 1900, has had 13 sequels, and has become one of the most popular American classic children stories.