I grew up reading many of the same books that my mother had read as a child. In fact, I read her copies of Heidi, Bambi, Little Women, Alice in Wonderland, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Gulliver’s Travels. I also read Mary Poppins and its sequels,Treasure Island, Old Yeller, Black Beauty, and Peter Pan. However, children’s literature underwent a sea change when the Harry Potter books appeared, and generations of children have become avid readers because of the avalanche of fantasy books and series that followed.
More voices and perspectives are also on offer in children’s books than ever before. Little girls no longer have to read about boys if they want stories about characters who have adventures and are empowered to save themselves. Black, brown, and differently-gendered children can now choose among a growing body of work that speaks to their identities and experiences, and older texts, such as the Little House series, have fallen by the wayside because of their racially problematic language. P. L. Travers removed racist language from Mary Poppins once someone pointed out to her how offensive it was, and there is now an effort to clean up some of the sexism in Roald Dahl’s work.
So, dear readers, which of your childhood favorites do you recommend for kids today? Why?
Which childhood favorites would you not recommend? Why?
Elizabeth Breau, Ph.D. (she/her), is an award-winning writing coach and private English tutor. Her book, History According to SAT: A Content Guide to SAT Reading and Writing, won a silver medal in the teen category from the Nonfiction Authors Association. You can reach her at historyaccordingtosat.com.
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