Having worked as a nanny for the past four and a bit years, there’s definitely one consistency that I’ve noticed in all of my jobs – the heavy presence of children’s books. While in college, where I was training to become an Early Childhood Educator, we had to take a course on children’s literature. Along with responses for the Nanny Book Project, I’ve noticed that while there are a large, and very wide, variety of children’s books, there have been several strong consistencies.
The Harry Potter series follows a VERY close second. The series of seven books, written by J. K. Rowling, seems to be a staple in nearly every child’s book collection (and possibly their parent’s book collection as well). The story of the boy wizard and his adventures have become nearly legendary in the book world and propelled J. K. Rowling into fame. The series became even more popular with the creation of the eight films, plus three spin off stories, a theme park, a set tour and more. Obviously, J. K. Rowling knew what she was doing. C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, and Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll are also quite common. The Railway Children, The Famous Five and more are also very popular.
For younger children, Beatrix Potter’s little books about animals are frequently seen in children’s collections. The beautifully written and illustrated books have kept children (and perhaps their parents) entertained for years. The books such as Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle Duck, The Tailor of Gloucester and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle are quite often found on children’s shelves, usually starting to appear when the children are around the ages of two or three. A film, Miss Potter, was made several years ago, detailing Beatrix’s life. Enid Blyton’s tales of Noddy the Elf and his adventures are also very popular, along with Enid’s story, The Magic Tree. Enid was capable of writing just a little story and her audience would be completely engrossed.
For young boys, however, it is the stories of a certain blue engine that seems to hold their attention completely captive. The Rev. W. Awdry’s stories of Thomas the Tank Engine have made countless children happy and still do to this day. Other books for younger children that seem to be popular include Paddington Bear, Winnie the Pooh, The Gruffalo and more.
While there are numerous children’s books in the world (and many of them absolutely brilliantly written), it appears the Brits seem to know what they’re doing when it comes to children’s books. That being said, there are some fantastic children’s books written outside of the United Kingdom, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Captain Underpants, The Cat in the Hat, Curious George, Where the Wild Things Are, Franklin the Turtle, anything by Robert Munsch and more. Let us know what your favourite children’s book/s are.