From the New York Times Corporation:
A list of New York's Top 20 All-Time Favorite Children's Books was specially selected this year by children's librarians from the three public library systems of New York City: Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library and Queens Library. Celebrities from film, TV and Broadway will read from the 20 books on the list at The Great Children's Read (on October 14th).Here's the eclectic list of books old and new, penned by authors dead and alive. Note that they're all fiction, except for one book of verse, and although a few picture books are included, the rest are mostly novels. The one quality they share in common is the gift of unforgettable, beloved characters, revealing what librarians value in children's literature:
- Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger, illustrated by Michael Hays
- Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
- The Bossy Gallito by Lucia M. Gonzales, illustrated by Lulu Delacre
- Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
- Bunnicula by James Howe
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
- Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee
- Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
- Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
- From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
- Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
- Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
- Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything by Lenore Look, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf
- The Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron
- The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith
- Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
- The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne