# The best children's books of all time

The classics chosen by 177 experts from 56 countries in the BBC's 2023 poll, led by Where the Wild Things Are.

- 29 votes · 14 items
- Jul 28, 2023 · medalloversionoriginal
- https://even.best/en/l/2216/the-best-children-s-books-of-all-time

## Top 14

1. **The Little Prince** (6 · ▲6 ▼0) — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1943. A stranded pilot and a boy from another planet.
2. **Charlotte's Web** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — E. B. White, 1952. A spider writes words to save a pig.
3. **Where the Wild Things Are** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Maurice Sendak, 1963. Max, his wolf suit and an island of monsters.
4. **Pippi Longstocking** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Astrid Lindgren, 1945. The strongest girl in the world lives on her own.
5. **Alice's Adventures in Wonderland** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Lewis Carroll, 1865. Nonsense turned into literature.
6. **The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — C. S. Lewis, 1950. The way into Narnia.
7. **Matilda** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Roald Dahl, 1988. A bookish girl against a terrible headmistress.
8. **The Hobbit** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — J. R. R. Tolkien, 1937. Bilbo leaves home on a treasure hunt.
9. **Winnie-the-Pooh** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — A. A. Milne, 1926. The bear and his friends of the Hundred Acre Wood.
10. **Anne of Green Gables** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — L. M. Montgomery, 1908. A red-haired orphan with a big imagination.
11. **Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — J. K. Rowling, 1997. The Hogwarts letter that changed children's reading.
12. **Charlie and the Chocolate Factory** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Roald Dahl, 1964. Five golden tickets and Willy Wonka.
13. **The Very Hungry Caterpillar** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Eric Carle, 1969. A caterpillar that eats through the pages.
14. **The Secret Garden** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1911. A locked garden that heals everyone.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.