The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud (Hardcover)

~ Janet Schulman (Author) "In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines..." (more)
Key Phrases: million fish, spooky old tree, chicka boom boom, Amelia Bedelia, Hugh Thomas, Miss Nelson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Believe it or not, 44 complete read-aloud classics and future classics--from Goodnight Moon to Stellaluna--are packed in this remarkably svelte, positively historic anthology. Flipping through the 308 pages of The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury is like browsing a photo album of beloved friends and family. The familiar faces of Curious George and Ferdinand the Bull peer earnestly from the pages, and scenes from Madeline and Millions of Cats resonate as if you just experienced them yesterday. Think of the advantages of carrying this book on a vacation instead of a suitcase of single titles! (Your kids can always revisit their dog-eared hardcovers when they get home.)

This impressive collection of concept books, wordless books, picture books, and read-aloud stories was artfully compiled by longtime children's book editor and publisher Janet Schulman. Stories are coded red, blue, and green to designate age groupings from baby/toddler books such as Whose Mouse Are You?, through preschool books such as Where the Wild Things Are, to longer stories for ages 5 and older such as Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. The reason the book isn't bigger than Babar is because many of the illustrations from each story were reduced or removed to fit the anthology's format. (Leo Lionni's Swimmy, for example, takes up 5 pages total, compared to its original 29 pages.) Brief biographical notes that are surprisingly quirky shine a little light on the 62 authors and illustrators, and an index helps, too, for the child who likes one story best. We love the idea of being within easy reach of a Star-Belly Sneetch, a William Steig donkey, and a Sendak monster at all times, and we're sure your little bookworms will, too. (Click to see a sample spread from The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury, compilation copyright © 1998 by Janet Schulman, illustrations © renewed 1997 by William Steig.) (All ages) --Karin Snelson

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 4-Forty-four selections fill this shiny, heavy compendium, gathered to encourage parents to develop the reading-aloud habit. Most are well-known picture books, but there is a short story by Joan Aiken, a chapter from Winnie the Pooh, and stories from books in beginning-to-read series. Goodnight Moon, a small set of Helen Oxenbury's board books, a Berenstain Bears entry, and other short pieces for the very youngest children are mixed with Stellaluna, The Stinky Cheese Man, Madeline, and older and newer favorites quite disparate in size and design. Some appear in spacious spreads, similar to their original formats. Others are compressed with great chunks of text and few pictures or several pages of the original full-length version stacked on a single page, diminishing details, colors, or the delicious moments of humor, drama, or innuendo. Gone are most of the illustrations for Millions of Cats, and Richard Egielski's Tub People have lost their unique patina and pose in these minuscule renderings. Though much is lost in the translation, the treasury does indeed offer an eclectic variety of good stories, and many children might encounter new favorites here. Concluding biographical notes on the authors and illustrators, a listing of the stories by three age categories, an index, and acknowledgments of original publication details complete the package.
Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; First Printing edition (September 14, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679886478
• ISBN-13: 978-0679886471
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (125 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,106 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #4 in	Books > Children's Books > Literature > Classics by Age > Ages 4-8
  #6 in	Books > Children's Books > Literature > Poetry > Nursery Rhymes
  #6 in	Books > Children's Books > Literature > Short Story Collections

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful collection, December 2, 1999

By A Customer

This is the best single-volume collection of children's picture book stories I have seen. My children had many of the stories in softcover editions and most of these translate well in the format of this collection. Others were entirely new to us. Many truly classic children's stories are in this book and most of the best children's picture book authors are represented. The book is versatile: you can take this one volume on a trip and not need any other story book for your preschooler. The only drawback is that in some instances, not all of the illustrations for a particular story are included or the illustrations are much smaller than in the original book. However, the quality of the printing and paper is excellent, so this is not a distraction. My 4-year-old pulls this book off of the shelf every night.

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great collection of stories for children, June 3, 2001

By	audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

With forty-four beloved children's tales in this book, it is a welcome resource for parents of small children.

It would be easy to spend thousands of dollars on children's books. Fortunately, this collection can help. A parent can substitute this volume for individual books, or can evaluate stories and decide whether or not to purchase a separate copy. I was disappointed to learn from one reviewer that illustrations were missing from books; I wouldn't have known since I was reading many of these stories for the first time, and can understand the editorial difficulties leading to such a decision, but it is too bad. The stories range from classic (Madeline, Goodnight Moon, Curious George, Where the Wild Things Are, Stellaluna, Amelia Bedelia, The Story of Ferdinand) to more obscure, and contain works by Marc Brown (an Arthur/D.W. story) and Dr. Seuss.

A color key both in the Table of Contents and at the bottom of each page lets you know for what age level each story is most likely appropriate: toddler, preschool, or 5+. At 10 by 11 inches, I would suggest getting the hardover edition, since kids and parents will drop this larger book more often (in addition to normal wear and tear).

An introductory Note to Parents is helpful, and the book concludes with Biographical Notes, a Guide to Reading Ages, and an index.

This is a remarkable book and our child loves it -- and so do we. You and your child may very well love it, too!

58 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a must-have!, December 8, 1999

By	Robin Rushlau "momrushlau" (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews

This is an absolutely wonderful book. I have 3 young children (ages 2-6)and this book is a favorite. We keep it at our bedside for storytime. It has stories for every reading level. You will probably remember many of them from your own childhood. What a collection, all together in a beautiful hardcover book!