New York Public Library Releases List of 100 Great Children's Books of the Past Century

Horton Hears a Who, Charlotte’s Web, and Curious George are all books the world has fallen in love with, and the New York Public Library has put together the ultimate list of books that inspire the children in all of us.

The Library has unveiled its list of 100 great kid’s books from the last century. Jeanne Lamb, Coordinator of Youth Collections at the Library, put together the list with a colleague. She said narrowing down a century worth of literature to a list of 100 was no easy task.

“There is no such thing as only 100 wonderful stories in the past hundred years,” Lamb said. “There are hundreds each year that are published that are really, really wonderful.”

In order to make the list, a children’s book needed to be published in the last 100 years, in print, and a favorite of young bookworms. Lamb said she hopes the list gets readers talking about some of the books they enjoy.  

“[The New York Public Library] wanted to use [the list] as just an entry point to a discussion, to a conversation, with our patrons and with our readers about what they like about stories,” she said. “We fully expect this to be opening the door to a conversation.”

Some of the titles that didn’t make the list include Diary of a Wimpy Kid and If you Give a Mouse a Cookie.

Have a favorite children’s books or a title that didn’t make the New York Public Library’s list? Let us know in the comments section.