Press Release
100 Best Books for Children
by Anita Silvey
•
•
•
•
•
About the Book
About the Author
A Conversation with Anita Silvey
Praise
Some of our 100 BEST BOOKS according to Anita Silvey
"It would be hard to find a more authoritative voice than Anita Silvey." — Publishers Weekly
About the Book
With countless books being published every year, adults need expert guidance in order to
expose children to the best books available. Anita Silvey provides this guidance — for
parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, booksellers — in her engaging and accessible
new book, 100 Best Books for Children. No one but an expert like Silvey, with her thirty-five
years at the heart of children's publishing, could compile such an authoritative and
informative list.
By selecting only 100 "best books," Silvey distinguishes her guide from all others and makes
it possible to give young readers their literary heritage in their childhood years. "These
books motivate children to read," Silvey says of her 100 choices. "They include the best
stories, the most compelling characters, and use the most imaginative language." In most
cases, these books have stood the test of time, entertaining and educating children for
several generations. In other cases, for books more recently published, Silvey chose those
that she believes will become classics.
Among the attributes of the 100 books are that they:
•
•
•
•
•
demonstrate the highest quality of writing and artistic merit
exhibit popularity over time with children, parents, teachers, librarians, and booksellers
appeal to many ages, interests, genres, reading skills, and ethnic backgrounds
make excellent read-alouds for family and classroom sharing
have stayed in print in the United States
www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
1 of 7
Copyright © 2004 Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Silvey allowed herself to choose only from books published in the last 100 years (1902 –
2002), and she limited her selections to one book per author. By keeping her list so
succinct, Silvey is able to go into detail about the contents of each book, its strengths, and
"the story behind the story" of each book's creation. Having spent much of her career
behind the scenes as a publishing insider, Silvey has privileged knowledge about many of
the titles she discusses, and she passes this information along to her readers to give them a
greater appreciation of the books and their backgrounds.
Included among the memorable anecdotes:
• Robert McCloskey, the author and illustrator of Make Way for Ducklings, kept ducks in his
bathtub in an attempt to figure out how they looked and behaved. (And when they wouldn't
sit still long enough for him to draw them, he resorted to giving them wine!)
• Marguerite Henry, the author of Misty of Chincoteague, lived with the real Misty of
Chincoteague so that she could recreate her. Henry brought Misty around to schools and
libraries, and even took her to the annual American Library Association Conference.
• Gary Paulsen experienced everything that happened in his survival work, Hatchet,
including eating raw turtle eggs, which tasted, he said, a bit like Vaseline.
Beyond Silvey's main selections are extensive lists of excellent books for different age
groups and for children with various interests, including poetry, fantasy, historical fiction,
science fiction, survival stories, and multicultural books.
100 Best Books for Children is essential reading for anyone choosing a book for a child today.
About the Author
Anita Silvey estimates that she has read 125,000 children's books, starting from childhood
and continuing through her years as a reviewer and editor of The Horn Book Magazine and
as a publisher of children's books for Houghton Mifflin. She is the editor of The Essential
Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators.
Silvey's lifelong conviction — that only the best is good enough for the young — forms the
cornerstone of all her work. A professor, reviewer, writer, and well-known children's book
advocate, Silvey lectures throughout the United States and Canada and has appeared
frequently on radio and television in her efforts to promote the best books available for our
children.
For more biographical about Anita Silvey, please visit www.anitasilvey.com.
If you would like to arrange an interview with Anita Silvey, please contact
[email protected].
www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
2 of 7
Copyright © 2004 Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
A Conversation with Anita Silvey
Q) You have already edited a great resource, The Essential Guide to Children's
Books and Their Creators, which includes thousands of titles. What made you
decide to write this book and focus on a much more select group?
A) Every time I talked to members of the media or parents, they kept wanting to discuss
the same books. For about twenty years this focus on such a few titles bothered me. Then,
one day I realized that people talked about the same books because those books had truly
made an impact on children; they were special in a way that other books might not be. So I
set out to locate the 100 books that define excellence in children's books and to write about
them.
