to be a reader I feel awfully illiterate

Yesterday I was reading some blogs like Jill, Wendi, Laurie, Michelle and while I was there linked over to others and then to others

(ever have that happen to you?).

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It was a post about books they had read from .......The Big Read a National Endowment for the Arts program designed to encourage community reading initiatives and of their top 100 books, they estimate the average adult has read only six.

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Check out one of the above blog posts for the list of 100 books. I went through the list and decided I had read only 18 of the 100 - possibly 2 others when in high school/college but I figure if I can not remember for sure if I read it then I don't get to take credit for it. All I can say about that is at least I am above the national average (although well below the other bloggers noted above).

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But, I got to thinking about another list. A list of books that for the past 8 years, I have spent a lot of time reading my way through (again and again and again). What about a list of the top 100 children's books?

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This list came from National Education Association.

I highlighted in pink the ones that Carly and I have read together (70). I highlighted in dark blue the ones I have read myself but not with Carly yet (5 more).

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For right now, I am going with this list. (even though I don't agree with all the books on the list) I like the results better.

The other list made me feel slightly illiterate.

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• Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
• Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• I Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch
• Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
• Oh! The Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss
• The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
• The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
• Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner
• Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
• The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss
• The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate
• DiCamillo The Mitten by Jan Brett
• Crunching Carrots, Not Candy by Judy Slack
• Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willlems
• Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad
• Day by Judith Viorst
• Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
• Corduroy by Don Freeman
• Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
• Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
• Tacky the Penquin by Helen Lester
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
• Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type Doreen Cronin
• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
• Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
• Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park
• Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
• The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
• Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini
• The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
• The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone
• The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
• A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
• From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
• Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann
• Olivia by Ian Falconer
• The BFG by Roald Dahl
• The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
• A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
• Bunnicula by James Howe
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
• Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom DeLuise
• Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
• Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
• Frederick by Leo Lionni
• Frindle by Andrew Clements
• Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
• Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
• Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen
• Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
• Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
• I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt
• Is Your Mama A Llama? by Deborah Guarino
• Jan Brett’s books
• Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr.
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
• Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
• My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
• My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss
• My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
• No David! by David Shannon
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
• Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
• Stephanie's Ponytail by Robert Munsch
• Swimmy by Leo Lionni
• The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
• The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Warner
• The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
• The Empty Pot by Demi
• The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop
• The Giver by Lois Lowr
• The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown
• The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements
• The Napping House by Audrey Wood
• The Quiltmaker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau
• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
• The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack
• The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt The Wide-Mouthed Frog:
• A Pop-Up Book by Keith Faulkner

what about you?

have you read these books with your kids?