Books
You can sort the list of great children's books, winnow it down by age and genre, or use Advanced Search to see many other ways to explore the Treasury of Great Children's Books.
All Creatures Great and Small (1972)
Take an unforgettable journey through the English countryside and into the homes of its inhabitants--four-legged and otherwise--with the world’s best-loved animal doctor.
Author(s):
James Herriot
Illustrator(s):
None
How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportsmen (1974)
When his iron-hatted aunt determines to humiliate Tom with the aid of the dastardly Captain Najork, Tom demonstrates his mastery at Womble, Muck and Sneedball.
Author(s):
Russell Hoban
Illustrator(s):
Quentin Blake
Book of Cowboys (1936)
Peter and Barbara Ann spend the summer on their uncle’s ranch and learn about cowboys firsthand.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Holling Holling
Illustrator(s):
Holling Holling, Lucille Holling
The Book of Indians (1935)
Blending history and stories, this account of the American Indian has become a classic.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Holling Holling
Illustrator(s):
Holling Holling, Lucille Holling
Minn of the Mississippi (1951)
We see the Mississippi River through the eyes of a snapping turtle.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Holling Holling
Illustrator(s):
Holling Holling
The Prisoner of Zenda (1894)
Rudolf Rassendyll, proper English gentleman, bears an uncanny resemblance to his distant cousin King Rudolf V of Ruritania, and thereby hangs a tale. Read online at Hathitrust.
Author(s):
Anthony Hope
Illustrator(s):
None
The Adventures of Rinaldo (1959)
The famous knight, Rinaldo di Paldo, returning from battle, has several adventures on his way home: he outwits some enemy soldiers, he collects some loving animals, and he marries a beautiful maiden.
Author(s):
Isabella Holt
Illustrator(s):
Erik Blegvad
Memoirs of a London Doll (1922)
Wooden doll, Maria Poppet, describes her many adventures in 19th century London. Read online at Internet Archive.
Author(s):
Mrs. Fairstar
Illustrator(s):
Emma Brock
The Far-Distant Oxus (1969)
Three children spend the summer holiday on Exmoor where they find ponies, friends and adventure. This is a somewhat shorter version of the original work. The original illustrations have also been dispensed with.
Author(s):
Katharine Hull, Pamela Whitlock
Illustrator(s):
Karl Stuecklen
Mopsa the Fairy (1927)
Jack crawls into a fairy’s nest and is soon off on a fantastic journey.
Author(s):
Jean Ingelow
Illustrator(s):
Dorothy Lathrop
Knickerbocker’s History of New York (1928)
A comic history of New York under the Dutch.
Author(s):
Washington Irving
Illustrator(s):
James Daugherty
Rip Van Winkle (1921)
Out hunting, Rip plays at bowls with the men of the mountains and drinks too deeply of their liquor. Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Washington Irving
Illustrator(s):
N. C. Wyeth
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1928)
The fearful ride of Ichabod Crane and his encounter with the headless horseman has entered American folklore.
Author(s):
Washington Irving
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Rackham
The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (1895)
A two-volume collection of stories and essays, including Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Read for free online at Internet Archive: Volume 1, and Volume 2.
Author(s):
Washington Irving
Illustrator(s):
Arthur Rackham, Et al
The Little Trapper (1950)
The little trapper gets trapped.
Author(s):
Byron Jackson, Kathryn Jackson
Illustrator(s):
Gustaf Tenggren
The Saggy Baggy Elephant (1947)
Twitted by a parrot about his looks, the baby elephant is unhappy until he meets some beautiful creatures just like himself. As with most of the early Little Golden Books, the later editions were much shortened.
Read online at archive.org. This is a later abridged version.
Author(s):
Byron Jackson, Kathryn Jackson
Illustrator(s):
Gustaf Tenggren
Julie’s Secret Sloth (1953)
Julie’s father says no pets, but Julie goes ahead and buys a two-toed sloth named Sampson and soon discovers she can’t keep him a secret.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Jacqueline Jackson
Illustrator(s):
Robert Henneberger
Smoky the Cow Horse (1929)
The story of a cow horse and his various masters.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Will James
Illustrator(s):
Will James
Finn Family Moomintroll (1950)
Moomintroll, Sniff and Snufkin discover a (magician’s) hat and amazing adventures follow.
Read online at archive.org.
Author(s):
Tove Jansson
Illustrator(s):
Tove Jansson