Q) Along the same lines, there are a lot of resource guides and lists out there for
"the best" books for children. What makes your book different?
A) First of all, most of these guides contain several hundred titles or thousands of titles. I
focus on a very narrow group of books, and because I do I can go into more detail about the
contents of the book, the book's strengths, and the stories behind the book's creation. By
keeping the selection so narrow, 100 Best Books for Children makes the task of selecting
books extremely easy for parents. It also helps parents to locate the gems that should be
part of every child's literary heritage.
Q) You've read about 125,000 children's books — how did you even begin to
narrow the field to the 100 best books?
A) Fortunately, many publications and institutions compiled their own 100-best lists at the
turn of the century. After creating a database with those titles, I began interviewing several
hundred people, asking them about their favorite childhood books and their children's
favorite books. In this way I tested what experts thought against the actual experience of
children and parents. Then I read approximately six hundred titles in six months. I didn't
want to compare a memory of a book to one I'd recently encountered. Finally, I had to go
through the torturous procedure of whittling the list down to 100.
Q) Could you tell us a little about the criteria you used and how you chose that
criteria?
A) I've been evaluating children's books for thirty-five years, so this project merely
continued that process. First, I considered quality, for "only the rarest kind of best in
anything can be good enough for the young." Then I looked for those books that have stood
the test of time; the ones that have proved to be true classics, books that move to the next
generation. I thought about popularity, as shown by sales figures, and about how much
impact these books have made on individual children. I then tried to balance the list — to
include various genres. In my final cut, I chose books that work well for family or classroom
sharing. I believe the best children's books communicate to both children and adults.
Q) In addition to descriptions of the books, you also impart "the stories behind the
stories." Would you share one of your favorite insider accounts?
A) Many of our greatest writers for children had tremendous difficulty getting published. Dr.
www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
3 of 7
Copyright © 2004 Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Seuss was turned down twenty-seven times. He was going back to his apartment to burn
the manuscript for And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street when he ran into an old
Dartmouth friend who had just been named children's book editor of a small press. The
friend was searching for books, and Seuss had one. The rest, as they say, is history.
Q) In your behind-the-scenes stories, you mention many of the editors by name
and give us a peek into the author-editor relationship. How important is that
relationship to the creation of a great book for children?
A) Children's books are a good deal like plays or movies. Although everyone focuses on the
actors or actresses, a team of people have made those performances possible. I wanted
readers of 100 Best to see the people behind the scenes of our great books — the editors,
art directors, production managers, publishers, and reviewers. All books are created by a
team. Usually, with our best books, those teams have worked particularly well together.
Q) How did you find those back stories?
A) At first I consulted everything that had been published about these 100 books. But the
printed material left a lot of unanswered questions. So then I worked with original
manuscripts and correspondence. I also interviewed people involved in making the book.
From these three sources, "the stories behind the stories" emerged.
Q) What is the behind-the-scenes story for 100 Best Books for Children?
A) Every time I got discouraged in the three-year writing process, something happened to
inspire me to keep going. I was visiting the editor Susan Hirschman in New York. She was
walking me through Else Minarik's Little Bear to show how Minarik constructed the text. The
phone rang; Susan said, "I'll let that go," and we went back to the book. But then we heard
Else Minarik's voice on the answering machine. They had not talked to each other in about
thirty years! Susan picked up the phone, and we told Else what we were doing when she
called. That day I went back to writing the book with increased vigor.
Q) Often, parents choose books for their children based on their own childhood
favorites. While there are many, many worthy children's backlist titles, there are
also excellent new books being published for this audience. Does your list include
both backlist and new titles?
A) Many of my own childhood favorites made the list: Make Way for Ducklings, Mike
Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, and The Diary of
Anne Frank. However, some titles didn't — such as Papa Opp and the Galloping Ghost.
