We love how a good children's book has many layers, speaking both to the children and the parents at once, sometimes saying different things or teaching different lessons. Real Simple came up with a few every adult should read...
A few of their picks:
• Charlotte's Web
• Eloise
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit
• A Wrinkle in Time
We'd have to add The Little Prince, The Carrot Seed, and The Giving Tree. What would you add to the list?
Via Real Simple
(Image: Amazon)
Jessica's Crafted Space
Monica & Austin's Charming Bungalow
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Ercol Bar Stool
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
I just read Phantom Tollbooth with my son, which I hadn't read since I was 9. I found that I liked it much better as an adult! I don't think I understood how clever it was when I was younger.
pippi longstocking!
THE BFG!
olivia!!
Roald Dahl -- yes! And Peter Pan (despite the gender stereotypes). Where the Wild Things Are, and other Maurice Sendak. And Madeleine L'Engle.
Sorry, but I hate and despise The Giving Tree and won't read it to my son! The relationship in it has always struck me as very one-sided and abusive. YMMV, obviously. ;)
Lemony Snicket!
laura in la- i agree actually- it is one-sided and abusive- and i think that's the whole point of the larger truth the story tries to tell (boy loses childhood innocence and flourishing relationship to worldly cares, greed, etc.)...which is a great lesson for adults but maybe a bit weighty for little ones!
The Phantom Tollbooth is one of my favorites, as well! As is Watership Down. I can't wait til we get to read "chapter books".
Is There Really a Human Race? by Jamie Lee Curtis
The BFG and The Secret Garden
Peter Pan. Little House on the Prairie. The Secret Garden. The Little Red Hen.
Two that my 5-yr-old is reading now,
The Cat in the Hat
Twas the Night Before Christmas
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
(Sensing a theme here?)
Grace Hester Designs
Silhouette- and typography- based artwork and prints
Shop my designs at http://gracehesterdesigns.etsy.com
Little House in the Big Woods. Little House on the Prairie.
I also don't like The Giving Tree.
Heidi by Joannah Spyri is a great story for everyone, The little house on the prairie series are just lovely (I can still remember Pa Wilder telling his girls "beauty is as beauty does") The lorax by Dr Seuss is a great cautionary tale about how greed can destroy. I am looking forward to my daughter reading me the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary.
Re: The Giving Tree. It is one-sided and I think that's the point. We are to give even if we get nothing in return. For instance, you shouldn't volunteer for a homeless shelter if you're thinking "what's in it for me?". I LOVE LOVE that book and remember reading it as a child and crying but also understanding the importance of selflessness.
I am rereading the Anne of Green Gables books. I love this series so much!
Speaking of Heidi...
I am very excited about having just found a lovely new edition of Heidi, based on the most popular German version of it (which from my research, was not translated into English until now...).
The drawings are charming, and look like they were done by a child... The illustrator is a kindergarten teacher who grew up the next valley (mountain?) over from where Heidi was set, so she knows the story well!
There are currently 3 volumes in the series, with 2 more due out next year.
http://www.heimatwerk.ch/go/schweizerheimatwerk2/_dbe,products,_auto_7007737,l-en.xhtml
http://www.heimatwerk.ch/go/schweizerheimatwerk2/dg/products/heidi,l-en.xhtml
"Oh my lord I am absolutely so busy I don't know how I can possibly get everything done.
Then I have to hop around for a while."
I have 3 girls and Eloise is our favorite!
Link to my favorite books on the kiddie shelf:
http://life-simplicitas.blogspot.com/p/bookshelf.html
The Little Princess -- imagination can take you anywhere and being kind to others is what truly makes a "princess."
I too love the entire series of Little House books, and while they speak to many wonderful life lessons, they are very racist at times. Offers a good opportunity to discuss some American history though.
You know, Eloise's nanny drinks beer and smokes and watches boxing on television. I was a bit taken aback by the picture when I read the book to my daughter. Then I started laughing hysterically. I never paid attention to that part when I was younger.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Magician's Nephew
Reading C.S.Lewis as an adult has been fascinating
I love C.S. Lewis! I read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was 8 and have read the whole series at least 10 times, if not more. I never read Eloise but I also liked the little house books. Harry Potter is a good one for both older kids and adults.
yay for:
the phantom tollbooth
laura ingalls wilder...the long winter!
lucy maud montgomery...the story girl!
a tree grows in brooklyn
harriet the spy
Harriet the Spy