1967 – 1977
This annotated list of classics and favorites was compiled by Sally Epp, children’s librarian at the Belle Isle Library (part of the Metropolitan Library System).
Every book listed is still in print and available for check out through Interlibrary Loan.
When available and in public domain, book titles are linked to free electronic text.
Please choose books for your children thoughtfully, as books for a wide range of ages, interests, and developmental levels have been included.
Key— E=Easy Reader | T=Tween | JF=Juvenile Fiction | YA=Young Adult | TNF=Tween Nonfiction | JNF=Juvenile Nonfiction
E
by Mayer, Mercer
Even a very young child can “read” this story of a young boy, his faithful dog and the frog they find one day in this clever, word-less picture book.
JF
by Konigsburg, E. L.
Claudia and her brother Jamie solve a mystery involving Michelangelo, an angelic statue, and a rich, reclusive old lady when they “run away to” the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
E
by Martin, Bill M.
Toddlers and pre-schoolers will find all of their favorite things in this beloved picture book — animals, colors, repetitive rhymes and bright tissue-paper collage illustrations of Eric Carle.
E
by Freeman, Don
A stuffed bear named Corduroy needs to find his missing button in the great unknown of the darkened department store so that a little girl will choose to take him home.
JF
by Le Guin, Ursula K.
This first title in the four-book Earthsea Cycle introduces us to Sparrowhawk, a young wizard’s apprentice who finds his true name and accidentally unleashes a terrible evil.
JF
by Cleary, Beverly
Ramona never means to be a pest, she just has more curiosity, enthusiasm and creative solutions than most, and when she starts kindergarten, life gets more interesting than ever.
YA
by Zindel, Paul
John and Lorraine meet Mr. Pignati, the zany “Pigman” who befriends the alienated teenagers, but when they take advantage of his kind nature, things spiral out of control.
E
by Carle, Eric
In this picture book favorite with a hands-on format, a very hungry little caterpillar eats, and counts, his way through a week’s worth of fruit before becoming a beautiful butterfly.
JF
by Armstrong, William Howard
Readers observe the dignity and strength of an African American sharecropping family, when the father is arrested for stealing food and their loyal dog Sounder is wounded.
E
by Steig, William
Sylvester, a young donkey who collects interesting pebbles, discovers a magic pebble that grants wishes, and then accidentally turns himself into a rock when a lion attacks.
E
by Burningham, John
Mr. Gumpy sets off in his little boat, and lets two children and many animals join him when each promises to stay quiet, but the boat tips over when they start squabbling.
E
by Lobel, Arnold
Five short stories about two friends, Frog and Toad, involve a lost button, the difficulties of making up stories, a post-hibernation wake-up call, an embarrassing swimsuit, and a letter.
JF
by Blume, Judy
This book for pre-teen girls provides a candid look at Margaret’s experiences, anxieties and emotional upheavals as she thinks about boys, bras, periods, religion and self-identity.
JF
by O’Brien, Robert C.
The widowed mouse, Mrs. Frisby, asks her neighbors, super-intelligent rats who escaped from the labs of NIMH, for help, when little Timothy is too ill to be moved out of harm’s way.
E
by Seuss, Dr.
The Lorax repeatedly shouts his ecological warnings as the Once-ler thoughtlessly destroys all of the Truffula Trees until only a single Truffula seed remains.
E
by Viorst, Judith
Alexander’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day begins when he wakes up with gum in his hair and ends with railroad-train pajamas, but he hopes tomorrow will be a better day.
JF
by Blume, Judy
Whenever Peter’s two-year-old brother, Fudge, gets into annoying but hilarious trouble, it makes Peter so miserable that he feels like he’s the biggest nothing in fourth-grade.
JF
by George, Jean Craighead
After escaping an arranged marriage, a young Inuit girl befriends a wolf pack, survives in the Arctic wilderness, and deals with conflicting feelings about her native heritage.
JF
by Adams, Richard
In an award-winning adventure filled with stark realism, symbolism and suspenseful action, a group of rabbits begins a dangerous journey as they flee the destruction of their home.
E
by Wells, Rosemary
When her brother and sister get all the attention, middle-child Nora gets very noisy, but no one notices until everything becomes very quiet and they realize she might be missing.
JNF
by Macaulay, David
Macaulay uses award-winning pen-and-ink drawings and cross-sections, as well as lively text to explain every curious detail about the building of a magnificent medieval cathedral.
JNF
by Silverstein, Shel
Silverstein turned the world of children’s poetry upside-down with this outrageous, hilarious, unpredictable, irreverent and beloved collection of poems and simple illustrations.
YA
by Cormier, Robert
Things spiral out of control when Jerry refuses to sell chocolates for his school fundraiser in this controversial novel for young adults that deals with violence, cruelty and intimidation.
JF
by Hamilton, Virginia
M.C. wants what is best for his family, and he also dreams of saving his family’s home — a strip mine endangered mountain where his great-grandmother arrived as a runaway slave.
E
by Hoban, Lillian
The first famous Arthur, a young chimpanzee, realizes just how much he still loves his old Honey Bear when he sells it along with other old toys, and his little sister buys it.
E
by De Paola, Tomie
Strega Nona, the friendly “grandma witch” in an Italian village, leaves Big Anthony alone with her magic pasta pot, and the situation quickly boils over when he lets the pot overflow.
JF
by Babbitt, Natalie
When Winnie discovers that the Tuck family is secretly guarding a spring that can grant eternal life, she must reconsider the benefits of immortality and the motives of a stranger.
YA
by Yep, Lawrence
In this historical fantasy, a Chinese man and his son, Moon Shadow, immigrate to San Francisco in the early 1900’s where they realize their dream of building a flying machine.
JF
by Taylor, Mildred D.
Cassie’s close-knit, African American family faces prejudice and discrimination as they try desperately to hold onto their land in the South during the depression.
E
by Brown, Marc Tolon
Arthur the Aardvark begins his phenomenal entry into the hearts of school children everywhere in this first story about accepting who you are…even if you have a huge nose.
JF
by Rawls, Wilson
When 29 monkeys escape from the circus, young Jay tries every clever and humorous way imaginable to capture them in the woods behind his family’s Oklahoma homestead.
YA
by Paterson, Katherine
Jess was the fastest boy in 5th grade until Leslie, a GIRL who is even faster, arrives, but they become friends and escape reality in a secret and imaginary world called Terabithia.
E
by Allard, Harry
The kids in Room 207 treat their super-nice teacher, Miss Nelson, very badly, until one day she disappears and is replaced by the despicable Viola Swamp.