There are two kinds of stories: the ones you should read and the ones you want to read. We think the twenty-two stories included in PlainTales Classics are both. You and your kids love tales like “Peter Rabbit,” “The Elephants Child” and “Aladdin” because they have great characters you can cheer for (or despise unabashedly) and because they leave you hungry to know what comes next.

They’re also good for you. A first introduction to some of the world’s great writers, including Nathaniel Hawthorne and Oscar Wilde, PlainTales Classics are cultural touchstones that have informed subsequent works of literature, right down to Harry Potter, for the past 100 years. Of course, learning comes easily when you’re having fun.