1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up »

Julia Eccleshare is the children’s books editor at The Guardian. She has been a judge for the Branford Boase First Novel Prize and the Whitbread Children’s Book Prize. In 2000 she won the Eleanor Farjohn Award in recognition of her contribution to children’s publishing. Quentin Blake has illustrated over 300 children’s books and has won many awards. He was appointed Britain’s first children’s laureate in 1999 and was made a commander of the British Empire in 2005.

This is the best and most authoritative guide to classic and contemporary children’s literature today. It is the latest in the best-selling 1001 series, and its informative reviews are the key to differentiating the "must-read" books from all the rest in the realm of children’s books. Whether you are a parent seeking to instill a love of reading in your child, an educator or counselor looking for inspiration, or a young reader with a voracious appetite, this guide to the best writing for children and young adults covers the spectrum of children’s literature. It is organized by age group—from board books to YA novels and all the gradations in between. Each entry features evaluations by a team of international critics complete with beautifully reproduced artwork from the featured title. The beloved classics are here, but the guide also takes a global perspective and includes the increasingly diverse contributions from African American and Latino authors and illustrators—not to mention important books from around the world.

The New York Times - Julie Just

Beautiful color reproductions are particularly helpful in the picture book sections, while the thoughtful summaries of books for older children…make you want to go hunt them down in library or bookstore.