Indulge Me, Please

It is a flippin' freezing day here, with snow and rain and biting wind. You know what this sort of day is good for, right? Curling up under a warm blanket with a good book, of course! Now, throughout the course of this moving thing we're supposedly doing, I've noticed a small trend on my bookshelves: children's chapter books of the elementary-school sort. Without really thinking about it, I've been picking up new copies of my childhood favorites (most of my beaten-up originals are in a box in the basement) in anticipation of reading them out loud to my kids. It's one of those parenting fantasies to which I am prone: just imagine the four of us curled under a warm blanket next to a warm fire, taking turns reading aloud, the kids asking for pleeeease just one more chapter....  Anyway, I started thinking about the books I adored, I made a list, and I thought I'd share it with you all.

Sooooo, if you have a favorite that I'm missing, could you please tell me about it? I promise I'll read it if you do; I already picked up a copy of Mr. Popper's Penguins at the library on my friend Sara's recommendation - I swear, she positively glowed while talking about it. That's the kind of book I'm looking for. I just wasn't expecting penguins.

Okay, here they are, complete with old covers because pictures are more fun:

Pippi Longstocking: the super-strong parent-less girl who lives alone with a monkey and a horse and a suitcase full of gold. There's a new version out last year with illustrations by Lauren Child, the Charlie and Lola author.

Anne of Green Gables: I've read everything that Lucy Maud Montgomery ever wrote, including her diary. I've seen the Anne of Green Gables movie, I've been to the play, I've even been to her "home" in Cavendish, PEI. And I'm going to drag my husband and children there this summer and take pictures and buy a huge boxed set of the Anne series as a souvenir. And what a great time to do it - the book is 100 years old in 2008.

Charlotte's Web: Who didn't love this book? (If it was you, don't tell me.) A pig makes friends with a spider...look, you all know it, don't you?

The Little House on the Prairie: Same as the show but without Michael Landon. I ate up the whole series.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and especially Revolting Rhymes: Anything by Roald Dahl, really, although these are the three I remember as my favorites.

A Wrinkle in Time: I'm not quite sure how to describe this one, but it was my favorite when I was ten and for a while afterwards. It's another one with Christian under-themes, but I certainly didn't know that as a child.

Socks: Beverly Cleary wrote a lot of books, but this was by far my favorite. But I need to re-read it; all I remember is that it's written from the cat's point of view.

Do you see Liam getting into that one? Anyway, anything by Judy Blume, really. (except Forever..., which I bought by mistake as a child and hid under my mattress for years).

The Princess Bride: I'm not actually sure that this is a children's book, but if Peter Falk can read it out loud to a kid, so can I. By the way, although I adore the movie, the book is even better.

The Phantom Tollbooth: My favorite teacher of all time (Mr. Willett, grade six) read this to my class. When a young boy is very very bored, a tollbooth appears in his bedroom. He passes through and ends up in an entirely different world. Lots of wordplay; for example, he visits the Island of Conclusions, to which he must jump.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: A brother and sister run away and hide in a museum. They take baths in the fountain and collect all the change. I thought seriously about if I could make this work, but was thinking more along the lines of a department store. With a toy department.

The Hobbit: I would never have picked this out for myself, but I got it as a birthday present and loved it. Dragons, treasure, wizards: what's not to love?

Island of the Blue Dolphins: I dare you not to love this book. A 12-year-old Indian girl, during the evacuation of her village's island, jumped ship to stay with her young brother who had been accidently left behind. He died shortly thereafter, and she fended for herself on the island for 18 years.

In reality Liam and I are reading his first chapter book together now. It's Stuart Little, which is a very good first chapter book - there are little drawings on almost every page. So far so good.

So come on; whatcha got?

Comments

[stefaneener]

Mr. Pudgins. Written in the '50s, totally totally innocent and so funny I remember my mother weeping with laughter just before naptime. Well, maybe it was us laughing at her making the noises for the "whizzle," but man, it's a keeper. I bought up used copies for each of my children.

Otherwise, I quite like your list. I'd never heard of _Socks_.

[sue]

Oh my goodness I remember that book Are You There God It's Me Margaret. I really cant remember all of it but I do remember I really liked it. It seems you were an avid reader like myself. I did enjoy reading The Magic Faraway Tree series too which was great.

[Kristin]

Connor loved James and the Giant Peach. We just finished it. We read Stuart Little before it. He loved that one too!

[Jodi]

You're bringing back some great childhood memories! I just loved "From the Mixed-Up Files."

- "Betsy-Tacy" by Maud Hart Lovelace

- "Below the Root" and "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

- "Misty of Chincoteague" by Marguerite Henry

- "Floating Island" by Anne Parish

- "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

[jen]

I love your choices -- especially Pippi, Anne and the Ingalls (see, we're on a first name basis!)

I'd add to the list 5 Little Peppers and How They Grew, and 5 Little Peppers Grown Up. If you find it, let me know as it's been out of print for years.

Pollyanna (nothing like learning to smile in the face of adversity)

and

Little Women and Little Men (I actually re-read these not to long ago)

[Holly Jo]

OmG. I totally forgot about Socks. I loved that book.

Jacob loved Mr. Popper's Penguins and Mouse and the Motorcycle. He eagerly anticipated reading a new chapter each night and could recall information from previous nights' readings. Stuart Little, not so much.

My faves? The Little Princess and The Secret Garden. Not for Liam, but I bet Olivia will love them someday. Liam might like them - I didn't mean to assume. :)

[Lisa]

The Mouse and the Motorcycle. My favorite teacher, Miss Miser, 4th grade, read this to us. I don't remember much about the story (we won't even attempt to figure out how long ago it was), so not sure if it was the book or the reader. Either way... great memories!

[Jody]

Oh my god, I love ALL of these, including Mr. Popper's Penguins. (Except the Phantom Tollbooth, which I never got around to reading.) I'd add the Narnia series, of course. I bought them religiously from the Scholastic book orders every month. And I heartily second The Westing Game. I still reread that one every few years. The Twenty One Balloons by William Pene du Bois is another one I remember loving.

[Meredith]

Hi Kathy,

I am reading your blog as a break from reading a book I'd like to suggest to you... It's called "Packaging Girlhood" by Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown and is all about commercialism, marketing to girls, etc. and is for parents of girls!(I am reading it for a paper). I haven't read much yet but it is fascinating and very informative. The authors are coming out with the same book but relating to boys sometime soon.

For kids books... I loved the Island of the Blue Dolphins... one March break my mom and brother and I were sick and couldn't do fun break activities so instead read this book together and enjoyed the adventures of the main character.

Kit Person is an author that wrote amazing books that I loved when I was about 9/10 years old, "The Guests of War" Trilogy is about two children that come to Canada during WW2, and "Awake and Dreaming" is about a little girls life and was my favorite.

I can't think of other books on the spot... but when I am home I will check the bookshelf and see what stands out!

Love Meredith

[Nadine]

DITTO! Especially Charlotte's Web. I reread it to Ella when she was Liam's age, and I cried all over again during the last pages.

I bought my first chapter book for my children while pregnant with the first! It was the whole Adrian Mole series in one giant book. I LOVED Adrian Mole, and when I was visiting my sister yesterday, I found an Adrian Mole, aged 34 and a half in a thrift store. It's like he's growing up with me! Weird.

Plus I read all the Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume books too - except for this 'Forever' book. Hmmm. I'm intrigued.

[Judy]

OK - I hope I'm not to late and you see my post.
The Great Brain series by John Fitzgerald.
Cameron, Alec and I loved this series.
Love,
Judy

[agnes]

i was just thinking about 'From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler' but could not remember the title, thanks! i would add Dahl's 'Matilda,' my most favorite book!

[Sara]

I am sooooooooo glad others read Mr. Popper's Penguin. Glad I could recommend it and Liam liked it. :) I totally forgot about From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I LOVED this book and just like you imagined a dept. store (not a museum). Do you like mystery books? I loved the Boxcar Children series and Encyclopedia Brown series. Happy reading!