Children's Literature Texts
Primary and Secondary Resources for all your Children's Literature Needs
Primary Resources
A book written exclusively for the entertainment of children? That's new. John Newbery was the first to do it.
The Brothers Grimm finally published all of those fairytales they'd been collecting. And Disney movies were never the same.
The Robinsons are shipwrecked on an island, and adventure awaits. We might think of this book as old-school…because it is. But it sure has staying power.
Hans gives his spin on our now-classic fairytales.
Alice was the first person to go down the rabbit hole…and millions of Internet users have followed in her footsteps.
More wonderful tales of distant islands and hidden treasures—it never gets old.
Heard of it? Bet you didn't know it was originally written in Italian.
The little boy who grows up in the jungle in India has all kinds of wild animals for friends. Classic kids' stuff right there.
Follow the yellow brick road all the way to the original.
One of the best-selling children's books of all time—and for good reason.
Do those names sound familiar? That's because this is the story of the O.G. Peter Pan.
Another gem with staying power.
That bear just can't get enough of honey, can he?
Before there was a Disney movie, there was a book. Who knew? (We did.)
Bilbo Baggins is one goofy guy—er, hobbit.
This little monkey is too curious for his own good.
When you enter through the wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia, you'll come across a whole series of books, starting with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
The mischievous Cat in the Hat and its companions, Thing One and Thing Two, cause all kinds of havoc. Want more Dr. Seuss? We've got loads of it.
In order not to overwhelm you with Dahl, we're just listing one book, but check out some of his other classics like The Witches, Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
We all want to go where the Wild Things are.
Carle's colorful illustrations are appealing to young children and his narrative style is straightforward and easy to comprehend. But those collage illustrations are engaging for even the oldest readers.
The height of what's known as post-modern children's literature—this one's highly referential and parodic. Yep, that's a lot to digest for a kids' book.
Say hello to one of the richest women on earth. And it all started with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Neil Gaiman's tone is dark and spooky—you might call him Roald Dahl-esque.
This one's a wordless retelling of the famous Aesop tale.
Mo Willems is the Stephen King of children's literature—this guy just can't stop publishing.
Newbery Award-winning and pretty awesome to boot.
Secondary Resources
This collection of essays explores children's literature as a literary form.
How does children's literature shape the development of children? Read this book to find out.
Look no further than this comprehensive book for a full history of the genre.
How has society shaped children's literature? How does children's literature reflect society? These are some of the big questions this book tries to answer.