100 Children's Books That Inspire Our World

by Colin Salter

'Reveals how children's literature has changed over time, from earnest instruction to playful adventure... includes bright covers and lively descriptions of beloved children's books from 1697 to 2011.' - The Wall Street Journal

An amazing guide to some of the most beloved, original, inspiring, hysterical, heart-warming, compelling, rude and downright scary books that have enchanted children the world over.

In 100 Children's Books That Inspired Our World, author Colin Salter surveys an exceptional collection of truly groundbreaking children's books - from Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer to the graphic novels of Dr. Seuss. All the classic children's authors are represented with one stand-out book, plus mentions for their best-known works. Ordered chronologically, the book showcases favourite children's books ranging from Victorian classics to modern day bestsellers.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Writing

224 pages, Hardcover

Published April 7, 2020

About the author

Edinburgh-based writer Colin Salter is the author of 100 Letters That Changed The World, 100 Speeches That Changed The World and the co-author with Scott Christianson of 100 Books That Changed The World.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very pleasant surprise when I stumbled across it. The layout of the book is that for each of the 100 titles you have various images (usually of the most significant or famous) edition along with a potted history of the book and a few details of the storyline.

What I love about the book is that it charts the list from roughly the beginning of books for children all the way up to the late 2000s. There are also a further 50 titles listed at the end of the book for further reading which didn't quite reach the "cut".

What I like about the book is that it explores all the aspects of the book from its history (both good and bad) as well as the story itself - there were all sorts of details I discovered about books I once thought I knew so well.

I have to say on a more puerile level it was fun to see how many of the titles I had heard of.

[Jo_Scho_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful coffee table sized book covering 100 much loved children’s books. Obviously the author isn’t going to please everyone and I’m sure that everyone, me included, will find some glaring omissions but this was still a very nostalgic and informative trip down Memory Lane. I dipped in and out of it over the course of a month and it was a pleasure from start to finish.

What I really enjoyed most was the information provided about each author, there were some really fascinating snippets in there. And as a result of finishing this, there are now a few children’s books that I really must read!

[Samu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Näissä kokoelmakirjoissa on usein ongelmana se, että ne eivät tarjoa yhtään mitään uutta aiheesta jotain tietävälle. Myös aiheeseen tutustuvalle noviisille tarjolla on juuri ne kliseisimmät esimerkit, jotka kaikki tietävät. Vähän samaa vikaa tässäkin teoksessa. Toki tarkoitus on esitellä "ajattomia" lastenkirjoja, mutta mukaan olisi varmasti mahtunut myös muutama vähän vähemmän ilmeinen vaihtoehto. Ja edelleen, jokainen esitelty kirja taisi myös edustaa länsimaista kaanonia ja suurin osa englaninkielisiä. Toki tämäkin on ihan validi näkökulma, mutta siinä tapauksessa kirjan nimi olisi voinut olla vaikkapa 100 Children's Books That Inspire the Western English Speaker, ya know. Jokaisen kirjan kohdalla on sivun mittainen synopisis ja muutama sana kirjailijasta, aika pinnalliseksi jäävät kuvaukset kummastakin.

[Rachel Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who considers myself well versed in children’s literature, I was surprised to have read only a third of the titles listed in this book.

It’s an interesting book to flip through, but reading it cover to cover like I did was a bit of a slog. I do look forward to reading several of the books mentioned that I had never heard of.

[Steve Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A trip down memory lane. Some of the best children's books ever written. From the fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen to more recent tales including Thomas the Tank Engine, Spot the dog, Mary Poppins and Harry Potter. Beatrix Potter also makes the list. Unfortunately a lot of wonderful books miss out, just showing the calibre of the literature for younger readers. Also worth a mention are Paddington Bear, Treasure Island, Biggles and The Famous Five.

[Sarah Bagnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are a homeschooling family and I return to this book over and over to create my kids reading lists every year. Such great discussion of so many classic books across all of childhood! And I've learned so much about famous authors that I didn't know before. So many fun stories about authors and neat tidbits from authors lives too.

[Grace Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

9/10 great to give a starting list

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about some new children’s books I have never heard of before and now plan to read.

[Georgie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Francesca Loves Reading 📖📚💕 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this book after becoming interested in children’s literature for my children. It has a great description of childhood classics. it’s a beautiful book, would be a great coffee table book for book lovers with kids