Greatest books ever written list

Some books wow you with their stunning illustrations, some with their page-turning action, and still others with the lush, vivid worlds they paint for our imaginations. As we built the 100 Greatest Books for Kids list, we felt compelled to tell you about the books that wowed us. There are ten such books. To honor them, we awarded a superlative badge for each that you’ll discover as the list is revealed.

The list of 100 Greatest Books for Kids was culled by the editors of Parent & Child magazine from more than 500 titles suggested by the ten contributors below. We are extremely grateful for their brains, passion, and dedication to our project.

Reading, Writing, and Book Experts

RUTH CULHAM, Ed.D.

President of the Culham Writing Company and former Unit Manager of the Assessment Program at Education Northwest, Culham is the author of many professional resources, including Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for Middle School (a 2011 Teachers Choice Award-winner) and the Scholastic Traits Writing program for K-8. She conducts teacher workshops at local, district, and state levels, and is a featured speaker at state and national conferences.

SHAWNA HAMILTON DOSTER

Doster is the Executive Director of Books for Kids, a national nonprofit whose mission is to promote literacy among all children with a special emphasis on low-income and at-risk preschoolers by creating libraries full of books that help children learn to read and love to learn. She holds a law degree from the University of Houston.

PHYLLIS HUNTER

President of Phyllis C. Hunter Consulting, Inc., Hunter was appointed by Congress and President George W. Bush to the board of the National Institute for Literacy and has served on the President’s Educational Transition Team. The National Alliance of Black School Educators honored her with the 2002 Marcus Foster Memorial Award for Distinguished Educator of the Year. As a reading consultant who specializes in scientific, research-based programs, Hunter provides on-site technical assistance to states implementing comprehensive reading programs.

TIM RASINSKI, Ph.D.

Rasinski is a professor of literacy education at Kent State University (Ohio) where he also directs its award-winning reading clinic. He has written more than 150 articles and 20 books and is a popular speaker on effective literacy instruction. A past member of the board of directors of the International Reading Association, Dr. Rasinski was recently inducted into the International Reading Hall of Fame.

LAURA ROBB

Robb has 43 years of teaching experience in grades 4-8 and is the author of more than 17 books for teachers about reading and writing, as well as classroom libraries for grades 3-9. She presently coaches teachers in reading/writing workshops and is a keynote speaker at conferences in the United States and Canada. Robb received her Masters in Instruction and an honorary doctorate for her work in literacy from Shenandoah University (Virginia).

Scholastic Experts

FRANCIE ALEXANDER

As Scholastic’s Chief Academic Officer, Alexander oversees the company’s research and evaluation efforts, ensuring that its educational products and programs are effective resources for America’s schools. She also serves as a spokesperson on educational issues such as literacy and parenting, has been a guest on NBC’s TODAY Show, has written columns for The New York Post, and was “The Book Nanny” for Los Angeles Family Magazine.

ADRIENNE BETZ

Betz is an Editorial Director of Scholastic’s Classroom & Community Group. Previously, she worked as a children’s librarian, served as a book reviewer for a leading educational magazine, edited textbooks and trade books, and created curriculum. Her more than 20 books for children include such diverse topics as life science, folk and fairy tales, phonics, and early concepts.

Parent Bloggers

A former seventh grade science teacher in Houston, TX, Cleaver holds a Bachelor’s degree in genetics from Texas A&M University. She is a self-taught “webmaster” who designed her own blog, which she describes as “family-friendly product and giveaway blog by a stay-at-home mom with plenty of humor and parenting topics mixed in.” She and her husband have a 2-year-old daughter, Riley. In her spare time, Cleaver enjoys hands-on activities and crafts.

Murphy is a work-at-home mom with two young daughters. She runs TheBudgetMommy.com, a highly successful blog devoted to product reviews and good deals for parents, on items from groceries and appliances to toys and clothes. She loves books of all kinds and runs a semi-weekly Children’s Book of the Week feature.

Page offers the creative voice behind DearCrissy.com, a popular mom blog focused on capturing the beautiful, poignant, funny, and often messy moments that make up motherhood. With a degree in English from Ohio University, Crissy is also a parenting writer at Babble.com. When not meeting the shifting needs of her newborn and toddler, Crissy enjoys photography and is rarely without her trusty camera.