These five books are not only great for kids, but they are also worth money. Check out which books made the list!
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The Cat in the Hat
The Cat in the Hat is a book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss and first published in 1957. The story centers on a cat who wears a tall, red and white-striped hat and a red bow tie. The Cat appears at the house of Sally and her brother one rainy day when their mother is away. Despite the repeated objections of the children’s fish, the cat shows them some tricks that involve balancing himself on various things around the house. In the process, he creates havoc, but he cleans everything up before their mother gets home.
The book was published as part of an effort to increase interest in reading among young children. It has been adapted numerous times for television, film, and stage. The book has sold over 10 million copies and has been translated into more than 20 languages.
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid is a fairy tale written by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. The first edition of the fairy tale was published in Copenhagen, Denmark on 7 April 1837 with illustrations by Danish artist Vilhelm Pedersen. The book consists of Andersen’s original version of the fairy tale and a scholarly afterword.
The Little Mermaid tells the story of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince.
Themes in The Little Mermaid include love, sacrifice, jealousy, and betrayal. The Little Mermaid has been adapted to various media including an animated feature film, stage musicals, television programs, and video games.
Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh is a classic children’s book series written by A.A. Milne. The books follow the adventures of naive and good-natured bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, and his animal friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.
Although the books are over 90 years old, they are still popular among children and adults alike. In fact, Winnie the Pooh is one of the most valuable children’s books in existence. A first edition copy of “Winnie the Pooh” (1926) in good condition can be worth tens of thousands of dollars.
Other valuable Winnie the Pooh books include “The House at Pooh Corner” (1928), which can be worth up to $5,000 in pristine condition, and “Now We Are Six” (1927), which can be worth up to $2,500 in pristine condition.
The Lion King
The Lion King was first published in 1994 and is based on the story of Simba, a young lion who is heir to the Pride Lands. The book was adapted into a movie in 2019 and grossed over $1 billion at the box office. The book is currently out of print but can sell for up to $300 on online resale platforms.
Aladdin
Aladdin is a 1992 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is the 31st Disney animated feature film, and was the fourth produced during the Disney Renaissance. The film is based on the Arabic folktale of Aladdin and the magic lamp from One Thousand and One Nights. The voice cast features Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman, Frank Welker, Gilbert Gottfried, and Douglas Seale.
The film follows Aladdin, an Arabian street urchin who finds a magic lamp containing a genie that can grant him three wishes. He uses these wishes to win the heart of Princess Jasmine and defeat Jafar, the Grand Vizier of Agrabah who seeks to overthrow the Sultan and rule the kingdom himself.
The idea for Aladdin originally came from Imagineer Ron Clements who pitched it as “Aladdin in Wonderland”. The script went through three drafts before being finalized with help from author Linda Woolverton. Woolverton incorporated many aspects of Arabian culture into the film to make it authentically Middle Eastern while still appealing to a mainstream audience.
The design team was led by animatorGlen Keane, who was responsible for designing both Aladdin and Jasmine as well as several other key characters. Keane’s designs for Jasmine were supposed to be based on actress Aishwarya Rai, but Rai turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts. Keane instead based Jasmine’s design on South Indian actress Madhuri Dixit. To create an authentically Arabian feel to Agrabah, Keane looked at Islamic architecture for inspiration while background painter David Rogelberg drew inspiration from Persian miniatures.
Aladdin was released on November 25, 1992 and was an instantaneous critical and commercial success; it grossed over $500 million at the global box office during its initial release becoming one of the most successful films of all time. It won several Academy Awards including Best Original Score (for its soundtrack) and Best Original Song (“A Whole New World”, sung by Brad Kaneand Lea Salonga). The success of Aladdin led to two direct-to-video sequels—The Return of Jafar (1994)and Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996)—as well two live action remake films—one in 1994 starring Scott Weingerand another in 2019 starring Mena Massoudand Will Smith—and an animated television series which aired from 1994–1995 on ABC.
