Great post! And great point about garbage being out there in all platforms!
Well, off the top of my head, (but these are chapter books), I have always loved the Neverending Story and Watership Down. :)
The Mitten was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. Also really loved A Child's Garden of Verses. (I need to find a copy of this to give my kids...)
Oh yes Watership down is a great one for the older kids! I really loved reading that in my teens. A Child's Garden of Verses sounds familiar. I'll have to look into that too!