Classic Children’s Books

In classrooms across the country, children today are reading the same books that many adults did when they were children. There are many classic children’s book out there that will simply never grow old and will continue to be a major part of children’s literature.
‘Charlotte’s Web’ is a wonderful classic children’s book that both children and their parents will love. Written in 1952, this Newbery Honor Book centers around a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte that lives in the barn with him. Charlotte saves Wilbur’s life by writing phrases like ‘Some Pig’ and ‘Terrific’ in her web which convinces the farmer to keep Wilbur alive, because he must be some special pig! With this help from Charlotte, Wilbur goes on to win a prize at the county fair. While at the fair, Charlotte reaches the end of her lifespan and passes away. To honor Charlotte and to repay her for saving his life, Wilbur decides to take Charlotte’s sac of eggs back to the farm. In the end, three of Charlotte’s little babies stay with Wilbur and become his friends.
Another book that many children and parents are familiar with is ‘Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.’ This book won the Newbery Medal in 1972 and has been beloved ever since. It tells the tale of Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse, and her children. Every spring, the Frisby family has to move out of the plowing field and into their summer home.This year, since on of the children has pneumonia, she is unable to move him to the new home. While trying to find a solution to her dilemma, she enlists the help of some rats that live in a nearby rosebush. When she enters their dwelling, she finds that the rats have the same intelligence as a human and that they have developed a colony almost completely independent from the humans. In this book, you read the story of how the rats became so intelligent, how they help this poor widow save her children, and how Mrs. Frisby saves their lives in return.