What makes a children's book a classic? (Eleanor Cepko)

Is it the illustrations? The story? A combination of both? What makes a children's book an instant hit with kids, and why do parent's buy them? Elly Cepko took the 100 best selling children's books of all time and investigated patterns. She found some surprising results, and using what she found, wrote and illustrated her own book. This is Eleanor Cepko's formal presentation of her 2011 Senior Year Project, which included writing and illustrating her own children's book. For more, visit her project at http://illustrationsandelly.wikispaces.com/