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Some kids may disagree with the New York Public Library's choices in the list of the 100 most popular children’s books of the last century.
The New York Public Library is risking the wrath of kids of all ages with a new list of the 100 most popular children’s books of the last 100 years that omits many favorites.
Of course, plenty of the rugrat must-reads on the alphabetical list are beloved classics, including “Winnie-the-Pooh,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Where the Wild Things Are,” “Make Way for Ducklings,” “The Cat in the Hat,” and “Curious George.”
And modern writers also get their due, thanks to such new classics as “Big Red Lollipop” (published in 2010) and “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” (2003).
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But so many classics — “The Little Engine that Could,” “A Light in the Attic,” “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” — were left in the remainder bin.
And here’s a mystery: Why aren’t there any “Nancy Drew” or “Hardy Boys” on the list? It would take an “Encyclopedia Brown” to figure that one out — except Donald J. Sobol’s boy sleuth didn’t make the list either.
Even Judy Blume, the grand dame of kids’ books, only made the list once, with “Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing.” That left “Superfudge” and many others off the shelf.
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Before you burn your library card, NYPL officials say there are good reasons why many classics didn’t make the top 100 list.
“We looked at what books children were coming into our branches and asking for,” said Jeanne Lamb, the NYPL’s youth collections coordinator.
By that criterion, the hot books for young readers include “Rickshaw Girl” and “The Graveyard Book.”
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The list also contains some books that veer into young adult territory, like “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,” the award-winning 1976 book about a land-owning black family in the South struggling to survive the Great Depression.
Like good librarians, the listmakers followed the rules. And two rules — a book must still be in print and be less than 100 years old — eliminated dozens of works.
So long, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” See ya, “The Secret Garden.”
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The 100-year rule didn’t apply to other favorites such as “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.” But perhaps some good can come of their failure to make the top 100.
“The purpose of the list is to encourage the discussion of what makes a really good story,” Lamb said. “So hopefully there will be suggestions.”
To that end, the library hopes readers will tweet their favorite childhood book using the hashtag #Greatchildrensbooks.
The list is destined to create such controversy that the NYPL has set aside space in its main branch on 42nd St. for an exhibition about what makes a great children’s book called, “The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter.”
“There’s no easy answer as to what makes a book a classic, or what keeps it relevant over time,” said NYPL spokeswoman Angela Montefinise. “(That’s why) we have an entire exhibition dedicated to it.”
gotis@nydailynews.com
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