Some will peer down their noses at books for children, regarding them as representing a phase that we outgrow. But isn’t it fascinating how many of the greatest writers and thinkers have invested so much of themselves in serving the imaginations of the young. Of all ages.

They come in all shapes and sizes, illustrated or without, funny or tearful, full of adventure or heartbreak. The best live with us for lifetimes. How often it is that books we loved as children can still grip and dazzle the next generation.

There are just so many worlds to be transported to…