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Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature
256 pages, Hardcover
Published October 28, 2025
About the author
Daniel Hahn
133 books48 followersBritish writer, editor and translator; author of a number of works of non-fiction, including biographies, history, and reading guides and for children and teenagers.
His translation of The Book of Chameleons by José Eduardo Agualusa won the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2007. He is also the translator of Pelé's autobiography, and of work by novelists José Luís Peixoto, Philippe Claudel, María Dueñas, José Saramago, Eduardo Halfon, Gonçalo M. Tavares and others.
A former chair of the Translators Association and national programme director of the British Centre for Literary Translation, he is currently chair of the Society of Authors and on the board of trustees of a number of organisations working with literature, literacy and free expression, including English PEN. He is one of the judges for the 2017 Man Booker International Prize.
adapted from Wikipedia.
His translation of The Book of Chameleons by José Eduardo Agualusa won the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2007. He is also the translator of Pelé's autobiography, and of work by novelists José Luís Peixoto, Philippe Claudel, María Dueñas, José Saramago, Eduardo Halfon, Gonçalo M. Tavares and others.
A former chair of the Translators Association and national programme director of the British Centre for Literary Translation, he is currently chair of the Society of Authors and on the board of trustees of a number of organisations working with literature, literacy and free expression, including English PEN. He is one of the judges for the 2017 Man Booker International Prize.
adapted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 12, 2026
Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature is a richly illustrated (with pictures as well as photographs) 2025 guide to so-called children’s literature classics (as well as a selection of more recent authors) and contains sufficient book titles (and not just English language ones either, but that the non English language novels all and appreciatively so need to have both been translated and also be easily enough available) to fill a solidly delightful and nicely diverse canon for both a classroom (either for school or for a university level children's literature course) and equally so a personal bookshelf (but it would have to be pretty large).
However and just to point out, Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature is most definitely not as all-encompassing as Julia Eccleshare's 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up is and equally so very clearly states this in chief editor Daniel Hahn's brief but excellent introduction. And yes, I personally am both familiar with the vast majority of the selections showcased by Hahn et al in Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature and indeed also consider a very extensive number of these novels amongst my all-time favourites, so that Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature already makes both my inner child and adult me totally and hugely smile simply regarding which books are being featured, and this even though there are also classic children's literature titles I for one am missing and wishing they were included in Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature (such as for example Marguerite Henry's King of the Wind, Lucy M. Boston's The Children of Green Knowe, Alison Uttley's A Traveler in Time, Elizabeth Janet Gray's Adam of the Road amongst some but actually and truly not too many others).
Now in Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature, because Daniel Hahn very clearly states in the introduction that Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature is NOT going to be featuring either picture books or young adult literature, so that indeed (and in my not all that humble opinion) reviewers making a fuss because Dr. Seuss or Maurice Sendak do not appear in Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature are in my opinion either missing the point or have not in fact bothered reading the introduction. And with each section of Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature offering short author biographies (not extensive, but generally adequate enough) and glowing appreciations of and for the magic of storytelling (and not too many spoilers either, which for me is a major positive for Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature), yes, for the most part, I have found Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature both hugely enjoyable and equally so enlightening and as such a very, very nice books on books tome so to speak.
Finally and for me, there are basically only two reasons why my rating for Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature is four and not yet five stars. For one, it does kind of bother me that for the more recent writers Hahn has not included any Native American and Native Canadian authors in Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature (and that I do find this omission a massively missed opportunity). And for two, I also find that the author biographies for Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature are entirely too lauding and often even unnecessarily glowingly so (because I certainly do think that less positive scenarios etc. of what a given and included author was like or is like should most definitely also be mentioned in Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature, so that in my opinion and as examples, for J.K. Rowling Daniel Hahn also needs to mention her very public and recent transphobia and that for Roald Dahl, sorry, but his anti-Semitism absolutely needs to be presented).
However and just to point out, Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature is most definitely not as all-encompassing as Julia Eccleshare's 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up is and equally so very clearly states this in chief editor Daniel Hahn's brief but excellent introduction. And yes, I personally am both familiar with the vast majority of the selections showcased by Hahn et al in Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature and indeed also consider a very extensive number of these novels amongst my all-time favourites, so that Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature already makes both my inner child and adult me totally and hugely smile simply regarding which books are being featured, and this even though there are also classic children's literature titles I for one am missing and wishing they were included in Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature (such as for example Marguerite Henry's King of the Wind, Lucy M. Boston's The Children of Green Knowe, Alison Uttley's A Traveler in Time, Elizabeth Janet Gray's Adam of the Road amongst some but actually and truly not too many others).
