1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up is the perfect introduction to the very best books of childhood: those books that have a special place in the heart of every reader. It introduces a wonderfully rich world of literature to parents and their children, offering both new titles and much-loved classics that many generations have read and enjoyed. From wordless picture books and books introducing the first words and sounds of the alphabet through to hard-hitting and edgy teenage fiction, the titles featured in this book reflect the wealth of reading opportunities for children.Browsing the titles in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up will take you on a journey of discovery into fantasy, adventure, history, contermporary life, and much more. These books will enable you to travel to some of the most famous imaginary worlds such as Narnia, Middle Earth, and Hogwart's School. And the route taken may be pretty strange, too. You may fall down a rabbit hole, as Alice does on her way to Wonderland, or go through the back of a wardrobe to reach the snowy wastes of Narnia.

Nicholas Cresswell was twenty-four years old when he left his birthplace of Edale, England to sail for Virginia, believing that ""a person with a small fortune may live much better and make greater improvements in America than he can possibly do in England."" From the time he left, sailing from Liverpool in 1774, until the time he returned, he kept a diary detailing his experiences in pre-Revolutionary America. As a loyal subject to King George, Cresswell found himself often unhappy in America, detailing the turmoil and abuses often suffered by Loyalists in the colonies. Confining his travel mainly to the mid-Atlantic region, Cresswell not only had occasion to attend a slave gathering and observe what went on there, but also traded amongst many of the native tribes, including the Lenape, Tuscarora, Ottawa and Shawnee. Despite his ambivalence about returning to England, (toward the end of the book he moans, ""I wish to be at home and yet dread the thought of returning to my native Country a Beggar "" (P. 251)), life in the colonies becomes too much for this loyal subject and Cresswell's journal ends in 1777 with his return to England.

After a family friend bought one of his drawings for 20p, six-year-old Jack came up with the idea to 'draw anything' in return for donations to the hospital that treats his two-year-old brother. His parents set up a website and thought they might make £100. After two weeks, Jack had over 500 picture requests and had raised over £10,000 for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation. Parents Ed and Rose with Jack, Toby and Noah appeared on the Fern Britton Show and Jack's project was featured on Russell Howard's Good News four times. Coverage by STV news, BBC news, and CBBC Newsround have all helped spread the word about this creative and generous little boy. Jack is slowly but steadily drawing the requested pictures which range from a 'dinosaur diving into a pool of jelly' (#1) to 'my (extremely bald) friend Brian dancing like a crazy man' (#80). He doesn't draw every day, only when he wants to, and his parents estimate that he'll finish at the end of August. For the latest drawings, or to make a donation yourself, visit jackdrawsanything.com.

Zookeeper Amos McGee always makes time to visit his friends who live at the zoo until the day he stays home because he is sick.