Series Introduction–Children's Fantastic Literature

For obvious reason of impending motherhood, I’ve been thinking a lot about children and children’s things. Between that and this being the back-to-school (in the US) time of year, it seemed like the right time to ask around about children’s literature. There’s been a lot of talk about YA science fiction and fantasy in recent years, with many excellent books and authors coming on the scene. However, there’s been less discussion of genre literature for younger readers–ages 0 to 10 or so. Everything from board books to picture books to early chapter books. It’s not too hard to find good fantasy for those ages, but on cursory inspection it seems like science fiction is a little scarce on the ground.

I asked around the community of science fiction authors and devotees who are also parents, to see what sorts of fiction had captured their kids’ attention. We’ll be reading their responses over the next several weeks (conveniently while I am down and out on maternity leave). I hope you’ll enjoy the different perspectives collected here. And if you happen to know of awesome books and authors that we fail to mention, please mention them in the comments! It’s never the wrong time to spread the word about great sf/f books for younger readers.