Staff writers at The Guardian recently compiled a short list of the best books in children’s literature. The list is broken down into five different age groups (0-2 years, 2-4 years, 5-7 years, 8-12 years and 12+ years) and is “a combination of personal recommendations, enduring classics and currently popular borrowings from school and public libraries.” Included are some time-honored classics like the The Very Hungary Caterpillar by Eric Carle, some more recently acclaimed books such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, and a few lesser known titles like Stig of the Dump by Clive King, which was the first original work published by Puffin press in 1963. The staff intends this list to be a starting point, and hopes to encourage parents and children to explore the wonderful world of reading together.

New research in the U.K. has found “that increasing numbers of children are starting school without ever having been read to at home.” This declining trend was found across all economic levels of society. Many children of past generations have fond memories of being read to at bedtime and discovering books with a parent; the decline of this type of interaction in the home is a terrible shame and harmful to children’s academic growth. Perhaps The Guardian‘s list will spark some families to embark on a new literary adventure together, or revisit landscapes once loved and now forgotten. Let the wild rumpus begin!

What is Your Favorite Children’s Book? Were any of your favorites left off the list? Leave a comment below to let us know.