Passing Childrens' Books Down to the Next Generation

Parenting magazine recently polled its readers about the top books that parents pass down to their kids, and the reason why the parents love them so.

My all-time favorite - "Harold and the Purple Crayon" - is on the Parenting list. I've loved that story, and its imaginative, artistic boy, since first discovering it in the waiting room of my childhood dentist's office. My second favorite - "The Lorax" - wasn't on the list. My grandmother read me that book, and now it has become one of my son's favorites. The underlying message about the importance of protecting the environment, the consequences of greed and the overwhelming need for useless things like "thneeds" ring even more true today than when I read "The Lorax" more than three decades ago.

Are any of your favorites included? If not, tell us which ones you've shared with your kids, and why these books are so important to you.