Classic children's books are called classics for a reason: they have something to offer readers of every age and carry truths that are universal.
If you love books as an adult, your love affair almost certainly started in childhood. But when did you last revisit your childhood favourites? These five are perennial bestsellers with children, yet they work on many levels. Kids love the stories, while adults see deeper meanings and lessons.
5. Eloise by Kay Thompson
Eloise is the gutsy six-year-old who lives at the Plaza Hotel in New York with her nanny, her pug dog Weenie and her turtle Skipperdee. She is already a sharp judge of character and fiercely independent. Rereading the 1955 book, with Hilary Knight's wonderful drawings, you are struck by her nerve and by the glamorous, slightly lonely world she lives in. Thompson, a singer, vocal coach and nightclub performer, drew on the grand hotels and cabarets she knew, and you may finish thinking of Eloise as a worldly aunt rather than a little girl.
4. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Published in 1936 with illustrations by Robert Lawson, this is the story of a bull who would rather smell flowers than fight. Coming out just as the Spanish Civil War began, it was widely read as a pacifist book, and it was reportedly banned in Franco's Spain and burned in Nazi Germany. But Ferdinand's message is what makes it a book for adults: stick to what you know is right, however unpopular that makes you.
3. Corduroy by Don Freeman
Corduroy is a teddy bear in a department store, waiting for a child to take him home. A little girl falls in love with him, but her mother notices a missing button on his overalls and won't buy a damaged toy. That night Corduroy searches the empty store for his button. The 1968 book is a charming look at what toys do when we can't see them, and also a quiet story about finding value in things that aren't perfect, and about choosing connection over consumption.
2. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Beloved since its publication in 1943, the book may have charmed you as a child with its illustrations and fantasy. As an adult you notice how much it says about looking beneath the surface, expressing your feelings, staying curious and remembering what really matters. Its best-known line, in English translation, is the fox's secret: "What is essential is invisible to the eye."
1. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
When you first read it, you may have missed the beauty of White's spare prose and the way he binds the reader to Wilbur, the pig who is supposed to end up on the dinner table. You probably remember how it ends, though, and you may tear up just thinking about it. Reread it and you will find a book about the natural cycle of life, about hope in the middle of despair, and about the legacy of kindness we leave when we help others.
A grown-up footnote
Children's classics are full of small adult lessons hidden in plain sight, and luck is one of them. Wilbur survives because of a run of good fortune and a friend who refuses to leave his fate to chance. That is not a bad lesson for grown-up readers who like a flutter: make your own luck where you can. For stories where the odds are front and centre, see our Casino Novels section.
