Best books for children

My son and I checked out a great book from the library this morning. When I can afford to buy books again, I plan to make it one of my hallmark gifts, at least for young boys in my circle of family and friends.

It's The Kingfisher Book of Great Boy Stories, and it contains excerpts from 17 children's classics, including The Jungle Book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Pinocchio, Oliver Twist, The Sword in the Stone, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Flat Stanley, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

And now to start that running list of library books we liked the best (just in case we want to check any of them out again). Hmmm, more than half contain pirates or sword fighters.

• Skippyjon Jones (Judith Byron Schachner)
• Peter Pan (James Barrie)
• Anatole (Eve Titus)
• Anatole and the Cat (Eve Titus)
• How I Became a Pirate (Melinda Long)
• Ooey Gooey (Mercer Mayer)

Editor's note: My son and I are at odds over whether or not the list should contain SpongeBob Airpants: the Lost Episode. But it is my blog.