I’ve been taking a look at my bookshelf lately, and some of the stories I grew up with have been with us as kids for generations. So let’s chat popular children’s books through the generations!
Boomer (1946 – 1964)
As a kid in the 50s, a book that might have been on your shelf was 1952s “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White. The story of Wilbur the pig and the unusual, but friendly spider that saved him. Or maybe you read “Stuart Little”, a small mouse in a human family.
If you were a kid interested in fantasy there were “The Hobbit” from JRR Tolkien and even a book from CS Lewis’ Narnia series. “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” was on shelves in late 1950. These two authors were actually friends back in the day as well, reading one another’s drafts.
HA Rey’s “Curious George” was always a very bright book. The adventures of Curious George and the man in the yellow hat in picture books from the 40s and beyond.
Generation X (1965 – 1980)
An author you might remember is Beverly Cleary, from the “Ramona” series to “The Mouse and the Motorcycle”, there were a lot of children’s books from Cleary over the years. I feel like she had a very particular writing style with them, too.
How about the adventures of “Corduroy”, or Corduroy Bear? These picture books started in the late 60s, but kept being made even into the early 2000s.
Ursula K. Le Guin is a big name in fantasy circles, especially the Earthsea books. Before there was Harry Potter, there was “A Wizard of Earthsea”.
Millenials (1980 – 1996)
“The Babysitters Club” by Anne M. Martin are so essentially 80s! From first crushes to Phantom phone calls, even pet sitting, this teen girl club was popular enough for over 30 books to come out in five years!
If you wanted a horror book as a kid, R.L. Steins “Goosebump” series was there. Snappy the Dummy to the Lawn Gnomes there is was always something to be a little scared of.
Another classic was the “Berenstain Bears” books by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Classic childhood lessons with a fun bear family. And yes, it was always spelled with an a.
Generation Z (1997 – 2012)
The 2000s kids! You’ve got books like “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” by Rick Riordan. Tales of kids of the Greek gods, all attending Camp Halfblood. Honestly, the new Disney plus series isn’t bad. Better than the movies… but we won’t talk about those.
A series I remember growing up with was “Junie B. Jones”. The adventures of a kindergartener turned first grader whether it’s spying or valentines, Junie B. always had some strong opinions, and more than a few misunderstandings, as kids often do.
“The Magic Tree House” is quite a popular middle grade series. It was never one I got into, but looking at those book covers, I kinda want to check them out, even now. Mary Pope Osborne’s series has been going since 1992, and even is still getting new books now! The 39th book was published in May of last year!
Beyond the Generations
When it comes to classic Canadian authors, Lucy Maude Montgomery is a name that gets mentioned a fair bit. “Anne of Green Gables” is a series that has entertained many generations of readers, even spawning some pretty good adaptations over the years, like “Anne with an E”.
Can I choose just one Robert Munsch book? I don’t think so. Another amazing Canadian writer from “Love You Forever” to “The Paper Bag Princess”, there are many stories that still get read in libraries to this day.
Roald Dahl wrote so many classic kids books: “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, “The BFG”, “Matilda”, and of course “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”—which is still inspiring movies to this day.
Nancy Drew is quite the time travelling detective. Carolyn Keene might have published the first mystery back in 1930, but I’ve seen kids reading them even today!
Which of these books or authors are still on your book shelves?
– Tie-Dye Tam
