Special Edition Top Ten

Top Ten Classic Children's Books I'd Love to Own

I was approached recently by invaluable.com to do a special edition blog post- all they asked was that I create a wishlist for Christmas!  How easy is that?  Since I'm not expecting (a boy, due in late April), I thought I'd create a wishlist of 10 classic children's books that I'd love to have as a foundation for his library.

Feel free to check out the children's books on invaluable.com.  (And you can go directly to the "bid" page by clicking on any of the images!)

1. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne.  Who doesn't love this classic?

2. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

3. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.  This was definitely a favorite of mine as a kid, and I can't wait to pass along the story.  The picture and link take you to a bid for a gorgeous serigraph.

4. Thomas the Tank Engine by Rev. W. Awdry.  My family is big on trains, and I have many happy memories of Thomas stories and TV shows.  I also plan to put up boxcar book holders in the nursery to hold Baby's growing library!

5. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  What child's library would be complete without this?

6. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.  Not everyone knows this, but this was originally published as a serial in a boys' magazine.  What better book for my boy?

7. Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina.  Oh, how I loved loved loved this one when I was a kid!  I so wanted to be one of the silly monkeys.

8. Corduroy by Don Freeman.  We didn't own this one, but my grandparents did.  Every time we would visit them (a few times a year), my grandmother would read it to me.

9. Curious George by H.A. Rey.  Another silly monkey story!  I hope to inspire joy in life and silliness in my boy, as you can probably tell.

10. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Ignore the fact that hubby and I already own about a dozen copies.  (We actually already own the edition pictured, even.)  Baby Boy will need his own also!  Perhaps someone has done an illustrated abridged version?  Otherwise it'll be a few years before he's ready for the full-blown text.  We can't wait to share The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings with him!

What about you?  If you got to pick any ten items from invaluable.com, what would they be?