The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury. Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud

Editorial Review
In the eight years since this blockbuster anthology of 44 classic picture books of the 20th century was compiled, important new picture books have been published that Janet Schulman believes are too good to miss. She has selected 15–some by brand-new voices of the 21st century, some by young authors and illustrators who were just getting started during the last decade of the past century, and a few by familiar names, such as Kevin Henkes with his 2005 Caldecott Medal Winner. This recommended list with descriptive annotations is intended to guide parents to these new books and new voices of the 21st century.

Unparalleled in scope and quality and designed for reading aloud and sharing, this splendid anthology brings together some of the most memorable and beloved children's books of our time. Here are classics such as Madeline and Curious George; contemporary bestsellers such as Guess How Much I Love You and The Stinky Cheese Man; Caldecott Medal winners such as Make Way for Ducklings and Where the Wild Things Are; and family favorites such as Goodnight Moon, The Sneetches, and Winnie-the-Pooh. The selections range from concept books and wordless books to picture books and short read-aloud stories, and represent the complete array of childhood themes and reading needs: ABCs, number and color books, stories about going to bed and going to school; tales about growing up, siblings, parents, and grandparents; animal stories, fantasies; fables; magical stories; stories about everyday life--and more. Also included are an introduction, capsule biographies of the 62 writers and artists represented in the collection, color-coded running heads indicating age levels, and indexes. As a gift, a keepsake, and a companion in a child's first steps toward a lifelong love of reading, The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury belongs in every family's bookcase.
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Customer Reviews

A TWO Star only to be fair

2008-04-20
I was really disappointed to see that many books in here were abridged. Also, although the book is large in its dimensions, some of the chosen books had multiple small pictures per page. In addition, some of the stories were great choices but a lot of them were not the best ones either. I saw this book in the library and checked it out immediately and was so glad that I did not purchase it. An EXCELLENT compilation of picture books to buy would be "A Treasury of Picture Books" from publisher Harper Collins. That is by far the best children's book we own. I will always keep that one as an heirloom. Check out my review for that book.

Good job by editor but some favorites not here!

2008-04-12
Editor lists names of more bks from recent yrs to read apart from this, but they should have been included here to expand the new edition of this bk, acc to me. That way all my favorites would be here. But this is a great bk!

Picturebook Collection

2008-04-12
Excellent treasury! Most of my favorites, from my own childhood, that of my son, and later decades of the 20th century. Where else will you find in the same place Babar, Madeleine, Mike & Mary Ann, Max, the Sneetches, Peter in the Snowy Day, the Stinky Cheese Man, as well as my personal favorite from my son's babyhood: Whose Mouse Are You?
A walk down memory lane for grandparents & parents alike, this collection will delight the entire family. Beautifully reproduced - smaller than original formats, yet without sacrificing the quality of exceptional illustrations - keyed for appropriate age reading.

Great book!

2008-03-28
I had to purchase this book for a Children's Lit class I am taking. I have to say this book is awesome! It has both older and newer stories for children. I love going through this book and reading the stories too!

Lovely childrens book

2008-03-15
Purchased this book for parents that are expecting their first children (twins).. I was very impressed with the variety of stories and highly recommend it to people who can't figure out what to get first time parents. A book is always a great choice!!!

Excellent Collection

2008-07-23
This book is an uncanny collection of most of our favorite children's stories that we have collected over the years plus many more we had not yet discovered. It's a great collection. The only downside of the collection is that the stories are displayed with several of the original "pages" per page which is distracting to young readers. They see the pictures from many pages at once while the parent tries to read the through the words left to right.

Wonderful Book!

2008-06-16
I received this book as a gift when my boys were 17 months old and 1 month old. The are now 2 and 3, and we still read from this book just about every day. The Table of Contents suggests age groups for each story, but I have found that my kids are pretty much up for any of them, even at a young age. This time I purchased it as a gift for someone else, and if Amazon continues to offer amazing prices on it ($27 instead of $40 at major bookstore) then I will buy it for everyone I know that has a child. It's one that your kids will never tire of (just keep it out of reach to keep in good condition, as they will want to flip through the picures on their own...).

STORIES

2008-06-04
What is more comforting to a child than being curled up in bed and having Mummy or Daddy reading a good story -- big story books are pages full of magic!

Wonderful Collection

2008-05-19
When my children were young we read from this almost every night. It contains many of the favorite stories that I grew up with as a kid. It is a must for any parent's library.

Great Convenient Format for Great Stories

2008-05-17
I would like to respond to the negative reviews which criticize this compilation's editing and condensing of original stories. Obviously these reviewers have never taken a vacation with many small children. This book is the perfect thing to grab on your way to the beach, or the plane, or the long car ride with children, even children of different ages. There are MANY great stories which my kids have been enjoying for the past 6 years. They still reach for this one more than any other single book.