The other day, off the top of our heads, we just randomly started discussing current Caldecott and Newbery award winners, and the fact that we are ecstatic that Scholastic is reissuing parts of The Babysitters Club series.
Yes. That’s right. We can talk for hours about nothing but books. The smell. The feel. The literary genius of a particular author (i.e. how J.K. Rowling so neatly wrapped up the Harry Potter series). How young adult fiction is so much more “adult” than it used to be. How The Giver and Number the Stars made us want to be better people but the sequels (to The Giver) were highly disappointing.
Yes. We’re that interesting.
(I’m blaming Sarah. She’s knee-deep in her Masters in Library Science program and constantly has books on the brain.)
After our conversation, my interest was intensified. Over the years, since my very first literary encounter with “Pat-the-Bunny,” I’ve read quite a few books - largely in part because of my librarian-turned-mom, mom. That meant books, not TV. No video games in the house to speak of. I remember buying a Gameboy with my hard-earned babysitting money and it “mysteriously” disappeared a week later.
Seriously. I still can’t find it to this day.
Then again, if books were so important, why was I always getting grounded from reading until I got my chores done?
Mom is sticking to her guns that if I ever have kids, I’ll be like, “Hold on kids, I’ll fix dinner/change your diaper/give you your flu medicine after I finish this chapter!”
She’s probably right.
I get absolutely lost in books. I’ve been known to not even realize someone is talking to me because I have my head in the middle of a story.
And I’m so fortunate to have married someone who gets that and is ok with it. Besides, he is the exact same way. Books…not so much. But if ESPN is on or he gets a text on his Blackjack? He’s out for the count.
Anyway, after talking with Sarah, I stumbled upon this really great website. Decades upon decades of the best-loved children’s books of all time.
So going through the list, I discovered not only that because of my mother I’m fairly well-read, but I really, really want to get out some of my favorite books again and re-read them, starting with the entire Little House on the Prairie series. I used to read On the Banks of Plum Creek and Farmer Boy over and over and over. I was even Laura for “Missouri History Day” in middle school once.
I didn’t realize how far back some of my favorite books go. Thanks to mom’s advice on what to check out from the Sullivan Public Library, I read books that were written back in the 1900’s. Here are some of my favorites:
The Beatrix Potter books (Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Jemima Puddle-Duck – which was my favorite – Squirrel Nutkin and Tom Kitten)
The Nancy Drew series
Make Way for Ducklings
Curious George
Eloise
Charlotte’s Web
Misty of Chincoteague
**I loved the Misty books with every ounce of my being. Misty of Chincoteague, Stormy,Misty’s Foal, etc. Those books are the sole reason I fell in love with horses and begged my dad for a pony every year from my 8th birthday until…well, last year.
The Giving Tree
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Where the Wild Things Are
The Yearling
The Outsiders
The Little House on the Prairie Series
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great
Blubber
Freckle Juice
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wind in the Door
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Stuart Little
The Trumpet of the Swan
Rumble Fish
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Where the Red Fern Grows
Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
The Pigman
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
The Cay
Julie of the Wolves
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
How to Eat Fried Worms
The Cricket in Times Square
Corduroy (one of the reasons I slept with my arms around all my stuffed animals in case the house caught fire – I just knew they would come to life at night and I would have to save them.)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Sounder
Hatchet
Frog and Toad are Friends
The Velveteen Rabbit
The Magic Locket
The Silver Slippers
James and the Giant Peach
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Amelia Bedelia
The Indian in the Cupboard (excellent, excellent book! Again with things coming to life.)
The Polar Express
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Superfudge
Bridge to Terabithia (this book made me cry for days)
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Sarah, Plain and Tall
The ENTIRE Babysitters Club Series, including the Super Summer books
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
The Ramona books – I loved anything by Beverly Cleary
Socks (also by Beverly Cleary. I felt so bad for the cat when the baby came home. No one paid attention to Socks anymore!)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
The Sign of the Beaver (this was hands-down my absolute favorite book ever. I actually wore out my copy and pages fell out.)
The Chocolate War
The Giver
Number the Stars
The Devil’s Arithmetic (A very powerful and moving book. I still read it once a year and highly recommend it to kids and adults. That's why I'm highlighting this commentary. Read it.)
Matilda
Blueberries for Sal
Summer of My German Soldier
The Secret Garden
The Black Stallion
Black Beauty
The Trumpeter of Krakow
The Pippi Longstocking series
Call of the Wild
White Fang
The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books (a particular favorite of mine and my sister’s. Who wouldn’t want to live in an upside-down house with pirate treasure in the backyard?)
The Light in the Forest
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Death Be Not Proud
Hiroshima
Helen Keller: Story of My Life
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
1 comment:
Keep all these books in mind. When we eventually have kids I want you to help me build their library. Also, I'm still dreaming of a book-themed baby shower and nursery!
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