What makes a children's classic?

I love this quote, and I whole-heartedly agree.

From The New York Times The Reading Life: "What Makes a Children's Classic":

Quote :

Something that Eden Ross Lipson, the longtime children’s book editor of The New York Times Book Review who died in May, used to say about what makes a children’s classic. It isn’t the critics’ reviews. It’s whether your children choose to read the book to their children, and so on, an organic and generational process of elimination.

What else have you noticed or heard makes a children's classic?

Having a mind blank on classic books? Check out these lists from kidsreads.com: classic picture books, modern classics in the making.

Tip! These are also good reading lists if you need to buff up on your picture book history (most of these books will be at your local library). Make a spreadsheet and note the copyright dates; when you're done reading, you'll be able to see how picture books have changed over time. Add a study of current best-sellers and viola, you'll be caught up on picture book trends. Really want to get into it? Type up the scripts, including page numbers so you can easily see the page turns. You'll learn a lot more that way while also creating a reference library on your computer.