Books that show, books that tell

Discerning readers offer their favorite picture books and chapter books for children | Susan Olasky

On July 1, 2000, WORLD published a "nifty 50" list of classic 20th-century children's books. Readers quickly responded, wondering how we could have omitted some books, so on Dec. 9, 2000, we published a list of reader-recommended books.

We continue to get requests for more recommendations, so we've done something a little different this year—and just in time for the Christmas gift-buying season. We asked WORLD writers and a variety of discerning readers for their five favorite picture books and five favorite chapter books, and gave them the option of adding comments.

You'll see some overlap with our earlier lists, but you'll also find plenty of new titles. The new lists, some with explanations or descriptions, are organized by last names of the individuals or couples making suggestions. The lists from six years ago are included in this week's issue as well.