What is *your* favourite children's book?
Yours, not your kids' ... the one(s) you read as a kid and can still go back to with pleasure?
The Red Balloon! I still have my circa 1965 copy, all busted spine and mangled. The color pictures smell good. (I cant explain that, but tis true.) I wanted to go hang out with Pascal.
where the wild things are....i know this has already been discussed, but, it really is my favorite.
Unless you count "the lion the witch and the wardrobe" as a 'kids' book
I really like "Jamberry", though I haven't been able to find it since we moved.
Other favourites include "Green Eggs and Ham", "The Daddy Book", "Where the Wild Things Are", and "Fox in Socks".
Jamey's favourites:
"The Daddy Book", "I Spy: Treasure something-something", "The Okay Book" and "Green Eggs and Ham". Lately he also seems to like a particular little "Three Bears" book and the "Airplanes" book.
Originally posted by lumberjim
where the wild things are....i know this has already been discussed, but, it really is my favorite.
Unless you count "the lion the witch and the wardrobe" as a 'kids' book
:) It was your thread that sparked off mine, LJ!
Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein. Both of these books are now on the "banned books" list for very stupid reasons.
Originally posted by limey
:) It was your thread that sparked off mine, LJ!
oh, that wasnt me, it was Fireman. i was just the most entertaining one in the thread.
:)
Fox in Socks, hands down.
Oh yeah, Shel Siliverstein, those great rhymes! There was his other one about the giving tree, that was so sweet.
Am amazing book called "Elidor" by Alan Garner.
My first sword and sorcery fantasy been a sucker for the genre ever since.
www.readingmatters.co.uk/books/elidorThere was a series of books that followed a girl named "Ramona". At the time, my best friend was named Ramona, so I thought it was cool. :D
The Little House In The Woods books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. (and the show that the books were based on ruled!)
I had a series of various Disney books, and they were kept in a pretty cool Mickey Mouse bookholder. I think it was like a book club or something.
Charlotte's Web: This was the most CHERISHED book that I could have ever owned. I got the paperback version for Christmas, with the first edition cover on it. Years later, my mother thought it was a good idea to give away some of my childhood books to charity (without telling me). It took me several days before I could speak to her without wanting to strangle her. (my family has this strange, but annoying habit of doing things without telling me.) :angry:
I read several of the Heinlein "juveniles" when I was in elementary school. I liked most of them and will still read them sometimes today. Although I liked "Between Planets," "Space Cadet," and "The Rolling Stones" very much, the undisputed champion of them all is "Have Space Suit, Will Travel."
the berinstein bears were my all time favourite , especially the one where they go camping.
http://www.berenstainbears.com/
i used to borow this when i was younger from the library evrey week, sometimes i would hide it under my bed so that it wouldnt go back to the library, i ended up with about $16 in overdue fees - heh, and each time i returned it and went looking for another book i would just pick that one up again. my poor daddy if he had just brough the book it would have saved 100 trips to the library and prob only cost about $5.
Originally posted by ladysycamore
There was a series of books that followed a girl named "Ramona". At the time, my best friend was named Ramona, so I thought it was cool. :D
The Beverly Cleary books. I liked those, too.
The Little House In The Woods books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. (and the show that the books were based on ruled!)
My mother's side of the family lives near Plum Creek. I've visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum in the area.
Originally posted by Sun_Sparkz
my poor daddy if he had just brough the book it would have saved 100 trips to the library and prob only cost about $5.
Given that the Berenstain Bears books portray the Papa Bear as a clueless boob who can't blow his nose, much less parent the children, without extensive assistance from the much more wise and intelligent Mama Bear, your daddy probably just wanted to avoid giving any money to the publishers & authors! :D
(Needless to say, Mrs. Dallas insists that this continuing theme of paternal incompetence is what makes the books so attractive.)
[COLOR=indigo]My favorite books were the Madeline L'engle books, A wrinkle in time, a wind in the door, a swiftly tilting planet and many waters.
I still catch a new meaning every time I read them. [/COLOR]
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (My dad read this to me as I was recuperating from a broken arm and dislocated shoulder. Still gives me warm and happy memories of the parental closeness)
The Chronicles of Narnia (all of 'em) C.S. Lewis
The Dark is Rising Sequence - Suzanne Cooper (I didn't read this one until I was in college, but love it.)
