Illustrated Robin Hood  By: Rob Lloyd Jones

This book retells the classic story of Robin Hood. In this version Robin steals from the rich and gives to the poor. He wins a tournament held by the sheriff and becomes the guard of the sheriff’s treasure. Robin then steals all the treasure and gives it to the village people who had all their money taken by the sheriff. The sheriff tries desperately to catch Robin Hood but every time he walks away empty handed. This book would be great for students who are transitioning from picture books to chapter books. Another great aspect of this book is the section at the end that explains the history of Robin Hood and what that time period was like.

Katie in Scotland By: James Mayhew

In this story book Katie is traveling to Scotland with her brother and grandmother. While there they meet the Loch Ness Monster and begin an adventure that takes them to many fun places. Katie and Nessie experience the Highlands, the Edinburgh Festival, Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Park and Museum, Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile and Greyfriar’s Bobby. This story is a great way to introduce Scotland and its culture. The illustrations also offer a childlike view Scotland.

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator By: Roald Dahl

This is a sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and it begins with Charlie, his family, and of course Willy Wonka blasting off to space in a giant glass elevator. While on this adventure they arrive at the new U.S. Space Hotel, get mistaken as aliens, receive an invitation to the White House personally from the President, and battle Vermicious Knids all before heading back to the factory. The story changes halfway when the whole gang arrives back at the factory. Now the focus is on Wonka-Vite. Wonka-Vite is a pill that will make whoever takes it twenty years younger. They experiment with this pill in an attempt to get Charlie’s grandparents out of bed. This sequel is fun to read and adds to the original adventures that Charlie experienced at the factory. Quentin Blake’s illustrations showcase the great humor of Roald Dahl and the carefully crafted characters.

The Gruffalo By: Julia Donaldson

In this story a mouse is walking through the woods when along comes a hungry fox, then an owl, and then a snake. All three animals want to eat the mouse, so the mouse invents the gruffalo! The gruffalo is a creature with terrible claws, and terrible tusks in its terrible jaw, and knobbly knees and turned out toes, and a poisonous wart at the end of his nose. All through the story the mouse uses the gruffalo to scare the others away, while he shows no fear. After all, there is no such thing as a gruffalo. But wait, at the end, the mouse encounters a real gruffalo! The mouse is quick on his feet and claims that he is the scariest animal in the woods. The gruffalo laughs but then runs away when he sees that all the other animals flee once they see the mouse. Readers know, however, that the others are not afraid of the mouse they are afraid of the gruffalo. This story uses repetitive language and rhyming. It also has great illustrations that help keep the suspense while the mouse explains what a gruffalo is.

From the mind of Charles Dodgson under the name of Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is one of the most well known and beloved stories to come out of Victorian England. It tells the nonsensical story of Alice as she falls down a rabbit hole in the fantasy land of Wonderland. Here she meets a whole host of creatures, from talking animals to a mad hatter to the Queen of Hearts herself, grows and shrinks without any warning or choice, and finds herself in a dozen strange scenarios. Finally she is awoken by her older sister on the river bank to find that it was all a very strange dream.

This book is fun for all ages, and is appropriate for any classroom. Is it political commentary? A critique of Dodgson’s Victorian contemporaries? An interpretation of a child’s view of the goings-on of Oxford? Pure nonsense? Pure genius? One cannot say. But we can be sure that Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will continue to delight children for years to come.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s children’s fantasy novel, which would pave the way for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, focuses on the story of Bilbo Baggins, a homebody hobbit who lives comfortably in the Shire. When the wizard Gandalf tricks him into hosting and then joining a journeying group of dwarves on their way to reclaim a former dwarf stronghold, he begins a journey of his own. Each step of the way, Bilbo encounters new, fantastic creatures and learns to embrace his adventurous side. Finally, after the dragon Smaug has been destroyed, the dwarves have re-taken the Lonely Mountain, the goblins and Wargs have been defeated, and the treasure has been distributed, Bilbo returns to the shire as a wealthy and wise hobbit with a secret- he is in possession of a rather important ring…

Simultaneously light-hearted and hard-hitting, The Hobbit is a must-have for parents and teachers of children of all ages. For younger children, it is a great story to listen and imagine along with, as this book is perfect for reading in daily or weekly chapter installations. For older children, it is a great introduction to the fantasy genre and the perfect way to get them interested in Tolkien’s more mature and thought-provoking works.

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne is one of the classic children’s literature characters who everyone knows, but thanks to Walt Disney. Growing up I never read the original book by the British author, I only knew Disney’s American interpretation of the stories. So in reading this book, I was surprised that while the characters’ personalities are generally the same between both interpretations, Milne’s version really focuses on the shortcomings of each animal. Pooh is the Bear Without a Brain; Piglet is a coward; Owl is pretentious; and Eeyore flips between depression and actual self-loathing. While the stories were friendly and had happy endings, I couldn’t help thinking how children might be influenced by the subtle clues personifying each personality of the animals. In the end, I guess the take-away is that we all have our faults but we can all coexist, accept, and help each other, as Christopher Robin does for Pooh. Overall, I unexpectedly enjoyed reading these stories and experiencing the original versions of these characters.

I went into reading The Tale of Tom Kitten with the mindset that the story would be forgettable and dull to me as a 21-year-old. So I was a little surprised when I found myself feeling entertained by a Beatrix Potter story. I had heard The Tale of Peter Rabbit when I was a kid but all I could remember was that it was a simple story about animals that wear clothing. The same is true for Tom Kitten, but the shenanigans he and his sisters get up to when they are supposed to be quietly playing in the garden were made more complex by the fact that his mother wanted her children to impress the guests she had invited over. The consequences Tom faces when ducks steal his clothes are more interesting to older readers than the simple end to Peter Rabbit. I think I enjoyed this little picture book because Tom’s story reminded me of my own childhood memories and the subplot of his mother wanting to impress her guests with clean children added a humorous side similar to a television sitcom.

Coraline: The Graphic Novel is definitely a reading experience unlike any others I’ve had. The story of the bored little girl who finds a mysterious door that leads to an alternate world of people with buttons for eyes was a little far out there for me to fully enjoy. I felt that this book could be summarized as a creepier version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I have never read the actual book, so I did not know the story before I read this version, but the graphic novel jumps around a lot. I felt that the motivations behind many of the characters’ actions (including Coraline herself) were unexplained and random, so it made it hard for me to completely comprehend the story. Usually in fantasy stories like this, the reason for the strange experiences of the protagonist is explained at the end, but I still do not understand why the alternate reality existed. I guess plenty of people like this story since it was made into a movie, but I’m willing to bet that the book is better than the graphic novel.