(1977) Changing gears completely (!), Helen Cresswell’s amusing story is about an ordinary middle-child with an ordinary dog (appropriately named “Zero”) stuck in a brilliant and extraordinary family. If I were to make a list of books all children in the US must read, this one would be on it. Told from the perspective of a nine year old girl, this is an incredibly powerful book about an African-American family who struggles against racism in the South in their fight to keep their land and their dignity. It won the Newbery and is the sequel to Song of the Trees, but it is not essential to read the books in order. (1976) I remember being profoundly affected by this book when I was a kid.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cryby Mildred D. What do you think? What 1970s children's books from the decade of disco balls and bell bottoms would you consider classics? (Note: book covers and titles are affiliate links.) That is great news for those of you looking to add even more books to your child’s reading lists. Most of these authors have dozens of well respected books under their belts and many are still writing today. It includes some well known and some lesser known titles. I think I’ve come up with a pretty selection of 197os books, though. Compiling a list of classic children's books from the 1970s was unexpectedly challenging! Most of the books I had previously read from this decade were already quite popular so I had to do a fair bit of research to decide which 1970s titles to read so I could determine what I wanted to include.

Anastasia krupnik