Harriet the Spy - Louise Fitzhugh
The Black Stallion (and sequels) - Walter Farley
The Green Knowe Books - L.M. Boston (I like books that come in series)
And I still love Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Can't remember how many times I've read it.
Andre Norton's Dark Piper..
Dr. Suess' One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.
Freddy Goes to Florida by Walter R. Brooks & the other Freddy series:)
I was going to say "Harry Potter", but I have a hard time really considering these to be children's books (lest I then feel horribly immature for enjoying them too much), so I'm going to go with anything by Shel Silverstein.
Originally posted by be-bop
Am amazing book called "Elidor" by Alan Garner.
My first sword and sorcery fantasy been a sucker for the genre ever since.
www.readingmatters.co.uk/books/elidor
Thanks for the tip be-bop. The book that started me off on fantasy (in fourth grade) was
Shadow Castle.
Anything by Mitsumasa Anno or Daniel Pinkwater.
Are You My Mother and Encyclopedia Brown mysteries.
The Charlie Brown Encyclopedia! It had everything explained in question and answer format. Each book covered a different topic, book one was the human body, book two I think was transportation.
Oh, and when I grew up a little I liked World Book encyclopedia. Even when I was too small to understand the words, I would look at the many many colorful pictures.
Originally posted by BrianR
Are You My Mother and Encyclopedia Brown mysteries.
I loved Encyclopedia Brown. I also remember reading Johnny Tremain when I was in elementary school.
Originally posted by wolf
The Black Stallion (and sequels) - Walter Farley
I was obsessed with this whole series as a child. I still have all of them (except 2 that got lost in one of the many moves). I hope that one day, one of my kids will get as much enjoyment out of them as I did.
My favorite was always "The Black Stallion Returns" ... with the race in the desert.
I thought "The Black Stallion and the Girl" was kinda weak, but things get that way toward the end of series.
I loved "Man O' War" too, even though it's not one of the BS set, it's still Farley, and about horses.
I also loved the C.W. Anderson books ... "Afraid to Ride," "The Blind Connemara," etc. They seem to be out of print. Hmmmm. So is "Tall and Proud" by Vian Smith.
My Kidlit is disappearing. I'll bet they're not findable in libraries, either, having been replaced by R.L. Stine and The Babysitter's Club.
One of my very favorite books from when I was very small was one that had actually been my mother's when she was small - it's called 'Honey Bear', and it was published in the '20s. It's about a big, black bear who comes out of the woods and 'kidnaps' a baby, and is pursued by the parents, who find the bear's home in a big, hollow tree and discover that the bear just wanted someone to play and eat honey with. The illustrations are wonderfully done - very dark, dramatic, and realistic. I'm afraid that a lot of parents today would consider both the story and the pictures to be far too scary for kids.
As my own kids have grown up, I've become fond of Silverstein's 'The Giving Tree' and a book called 'Mouse and Tim'.
The illustrations are wonderfully done - very dark, dramatic, and realistic. I'm afraid that a lot of parents today would consider both the story and the pictures to be far too scary for kids.
Another one that might not be considered appropriate by the more sensitive crowd: Neil Gaiman has actually written a couple of great children's books. "The Wolves in the Walls" and "The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish" are both favorites in our house. Very cool illustrations, kind of Tim Burton/Alice in Wonderland-y.
Also
Coraline, for slightly older kids. And adults.
Originally posted by Slartibartfast
Oh, and when I grew up a little I liked World Book encyclopedia. Even when I was too small to understand the words, I would look at the many many colorful pictures.
Yes, I spent hours reading the World Book Encyclopedia. My parents had a set from the same year I was born (I assume bought for the benefit of my older brother), so by the time I was old enough to be reading it, it was quite dated, but it was still fun. And I learned some godawful useless stuff that I've since forgotten... like how to construct a regular pentagon, or how to extract a square root.
I did the same thing. My aunt's family had a set of World Books, and when I'd get dumped off over there for a weekend with my cousins, and boredom set in, I was amused for endless hours reading them. It was like an analogue version of the Internet.
Originally posted by wolf
My Kidlit is disappearing. I'll bet they're not findable in libraries, either, having been replaced by R.L. Stine and The Babysitter's Club.
