8 Soon-to-Be-Classic Children's Books

These great works of kid lit are destined to be read out loud, or under the covers with a flashlight, for years to come. (And your children will love them, too.)

The Quiet Book, by Deborah Underwood and Renata Liwska

You probably think there’s only one kind of quiet. Then you see this book’s sweet animal characters deep in “lollipop quiet”—because everyone’s mouth is full of candy—and you can feel how it’s different from “underwater quiet.” Which is not at all the same as “pretending you’re invisible quiet.”

Best for: 3- to 5-year-olds.

To buy: $10.50, Houghton Mifflin, amazon.com.

Featured September 2011