Young readers today can choose from thousands of works written and illustrated specially for them. These works include biographies, novels, poems, collections of folk literature, and books that provide information on the arts, sciences, and social sciences. In addition, some books written for adults have become extremely popular among young readers. Examples of such books include Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, and the collection of folk tales known as Grimm's Fairy Tales. There are many kinds of children's books.
Some books take readers to imaginary lands of the future.
Others describe children whose experiences resemble those of the readers. Many children's books today discuss difficult problems that face individuals and society. For example, many books examine such subjects as racial conflict, sex education, drug addiction, child abuse, and the treatment of old people. Some children's books satisfy the reader's curiosity about life in other lands, or about the lives of famous men and women. Some fine poetry is written just for children.