Now in Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature, because Daniel Hahn very clearly states in the introduction that Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature is NOT going to be featuring either picture books or young adult literature, so that indeed (and in my not all that humble opinion) reviewers making a fuss because Dr. Seuss or Maurice Sendak do not appear in Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature are in my opinion either missing the point or have not in fact bothered reading the introduction. And with each section of Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature offering short author biographies (not extensive, but generally adequate enough) and glowing appreciations of and for the magic of storytelling (and not too many spoilers either, which for me is a major positive for Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature), yes, for the most part, I have found Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature both hugely enjoyable and equally so enlightening and as such a very, very nice books on books tome so to speak.
Finally and for me, there are basically only two reasons why my rating for Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature is four and not yet five stars. For one, it does kind of bother me that for the more recent writers Hahn has not included any Native American and Native Canadian authors in Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature (and that I do find this omission a massively missed opportunity). And for two, I also find that the author biographies for Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature are entirely too lauding and often even unnecessarily glowingly so (because I certainly do think that less positive scenarios etc. of what a given and included author was like or is like should most definitely also be mentioned in Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature, so that in my opinion and as examples, for J.K. Rowling Daniel Hahn also needs to mention her very public and recent transphobia and that for Roald Dahl, sorry, but his anti-Semitism absolutely needs to be presented).
Want to Read
June 23, 2026I had a look at the contents and did some analysis of the 80 titles it covers. I agree with another reviewer here that it seems to lean toward enforced diversity. Here's the breakdown by author nationality. (And no, I do not normally view things in these terms, but it was just that it seemed so strongly that the list-compiler did.)
UK = 29
USA = 13
Australia = 6
France = 5
Germany = 4
Japan = 3
New Zealand = 3
India = 2
Italy = 2
Netherlands = 2
Sweden = 2
Canada = 1
Chile = 1
China = 1
Denmark = 1
Finland = 1
Iceland = 1
Mexico = 1
Poland = 1
Switzerland = 1
I acknowledge that some pigeonholing is debatable. (Where do you put Salman Rushdie? or P.L. Travers? In both cases I did not choose UK.)
I am not saying that everything is down to "representation over merit" - I mean, Hans Andersen is the sole Danish author, and I fully endorse recognizing his lasting influence on children's literature. L.M. Montgomery is the sole Canadian; Johanna Spyri the sole Swiss. Who would cast out Anne or Heidi? But there are others included whose influence has certainly not been as pervasive and established. (And I have major quibbles about some titles included which I feel are undeserving of the recognition.)
What gets included by English-speaking authors writing for English-speaking readers is invariably English-language books. We could just accept this, and the lists would feel more honest. To me, it seems a little offensive to have token authors/books included perhaps just to tick the box. Oh, look how very international we are, how multicultural, how Diverse. What I believe should be done is to view those authors in a more in-depth context. If there is a Polish book that is a masterpiece of children's literature, how does it relate to other Polish children's books? What is the history, tradition, and culture of Polish children's literature? Surely there are more than just this one title included in that sphere. So why does it stand out? Or maybe it doesn't stand out and there are 9 others that are just as good. Or better, in different ways - but finding 10 Polish books on a list of 80 that tries to cover the globe would be very curious, wouldn't it? But will the market support such a focused monograph?
I've read more than 50 of the 80 already. I tend to doubt that the author has much to tell me about those. I concur with others here about omissions. Prolific authors such as Wilder, Ransome, Seredy, Trease, Sutcliff, Van Stockum, Mayne, Wibberley, Garfield, Fleischman, Konigsburg, Cresswell, Paterson, Ibbotson, and more and more. In fact, in some ways the list lacks diversity - for example, there's very little historical fiction. I would say it's perhaps overly heavy on fantasy. Without a doubt, a limit of 80 isn't enough to do any kind of justice to the topic. But who's going to publish a five-volume set that does the job right? Ah well.
UK = 29
USA = 13
Australia = 6
France = 5
Germany = 4
Japan = 3
New Zealand = 3
India = 2
Italy = 2
Netherlands = 2
Sweden = 2
Canada = 1
Chile = 1
China = 1
Denmark = 1
Finland = 1
Iceland = 1
Mexico = 1
Poland = 1
Switzerland = 1
I acknowledge that some pigeonholing is debatable. (Where do you put Salman Rushdie? or P.L. Travers? In both cases I did not choose UK.)
