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Comforting Classics

Share a story from your childhood with this collection of recommended books for children ages 0-9. From one generation to the next, tales such as The Mouse and the Motorcycle and The Story of Ferdinand are as familiar and cozy as warm old slippers! Enjoy them with your own children and grandchildren.

Quotable Quotes: The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go. -- Dr. Seuss

Charlotte's Web

By: E.B. White
Illustrated by: Garth Williams
Age Level: 9-12
Reading Level: Independent Reader

The classic story of friendship and how a spider named Charlotte saves Wilbur, a small pig, from certain death with words in a web is now more than 50 years old. Nonetheless, it remains as fresh as the day it was first written.

Goodnight Moon

By: Margaret Wise Brown
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

The youngster prepares for sleep, bidding goodnight to the room and all objects in it, including the moon and the old lady who whispers "hush." Sleep comes softly in this cozy classic.

Harold and the Purple Crayon

By: Crockett Johnson
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the classic story of Harold, who turns an ordinary walk into an extraordinary adventure! With his purple crayon and vivid imagination, he draws his way into and out of trouble. Simple line drawings — including lines from Harold's crayon — complement the simple text, for a story that celebrates creativity and problem solving using a tool with which every child is familiar!

The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh

By: A.A. Milne
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Milne’s classic books, Winnie-the-Pooh and House at Pooh Corner are brought together in one volume. Short, episodic chapters and playful language punctuated with Ernest Shepard’s line drawings make this an ideal read-aloud that can be read over time.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle

By: Beverly Cleary, Tracy Dockray
Illustrated by: Tracy Dockray
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

While on a family vacation in California, the Gridleys stay in an old hotel where a mouse named Ralph finds a toy motorcycle and meets Keith, the youngest Gridley. Thus begins a friendship and a memorable adventure of a mouse on a motorcycle. Ralph's adventures continue in Ralph S. Mouse (1982).

The Polar Express

By: Chris Van Allsburg
Illustrated by: Chris Van Allsburg
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader

A magical train ride on Christmas Eve takes a boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa Claus. This holiday classic earned a Caldecott Medal.

The Story of Ferdinand

By: Munro Leaf
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Ferdinand is not an ordinary bull. Instead of kicking and fighting and butting heads like the other young bulls, he prefers to sit and smell the flowers. When Ferdinand unwittingly sits on a bee while men are searching for the fiercest bull for the bullfights in Madrid, his dramatic reaction gets him chosen! Black and white illustrations and understated text create humor and a message of nonviolence.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

By: Beatrix Potter
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

Peter’s disobedience almost gets him cooked while his siblings, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail enjoy a tasty supper in this timeless and satisfying tale. Potter’s carefully detailed and highly realistic illustrations amplify the fantasy and dramatize Peter’s possible consequences.

The Three Little Pigs

By: James Marshall
Age Level: 3-6
Reading Level: Beginning Reader

From huffing and puffing to "chinny-chin-chin" hair, this retelling of the familiar folktale keeps all the standard lines while textual asides and cartoon illustrations create a fresh and comic angle.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

By: Eric Carle
Illustrated by: Eric Carle
Age Level: 0-3
Reading Level: Pre-Reader

This modern classic introduces children to the life cycle of a butterfly through luminous illustrations, pages with die-cuts that grow with the caterpillar, and predictable language. The butterfly that emerges from the cocoon, though no longer small or ravenous, continues to thrill readers of many ages.

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