Children's Lit

[Heather Moore]

No: HPFGUIDX 29467


Here we go! I used to manage the Children's Department at one of my local Barnes & Noble stores, so I've had experience with this question.


 In the category of "Children's Books about Grownups," we're a bit light; kids cannot relate to adults in the way that adults can recall and thus relate to childhood. Thus, most books in this category have some sort of gimmick (often using animal characters or fantastical "tall tale" elements) to make the adult characters more accessible to the audience. Fairies, Princes and Princesses of obviously marriageable age generally get an automatic pass, as well. 

 THE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS 
 Margery Sharpe's MISS BIANCA series
 DOCTOR DOOLITTLE 
 THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS 
 BLACK BEAUTY
 THE HOBBIT
 Robin McKinley's BEAUTY
 ERIK THE VIKING
 JOHN HENRY
 THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS
 PAUL BUNYAN 
 THE RAINBABIES
 MISS SPIDER'S <insert phrase here>
 Umpteen dozen books about Barbie
 GOOD DOG, CARL
 JO'S BOYS (they're all adults in this)

 For more meaty stuff, we get into category two: adults' books about children. I could go on for days here!

 To name a few of the more famous ones: 
     LORD OF THE FLIES
     THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
     TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
     HUCKLEBERRY FINN
     A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
     LOLITA
     I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS
     THE MEMBER OF THE WEDDING
     A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN
     KIM
     WALKING ACROSS EGYPT
     The ADRIAN MOLE series
     A SEPARATE PEACE
     
    And some genre-specific ones:
    
     The Belgariad series (yes, it's genre-specific)
     The Harper Hall Trilogy
     The Jedi Academy series (except note that I *hate* Kevin Anderson's writing)
      IT
      THE THEIF OF ALWAYS
      SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (a *lot* of Ray Bradbury, for that matter)
      "Bloodchild"  


 OHPC: I think Harry Potter will end up being regarded as a split series, as the Pern books and the LOTR constellation are commonly regarded.