Three of Britain's most influential writers have named the ten books that they think children should have read by the time they leave school. Philip Pullman, J.K. Rowland and Andrew Motion chose authors and books such as Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and Homer's Odyssey. But are works such as Shakespeare or Homer too elitist and difficult? Or does that view underestimate the imagination of children? Send us your view - and the top ten books you would encourage children to read - using the form below. Your replies will be posted here

I would be very careful listening to the suggestions of so-called “influential writers”. I grew up with the love of reading, which I still have today. I started off with what I wanted (my choice) as a kid: Enid Blyton and such. If I was forced to read some of the heavier stuff (Shakespeare, Homer, Brontë or such) I could have been put off for life. When I was ready for the classics I enjoyed them with relish. Many kids who have been force-fed on the classics ended up rejecting all sorts of literature. These so-called “influential writers” are looking inwards to see what tickled their fancy and are now trying to impose their tastes onto our children. Ask the kids, not the so-called experts who don’t really know anything. J. K. Rowling seems the popular choice at the moment. Eventually (and hopefully), they will progress to all the other beautiful books out there. Glenn Renshaw, Newbury

Of the three lists I like Philip Pullnam's the best. It is full of fantasy and stories of heros. I have two boys and have already read some of those stories to them, all of which I read myself as a child. My list for smaller children would include myths and legends from around the world, Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome, Little Mrs Pepperpot by Alf Proysen, Spike Milligan's Silly Verse for Kids, Malcolm Saville books in the Lone Pine series, and for a really whacky read, Down with Skool by Geoffrey Williams, illustrated by Ronald Searle, although kids would have to be bright enough to understand the spelling jokes. Hmm, well maybe that one is better for parents... Sarah Hague, Montpellier, France

Books, or authors? If the latter, then here is my list of favourites: BB (remember The Little Grey Men, Down the Bright Stream, and the Bill Badger series?), The Hobbit, and at a later age The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien. L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables and sequels to the latter. At the age of 49 I have just discovered this author's delightful works and had fallen head over heels in love with Anne by the time she graduated. C. S. Lewis - what are known today as the Narnia Chronicles. The Rev. W. Awdrey's Railway Series (well, what else would you expect a rail enthusiast and transport journalist to suggest?) Mary Norton's The Borrowers quartet. Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, Eve Garnett's The Family from One End Street and sequels - a marvellous insight into inter-war, working-class Britain, if only life was as uncomplicated now as it was then. Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell . . . and, of course, the likes of Enid Blyton, E. Nesbit, and all those other authors who have disappeared from the shelves of bookshops, either because they are considered old fashioned, or politically incorrect. Mike Bent, Oviedo, Spain

Most American children read one of my favorite books, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. It´s engaging, readable, and thought-provoking. Heather Furnas, Santa Rosa, California

I fail to see how mentioning a few books they enjoyed makes Rowling, Motion or Pullman show-offs. I would say the success of Harry Potter, His Dark Materials and the Poet Laureateship does all the showing off needed before they even enter the room. There's nothing strikingly intellectual about Shakespeare, Homer (in a good translation) or Brontë. All three have written great stories in very different ways. Reading of the riotous adventure of Odysseus and Bottom is not the same as expecting a child to consume the work of Hegel. The only reason to fear them is that the language is not the modern English that we ourselves employ in regular conversation. My approach to educating children is the same as Atticus Finch's - sit them down on your knee as early as possible and read to them. It's patronising to presume that the language will be off-putting. After all, if you start reading to them early enough they will be learning language from scratch anyway. Why not offer them diamonds rather than coal? Alastair Harper, London

Scarlett O'Hara and I have fought those "Damn Yankees" for many years. America wouldn't be the same without Gone with the Wind. Rhett Butler is still the sexiest man around! Robin Righetti, Upland, California

The most important thing these days that is children should be first be taught to read! Bernard Parke, Guildford

Like most people, I think that these writers have chosen literature less for readability than for what their choices are supposed to indicate to us about them (ie, that they are cultured and intelligent). This is no doubt why Shakespeare is still so highly regarded despite his work (or the work attributed to him) being the epitome, in my very humble opinion, of the emperor's new clothes. I remember making this point at school when I was 12 or 13 and being compared by my almost hysterical teacher (in front of the whole class) to the barbarians who sacked Rome. Thankfully, as this was in the early 70s, I didn't require counselling. If you want children to read, then provide them with work of imagination and adventure that they can really gel with. Authors such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, Algernon Blackwood, etc. There are hundreds of these authors to choose from and they tell kids the stories they want to hear. We should stop trying to fill kids' heads with dismal elitist tripe just because we were forced to wade through it at school. If they develop enough interest in literature at school they can inflict Shakespeare on themselves later. Derek Sinclair, Dundee

I would argue that Shakespeare and Homer are tellers of a good old-fashioned yarn. As Shakespeare wrote for a mass audience, I fail to see how anyone could describe him as elitist. My list in no particular order, Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte; Pride and Prejudice , Jane Austen; The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, John Le Carre, Minority Report, Philip K. Dick, Towards Zero , Agatha Christie, Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein, The Relic, Lincoln Preston; She Stoops to Conquer, Oliver Goldsmith, Seven Years in Tibet, Heinrich Harrer and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J. K. Rowling. Before people scoff at the inclusion of Christie and Lincoln Preston, I measure books by pure escapism and thrill-ability, not by sheer weight. Sarah Jane Marquis, London

I think children should first be read to. Then proceed to Enid Blyton's books, progressing to The Famous Five , then The Secret Seven. Albeit, out of date - these books or similar offer a great introduction to adult life with their used of adventure and team work. Pat Humphrey, Dallas, Georgia

I'd like to see 1984 and Brave New World read more widely. Chuck in Lord of The Flies, The Trial, and The Man in The High Castle and I'd be a happy man. And I feel the need to point out that reading these fine, fine books can be done in conjunction with listening to an iPod - it's not an either/or scenario! Simon Clark, London

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