In this section is a selection of the top rated contemporary children’s books from a NEA online survey (2007). Parents and teachers will find this list useful for selecting high quality literature for their children.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

Charlotte's Web is an award-winning children's novel by acclaimed American author E. B. White, about a pig named Wilbur who is saved from being slaughtered by an intelligent spider named Charlotte. The book was first published in 1952, with illustrations by Garth Williams. 		Age:

9-12 		Book:
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Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Where the Wild Things Are is a 1963 children's picture book by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, originally published by Harper & Row. The book has been adapted into other media several times, including an animated short in 1973 (with an updated version in 1988), a 1980 opera, and, in 2009, a live-action feature film adaptation directed by Spike Jonze. According to HarperCollins, the book has sold over 19 million copies worldwide as of 2008. 		Age:

4-8 		Book:
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The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

The Giving Tree, first published in 1964 by Harper & Row, is a children's book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. This book has become one of Silverstein's best known titles and has been translated into more than 30 languages. 		Age:

4-8 		Book:
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Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Green Eggs and Ham is a best-selling and critically acclaimed book by Dr. Seuss, first published on August 12, 1960. As of 2001, according to Publishers Weekly, it was the fourth-best-selling English-language children's book (novel) of all time. 		Age:

4-8 		Book:
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Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Goodnight Moon is an American children's book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was first published in 1947, and is a highly acclaimed example of a bedtime story. It is about a child saying goodnight to everything around: "Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon. Goodnight light, and the red balloon..." 		Age:

Baby-Preschool 		Book:
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I Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch

Love You Forever is a short book written by Robert Munsch and published in 1986. It tells the story of the evolving relationship between a boy and his mother. It was listed fourth on the 2001 Publishers Weekly All-Time Bestselling Children's Books list for paperbacks at 6,970,000 copies (not including the 1,049,000 hardcover copies).

Maria Shriver wrote in O, The Oprah Magazine: "I have yet to read this book through without crying. It says so much about the circle of life, youth, parenting, and our responsibility for our parents as we grow older. The message is so simple yet so profound. Love You Forever is a great gift for anyone with a child, or even for your own parents." 		Age:

4-8 		Book:
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Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Because of Winn-Dixie is a children's novel by Kate DiCamillo published in 2000 and winner of a Newbery Honor distinction the following year. It also won the 2000 Josette Frank Award, and 2003 Mark Twain Award. It has been adapted as a 2005 family film, directed by Wayne Wang, produced by Walden Media and Twentieth Century Fox. 		Age:

9-12 		Book:
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Oh! The Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss

Oh, the Places You'll Go! is a book written and illustrated by children's author Dr. Seuss. It was first published by Random House on January 22, 1990, making it his last book published before his death. The book concerns life and its challenges. 		Age:

4-8 		Book:
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The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

The Little House is the title of a 1942 book written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton. As she has stated that "The Little House was based on our own little house which we moved from the street into "a field of daisies with apple trees growing around." 		Age:

4-8 		Book:
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The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

The Polar Express is a 1985 children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, a former professor at the Rhode Island School of Design. It was adapted as an Oscar-nominated motion-capture film in 2004. 		Age:

4-8 		Book:
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Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner

Skippyjon Jones is a children's picture book by Judith Byron Schachner, published in 2003 by Dutton Juvenile. It is the first book in a series of the same name.

The title character is a Siamese kitten with large ears that make him look like a Chihuahua. He has a group of imaginary Chihuahua friends, Los Chimichangos.

In 2004, Skippyjon Jones won the first annual E.B. White Read Aloud Award, handed out by The Association of Booksellers for Children. 		Age:

4-8 		Book:
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Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

Patricia Barber Polacco is the author and illustrator of numerous picture books for children.

She struggled in school because she was unable to read until age 14 due to dyslexia; she found relief by expressing herself through art. Polacco endured teasing and hid her disability until a schoolteacher recognized that she could not read and began to help her. Her book Thank You, Mr. Falker is Polacco's retelling of this encounter and its outcome. 		Age:

4-8 		Book:
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The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss

The Cat in the Hat is a children's book by Dr. Seuss and perhaps the most famous, featuring a tall, anthropomorphic, mischievous cat, wearing a tall, red and white-striped hat and a red bow tie. He also carries a pale blue umbrella. With the series of Beginner Books that The Cat inaugurated, Seuss promoted both his name and the cause of elementary literacy in the United States of America. 		Age:

4-8 		Book:
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The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

The Lorax is a children's book, written by Dr. Seuss and first published in 1971. It chronicles the plight of the environment and the Lorax, who speaks for the trees against the greedy Once-ler. As in most Dr. Seuss works, most of the creatures mentioned are original to the book. 		Age:

4-8 		Book:
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is a 2006 novel by Kate DiCamillo. Following the life of a china rabbit, the book won the 2006 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award in Fiction. It will be made into a 2010 film of the same name. 		Age:

9-12 		Book:
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The Mitten by Jan Brett

Jan Brett is a best-selling American author/illustrator of childrens' books. Her books are known for colorful, detailed depictions of a wide variety of animals and human cultures ranging from Scandinavia to Africa. Her best-known titles include The Hat, The Mitten, The Three Snow Bears and Gingerbread Baby. 		Age:

4-8 		Book:
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Crunching Carrots, Not Candy by Judy Slack

The book will help you understand that it matters to eat more fruits and veggies every day to keep your body strong and healthy. CCNC will also teach you to read the food label, introduce you to healthy snacks, assist you in understanding the difference between a serving of food and a helping of food, offer you sample meal ideas, give you helpful eating hints, and show you great ways to get moving. 		Age:

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Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willlems

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! is a children's picture book by Mo Willems. Released by Hyperion Press in 2003, it was Willems' first book for children, and received the Caldecott Honor.

The plot is about a bus driver who has to leave so he asks the reader to watch the Pigeon. The pigeon tries many excuses and tries to finagle readers into letting him drive the bus. An animated adaptation of the book won the 2010 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video. 		Age:

Baby-Preschool 		Book:
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Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The main story arc concerns Harry's quest to overcome the evil dark wizard Lord Voldemort, whose aim is to conquer the wizarding world and subjugate non-magical people, and who seeks to destroy all those who stand in his way, such as Harry's parents. 		Age:

9-12 		Book:
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A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time is a science fantasy novel by Madeleine L'Engle, first published in 1962. The story revolves around a young girl whose father, a government scientist, has gone missing after working on a mysterious project called a tesseract.

The book won a Newbery Medal, Sequoyah Book Award, and Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-up for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. It is the first in L'Engle's series of books about the Murry and O'Keefe families. 		Age:

Young Adult 		Book:
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