classic literature

This is my book, from when I was about 4.  Now it is my little guy's favorite...we read the stories all throughout the day.  What is it about these stories that have such appeal to us throughout the generations? The animal characters and the hilarious pictures appeal to me now, and of course to the kids.  A favorite is, of course,  "Building a new road", which is better known in our family as "The bumpy road story", so named by my little brother when he was about 4 (now almost 32).   We love to see the cars having all sorts of accidents on the bumpy road,  to see the workmen and the "bugdozer" working on the road, and Grandma Cat getting the first drive on the new road.  As an adult, I have new appreciation on how much I truly learned from this book when I was young...from how cotton is harvested and used, to how a house is built, to the life cycle of water, and so on through the whole book.  My little guy loves to see Huckle Cat being rescued from a burning house by Smokey pig, jumping into a big net with a target (100 points if you hit the red center!).  And we all love the pancake supper on the end pages, attended by all the beloved Busytown people...from Doctor Lion all the way to Lowly Worm.  Now that, friends, is classic literature.