The most recent publication turned out to be Because of Winn-Dixie (2000). I chose fifteen
books published in the 1990s, a very fine decade, with titles such as The Giver, Holes, and
Officer Buckle and Gloria. I also included an extensive recommended booklist that
incorporates recent titles as well as backlist favorites.
Q) Today we are besieged by celebrity books. Can anyone write for children?
A) No specific career path prepares someone to write for children. Kenneth Grahame (The
Wind in the Willows) was a banker; Louis Sachar (Holes), a lawyer; John Gardiner (Stone
www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
4 of 7
Copyright © 2004 Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Fox), an engineer. Many of our best books began when parents or grandparents told a story
to a child. However, I do believe that our children would be better served today if parents
simply ignored the recent avalanche of celebrity books and focused instead on titles of
meaning and quality.
Q) You include a reading journal at the end of the book. Can you tell us why?
A) I wanted families to record, for posterity, their own stories — what happened when they
shared the book together. We keep baby albums and picture albums, but every family
should also keep a reading journal. It will be absolutely priceless to a child when he or she
becomes an adult.
Q) You dedicated your book to your grandparents. How did they influence you?
A) My grandparents were passionate about books. When my grandfather disagreed with a
book, he would yell at it and sometimes throw it across the room. As you might imagine,
that behavior made quite an impression on me. My grandmother filled their home in
Marietta, Ohio, with books, and she always took me to the Marietta Public Library. About
fifteen years ago, I visited that library and felt as though she were holding my hand.
I myself have been known to yell at books, throw books, and haunt libraries and bookstores.
So the apple has not fallen very far from their tree!
Q) What is the most important thing that any parent or caretaker can do when it
comes to children and reading?
A) Read to children at least ten minutes a day and find ways for children to have their
favorite books at home. Keep reading, even after children have learned how to read. You will
not only be giving your children the best possible gift — educating their minds, increasing
their vocabulary, and opening up the possibilities of life — you will be generating precious
memories for everyone.
Praise
Advance Praise for 100 Best Books for Children
"It would be hard to find a more authoritative voice . . . than Anita Silvey." — Publishers
Weekly
"Whether you're a parent or teacher introducing the best books to your children, a Constant
Reader checking to make sure that you've read The Best, a student of children's literature,
or someone who would like to give a really helpful gift for a shower or birthday, you'll find
this list of books and Mrs. Silvey's thoughtful commentary to be the ideal resource. If you
thought you knew about these books, be ready for a treat with her story-behind-the-story.
This book belongs in every home." — Children's Literature Network
www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
5 of 7
Copyright © 2004 Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Praise for The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators
"Illuminating . . . Like taking a quick and entertaining course in children's literature." —
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Comprehensive, easy to use, and instructive . . . The Essential Guide is a must for parents
who hope to instill a love of literature in their kids." — BookPage
"One of the best gifts for a new parent or for anyone who cares about children's
literature . . . This reference work opens a world beyond individual reading preferences." —
Oakland Press
Some of our 100 BEST BOOKS according to Anita Silvey
Preschool (Birth to Age 2)
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Mr. Gumpy's Outing by John Burningham
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Freight Train by Donald Crews
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
Picture Books (Ages 2 to 8)
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Doctor De Soto by William Steig
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Tuesday by David Wiesner
Books for Young Readers (Ages 7 to 9)
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Books for Middle Readers (Ages 8 to 11)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
6 of 7
Copyright © 2004 Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Holes by Louis Sachar
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
Fantasy Books (Ages 8 to 12)
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
The BFG by Roald Dahl
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Multicultural Books (Various ages)
Morning Girl by Michael Dorris
John Henry by Julius Lester
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord
Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
Information Books (Various ages)
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
The Way Things Work by David Macaulay
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
The Great Fire by Jim Murphy
Books for Older Readers (Ages 11 to 12)
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
The Giver by Lois Lowry
(Lists are available to media to reprint)
www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
7 of 7
Copyright © 2004 Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.