I am not saying that everything is down to "representation over merit" - I mean, Hans Andersen is the sole Danish author, and I fully endorse recognizing his lasting influence on children's literature. L.M. Montgomery is the sole Canadian; Johanna Spyri the sole Swiss. Who would cast out Anne or Heidi? But there are others included whose influence has certainly not been as pervasive and established. (And I have major quibbles about some titles included which I feel are undeserving of the recognition.)
What gets included by English-speaking authors writing for English-speaking readers is invariably English-language books. We could just accept this, and the lists would feel more honest. To me, it seems a little offensive to have token authors/books included perhaps just to tick the box. Oh, look how very international we are, how multicultural, how Diverse. What I believe should be done is to view those authors in a more in-depth context. If there is a Polish book that is a masterpiece of children's literature, how does it relate to other Polish children's books? What is the history, tradition, and culture of Polish children's literature? Surely there are more than just this one title included in that sphere. So why does it stand out? Or maybe it doesn't stand out and there are 9 others that are just as good. Or better, in different ways - but finding 10 Polish books on a list of 80 that tries to cover the globe would be very curious, wouldn't it? But will the market support such a focused monograph?
I've read more than 50 of the 80 already. I tend to doubt that the author has much to tell me about those. I concur with others here about omissions. Prolific authors such as Wilder, Ransome, Seredy, Trease, Sutcliff, Van Stockum, Mayne, Wibberley, Garfield, Fleischman, Konigsburg, Cresswell, Paterson, Ibbotson, and more and more. In fact, in some ways the list lacks diversity - for example, there's very little historical fiction. I would say it's perhaps overly heavy on fantasy. Without a doubt, a limit of 80 isn't enough to do any kind of justice to the topic. But who's going to publish a five-volume set that does the job right? Ah well.
January 17, 2026
I have a bone to pick with this one. It features 80 children's (or young readers) books and it seems like the author was more interested in including books from every culture and country that exists, than in true children's favourites that everyone knows about, like say, Dr. Seuss or the Little House on The Prairie series. (both not featured(!!!!!))
There's more I could list that were everything to me as a young reader, that weren't included:
- Where The Red Fern Grows
- The Velveteen Rabbit
- The Magic Tree House series
I could go on, I'm sure.
Instead, here I read about many books that I've never heard of, some that have only gotten translated for the English-speaking world in recent years.
I was very disappointed:(
There's more I could list that were everything to me as a young reader, that weren't included:
- Where The Red Fern Grows
- The Velveteen Rabbit
- The Magic Tree House series
I could go on, I'm sure.
Instead, here I read about many books that I've never heard of, some that have only gotten translated for the English-speaking world in recent years.
I was very disappointed:(
February 4, 2026
This comprehensive survey of classic Children’s Literature is divided into four distinct stages: The First Golden Age, 1837-1929; New Horizons, 1930-1959; Modern Narratives, 1960-1984; and, Contemporary Classics, 1985-Present … lavishly illustrated, the book ranges far beyond authors writing only in English … expansive …
December 22, 2025
Daniel Hahn looked at almost 200 years of stories for children to put together Worlds of Wonder. This book highlights 80 children's books (not picture books or Teen/YA books) that have had a lasting impact on readers - both children and adults alike. The books included are all available in print in English, but several international authors/titles are represented. Each book covered has some information about the author and then a 1-2 page write up about the book - a short synopsis and why this book has had an impact on readers. The books are divided into 4 sections that cover a span of years. There are several contributors listed in the back of the book who wrote about each title. I do wish that the author had been listed on the page with the write up and I'm not sure why that wasn't the case. Of the 80 books listed, I've read 20 and after reading this book I've added a few more to my to-read list. This is the perfect book for a librarian and I loved reading about old favorites from my childhood and finding some new ones to check out as well.
