You Read to Me & I'll Read to You: Stories to Share from the 20th Century

by Janet Schulman (Compiler)

A bright and irresistible invitation to reading, You Read to Me & I’ll Read to You will inspire a love of reading— and reading aloud—in children and parents alike.
 
Compiled by Janet Schulman, editor of the bestselling The 20th-Century Children’s Book Treasury, this anthology is full of stories from both renowned classic children’s book creators and dazzling newer voices in children’s literature. Each of the 26 selections features original illustrations and complete text from such illustrious authors and artists as Maurice Sendak, James Marshall, Judy Blume, Ursula Le Guin, William Steig, and Roald Dahl.
 
From picture books to short novels, from the poignant to the magical to the just plain silly, these stories have been carefully chosen for broad appeal, accessibility, and high literary quality, making You Read to Me & I’ll Read to You a must-have book for all families who want to inspire their children to develop a lifelong love of reading.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, School, Fiction, Juvenile, Classics, Poetry

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 11, 2001

About the author

Janet Schulman has worked in children’s book publishing as an editor and an author for more than 40 years. She is currently Editor-at-Large and Division Vice President of Random House and Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Reviews

[Angie Boyter · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+ but too many disappointments for a higher rating. I did recognize some of the authors, although it has certainly been years since I read a book for chidren, and so I was looking forward to clever and cute stories.
Some of the stories WERE really clever and cute. Some were clever but then fell down in important ways, e.g., a disappointingly unimaginative ending. Some did not seem especially clever.
In addition, the illustrations were mostly too small and hard to scrutinize, which is a shame, because many were really nicelt fanciful. Only 2 stories had any full-page illustrations.
It is quite possible that the target audience would feel different about the book. I realize I am a few years older than they are or even than their parents!

[Margaret Chind]

[Libby Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Checked this collection of stories out from the library to read to my kids during a long road trip. It was perfect! A wonderful blend of longer and shorter read alouds to engage my 2 and 4 year old.

During the course of two days on the road we made it through the entire thing.

Recommended for a family library!

[Katie Cat Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bunch of childhood classics with great illustrations and of good length. All great stories except for one about a cat who is a jerk and goes off to smoke a cigar with his cat buddy. For that I drop this rating down.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous collection of stories for children of different ages. Janet Schulman did a great job selecting the content.

[Jade Pham Gift · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful book to read for children. All the authors are prominent writers. The stories covers all types of stories that covered fun, not so much fun as dead of a pet, and fantasy characters. Would be good for grade 4 and up. Younger children would enjoy being read to.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of quality children's literature by a variety of authors from the 1950's to the 1990's. It is intended to be a read-aloud book, so there aren't pictures on every page. Sometimes a whole picture book is included and sometimes just a chapter or two of a longer book is included. There is a wide variety of topics, styles, and lengths, but you are sure to recognize the authors (Sendak, Seuss, Steig, Sachar, and Tomi Unger (Flat Stanley).

[Aaron]

Mom's note: This is a great collection of stories. We've read most of them. Some Aaron loves and some he's not interested in yet. He goes through phases where he wants different ones to be read over and over.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is full of top-notch selections of 20th century literature. Great for reading aloud to kids who have a longer attention span and can handle listening to a story without as many pictures. Some familiar tales and some not-as-much, but we love almost all of the stories. Great bang for your buck!

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection of picturebooks in one volume. Because of the size, not as comfortable to read as the individual books (most illustrations are smaller than the original).

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful time spent with my grandson reading together. I hope everyone has the experience reading together with children. It is truly a joy to read these silly poems.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instead of checking out a bunch of big picture books from the library, just get this one! It has many stories unabridged that every child should read.

[Nidhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice stories in this collection and very neat.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful time spent with your child/ren.. Combines learning & fun!

[Callie Coox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some were good, some were weird stories. This is an anthology with a lot of good books in it!

[Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my childhood books
my mom even recorded herself reading it to me