This impressive collection of concept books, wordless books, picture books, and read-aloud stories was artfully compiled by longtime children's book editor and publisher Janet Schulman. Stories are coded red, blue, and green to designate age groupings from baby/toddler books such as Whose Mouse Are You?, through preschool books such as Where the Wild Things Are, to longer stories for ages 5 and older such as Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. The reason the book isn't bigger than Babar is because many of the illustrations from each story were reduced or removed to fit the anthology's format. (Leo Lionni's Swimmy, for example, takes up 5 pages total, compared to its original 29 pages.) Brief biographical notes that are surprisingly quirky shine a little light on the 62 authors and illustrators, and an index helps, too, for the child who likes one story best. We love the idea of being within easy reach of a Star-Belly Sneetch, a William Steig donkey, and a Sendak monster at all times, and we're sure your little bookworms will, too. (Click to see a sample spread from The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury, compilation copyright 1998 by Janet Schulman, illustrations renewed 1997 by William Steig.) (All ages) --Karin Snelson

Product Description
In the eight years since this blockbuster anthology of 44 classic picture books of the 20th century was compiled, important new picture books have been published that Janet Schulman believes are too good to miss. She has selected 15–some by brand-new voices of the 21st century, some by young authors and illustrators who were just getting started during the last decade of the past century, and a few by familiar names, such as Kevin Henkes with his 2005 Caldecott Medal Winner. This recommended list with descriptive annotations is intended to guide parents to these new books and new voices of the 21st century.

Unparalleled in scope and quality and designed for reading aloud and sharing, this splendid anthology brings together some of the most memorable and beloved children's books of our time. Here are classics such as Madeline and Curious George; contemporary bestsellers such as Guess How Much I Love You and The Stinky Cheese Man; Caldecott Medal winners such as Make Way for Ducklings and Where the Wild Things Are; and family favorites such as Goodnight Moon, The Sneetches, and Winnie-the-Pooh. The selections range from concept books and wordless books to picture books and short read-aloud stories, and represent the complete array of childhood themes and reading needs: ABCs, number and color books, stories about going to bed and going to school; tales about growing up, siblings, parents, and grandparents; animal stories, fantasies; fables; magical stories; stories about everyday life--and more. Also included are an introduction, capsule biographies of the 62 writers and artists represented in the collection, color-coded running heads indicating age levels, and indexes. As a gift, a keepsake, and a companion in a child's first steps toward a lifelong love of reading, The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury belongs in every family's bookcase.

It would be easy to spend thousands of dollars on children's books. Fortunately, this collection can help. A parent can substitute this volume for individual books, or can evaluate stories and decide whether or not to purchase a separate copy. I was disappointed to learn from one reviewer that illustrations were missing from books; I wouldn't have known since I was reading many of these stories for the first time, and can understand the editorial difficulties leading to such a decision, but it is too bad. The stories range from classic (Madeline, Goodnight Moon, Curious George, Where the Wild Things Are, Stellaluna, Amelia Bedelia, The Story of Ferdinand) to more obscure, and contain works by Marc Brown (an Arthur/D.W. story) and Dr. Seuss.

A color key both in the Table of Contents and at the bottom of each page lets you know for what age level each story is most likely appropriate: toddler, preschool, or 5+. At 10 by 11 inches, I would suggest getting the hardover edition, since kids and parents will drop this larger book more often (in addition to normal wear and tear).

An introductory Note to Parents is helpful, and the book concludes with Biographical Notes, a Guide to Reading Ages, and an index.

This is a remarkable book and our child loves it -- and so do we. You and your child may very well love it, too!


Classic stories ruined. Dr. Suess is rolling over.   September 5, 1999
 27 out of 28 found this review helpful

It was an admirable venture. Take 44 classic children's stories and combine them into one, reasonably priced volume. I bought my copy through BOMC, which raved about it. The description said, "44 classic stories, including the entire text and original illustrations." Well, I can assure you that "entire" only refers to the text. Most of the stories are missing critical illustrations. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is missing 50% of the original art. As is Sneeches, Make Way for Ducklings, Titch, Sylvester and the Magic Pebbble, and MANY more. As I was reading Sylvester and the Magic Pebble to my daughter, we got to the part where a wolf sits on the rock-that-was-Sylvester and howls at the moon. My daughter, who is 6 and has never before heard the story, said, "Dad, where is the picture of the wolf sitting on the rock?" "Good question, honey. I suspect that some pictures were left out to save money." I can appreciate the challenges the publisher faced in trying to take stories that were orginally printed in different shapes and formats and trying to make them fit in one book. In many cases, however, it is a lost cause. If the art wasn't killed, it was shrunk or placed on the wrong page or put in the margin, etc. To be truthful, although I think the book is a dismal failure and can understand why Amazon is selling the book at 50% off, my daughter loves it. BOMC offered to let me return the book and I have declined because of my daughter's protests.