Some quotes I liked:
[Black Beauty by Anna Sewell] "One Texas cowpuncher arraigned for ill-treating his pony would be sentenced to one month's imprisonment where he was required to read the story three times." (p. 34-35)
[Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers] "P.L. Travers fought hard against the changes to her story that she saw in the Disney film - ultimately, she lost. She was so unhappy with the way she and her novel were treated that she ruled out any further adaptations." (p. 94) [There were 8 books in the Mary Poppins series]
[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl] "In 2023, four years after Dahl's death, Puffin books announced that they would be revising all of his texts to eliminate derogatory words and passages. In the new version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Augustus Gloop is now described as 'enormous' rather than 'fat,' and the Oompa-Loompas go from being 'tiny' to 'small.' Elsewhere, references to glass eyes, ugliness, old age, disability, and other potentially sensitive topics were removed or altered. Arguments about censorship swiftly broke out, even getting as far as the U.K.'s House of Commons. But Puffin Books' decision to re-issue the original texts in The Roald Dahl Classic Collection finally left readers free to choose whichever version they wanted." (p. 159)
[A quote from the text of Watership Down by Richard Adams] "Animals don't behave like men," he said. "If they have to fight, they fight; and if they have to kill they kill. But they don't sit down and set their wits to work to devise ways of spoiling other creatures' lives and hurting them. They have dignity and animality." (p. 173)
[The Neverending Story by Michael Ende] "Michael Ende disliked the 1984 film adaptation of his novel so intensely that he launched legal action that delayed the release of the sequel until 1990." (p. 184)
[The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly by Luis Sepulveda] "In Sepulveda's imagination, cats not only understand the language of humans but can speak it - though it's the ultimate taboo to let humans in on that little secret...'Cats were aware, of course, of the sad fate of the dolphins, who had displayed their intelligence to humans who had in turn condemned the dolphins to acting like clowns in aquatic spectacles.'" (p. 206)
Some quotes I liked:
[Black Beauty by Anna Sewell] "One Texas cowpuncher arraigned for ill-treating his pony would be sentenced to one month's imprisonment where he was required to read the story three times." (p. 34-35)
[Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers] "P.L. Travers fought hard against the changes to her story that she saw in the Disney film - ultimately, she lost. She was so unhappy with the way she and her novel were treated that she ruled out any further adaptations." (p. 94) [There were 8 books in the Mary Poppins series]
[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl] "In 2023, four years after Dahl's death, Puffin books announced that they would be revising all of his texts to eliminate derogatory words and passages. In the new version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Augustus Gloop is now described as 'enormous' rather than 'fat,' and the Oompa-Loompas go from being 'tiny' to 'small.' Elsewhere, references to glass eyes, ugliness, old age, disability, and other potentially sensitive topics were removed or altered. Arguments about censorship swiftly broke out, even getting as far as the U.K.'s House of Commons. But Puffin Books' decision to re-issue the original texts in The Roald Dahl Classic Collection finally left readers free to choose whichever version they wanted." (p. 159)
[A quote from the text of Watership Down by Richard Adams] "Animals don't behave like men," he said. "If they have to fight, they fight; and if they have to kill they kill. But they don't sit down and set their wits to work to devise ways of spoiling other creatures' lives and hurting them. They have dignity and animality." (p. 173)
[The Neverending Story by Michael Ende] "Michael Ende disliked the 1984 film adaptation of his novel so intensely that he launched legal action that delayed the release of the sequel until 1990." (p. 184)
[The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly by Luis Sepulveda] "In Sepulveda's imagination, cats not only understand the language of humans but can speak it - though it's the ultimate taboo to let humans in on that little secret...'Cats were aware, of course, of the sad fate of the dolphins, who had displayed their intelligence to humans who had in turn condemned the dolphins to acting like clowns in aquatic spectacles.'" (p. 206)
May 28, 2026
Cool anthology. I enjoyed the selection, thought some were odd to include, but interesting to see worldwide famous books I'd never heard of. The best part was reading book inspirations and a short biography of the authors as well as other tidbits about the books.
April 26, 2026
a beautiful book with lovely illustrations
April 13, 2026
3.5 stars
Worlds of Wonder is a glorious reference book on classic children literature. The book itself is worthy of being on a reader’s shelf. A hardback of just the right proportions with several pages devoted to each book, starting from 1837 and progressing through to 2012. There are many original artworks from each novel and a bio on what each book is about and the influence that it has had.
It turns out that I had read 25 out of the 80 books featured and seen another nine as movies without having read the book. I also found ten books listed which I would like to eventually read and will endeavour to find them in time.
Worlds of Wonder is a glorious reference book on classic children literature. The book itself is worthy of being on a reader’s shelf. A hardback of just the right proportions with several pages devoted to each book, starting from 1837 and progressing through to 2012. There are many original artworks from each novel and a bio on what each book is about and the influence that it has had.
It turns out that I had read 25 out of the 80 books featured and seen another nine as movies without having read the book. I also found ten books listed which I would like to eventually read and will endeavour to find them in time.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews