Reading lists - two words that conjure up an image of out-of-touch school teachers telling you what to read. A dull list of ancient books compiled by someone nearly as ancient isn't going to provide us with ideas for books we actually want to read. Although what would be a useful resource in helping us choose what to read next is a list written by people our own age and with similar reading interests.
So to help other site members with their next reading choices we invite you to contribute your own reading lists to the website. These should be a collection of six to ten of your favourite books in a specific genre or subject. You could choose anything from crime fiction to history non fiction to science fiction, whichever list you want to write. You should also include a short discription of why each book makes it onto your list.
We hope that these reading lists will help give you ideas about what to read next and why, in the spirit of the Guardian Children's Books website, for children, by children!
Poetry
Silly Verse for Kids, by Spike Milligan
Spike Milligan's poetry has a surreal and playful humour that has delighted children for decades and this is my favourite collection of his.
Cautionary Tales for Children, by Hilaire Belloc
Belloc is the oldest poet in the list and he was a precursor to Roald Dahl. His witty and cruel poems are brilliant but also have a message behind them.
Revolting Rhymes, by Roald Dahl
Revolting Rhymes is probably Roald Dahl's most famous poetry collection for children and rightly so. Its cruel humour and vivid imagination make it a very enjoyable addition to the bookshelf.
Michael Rosen's Big Book of Bad Things
I think Michael Rosen is one of the best childrens' poets around but I'm not sure which of his collections is my favourite. So I decided to ask the man himself and he told me that his Big Book of Bad Things is his personal favourite.
The Rattle Bag: An Anthology of Poetry, edited by Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney
This is one of my favourite poetry anthologies. It serves as a great introduction to the world of poetry and it's broad range of poems come from many centuries, cultures and styles and are easy to dip into.
If you have a top five you'd like to share, or you'd like to add your own favourites to d'Artagnan's list, email us at childrens.books@guardian.co.uk"