At least in Haverford Township and the other Delaware County libraries, there's a fair amount of that stuff, or at least what I've looked for. (The Heinlein juvies are there, and actually in the children's section more often than the adult, and Madeline L'Engle, and Danny Dunn, and From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.)
Funny you should mention the Babysitter's Club, tho.. my daughter became obsessed with it recently (why I'm not sure), but she wanted to buy a couple of em and we could only find one at Border's. So we asked a clerk, and she said they didn't carry them... "it's all Mark Kate and Ashley and Lizzie McGuire now." :rolleyes:
Originally posted by SteveDallas
Yes, I spent hours reading the World Book Encyclopedia. My parents had a set from the same year I was born (I assume bought for the benefit of my older brother), so by the time I was old enough to be reading it, it was quite dated, but it was still fun. And I learned some godawful useless stuff that I've since forgotten... like how to construct a regular pentagon, or how to extract a square root.
Oh! I remember when I got my first set (in 1981)! I read and read those books...my father actually was worried that I was reading too much! I was a total bookworm as a kid. Can't tell you half the stuff I read in it now (memory's a tad off nowadays), but I DO remember reading the encycopedia for hours!
<img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0698113578.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" />
Or
here.
[edit]
I used to read
this at my grandmother's house. There's another great one about a snow plow. But I can't seem to locate it at the moment.
[/edit]
Quzah.
Originally posted by Happy Monkey
Was it this one?
Joy! Yes, yes it was. I have it around some place. I think it's in a box with mementoes of/from my grandmother. I love tha book. I'll have to dig it out and read it again.
Quzah.
It's a picture book but it's not really aimed at kids:
When The Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs.
It's utterly chilling, it's about nuclear war. This juxtoposition of this ordinary couple as all hell breaks loose. You have to read it to get what I mean.
I saw the animated presentation many years ago.
Very, very sad indeed.
I cannot believe that this thread's on the third page and nobody's mentioned The Phantom Tollbooth.
Originally posted by quzah
Joy! Yes, yes it was. I have it around some place. I think it's in a box with mementoes of/from my grandmother. I love tha book. I'll have to dig it out and read it again.
Hah! I knew it was all a ruse. It turns out that Quzah actually
does have a heart. :thumb:
Originally posted by dar512
Hah! I knew it was all a ruse. It turns out that Quzah actually [b]does have a heart. :thumb: [/B]
Of course. Then again, it's kept in a jar in the refrigerator...
Originally posted by vsp
I cannot believe that this thread's on the third page and nobody's mentioned The Phantom Tollbooth.
Now that was a classic, I don't think I read it until I was in Jr. High though. Wonder if the library has a copy, hmm.
How about the Hardy Boys, those are classics, I think I read them all during 2nd and 3rd grade.
I remember loving
Amelia Bedelia . Funny stuff
The computer lab that I work at happens to sit next to the children’s book section of our library. This thread brought back a lot of memories and I started browsing. I found a few books that I had forgotten about
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
All of Gary Paulson’s Books
Beatrix Potter's Books (The Tale of Peter Rabbit etc.)
Shiloh
Johnny Tremain was a classic I remember reading for school
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , definitely a classic
I think my all time favorite children’s books has to be The BFG by Robert Dahl, then again I liked all of his books, that that stands out as one I read about 4 times.
Originally posted by Cam
Shiloh
We have a beagle named Shila because of that book. My wife and I were thinking about getting another cocker spaniel, but the girls heard the book on tape while we were traveling one summer - and just had to have a beagle. However ours is Shila because we have a female and my girls (then 5 and 6) thought Shila sounded more like a girls name.
Old Mother West Wind by Thorton W Burgess.
Mr Burgess, Peter Cottontail, Johnny Chuck, Bobby Racoon, Prickly Porky, Blacky the Crow, et al, were friends of mine. They lived 3 miles away. :)
I loved every book I ever read when I was a kid, but when I was real small, my favorite was Mother, Mother, I Feel Sick! Send for the Doctor Quick, Quick, Quick!
It was supposed to be done as a shadow play (backlit actors behind a sheet, so all you could see was their silhouettes - sp?) It was about a little boy who has a bellyache, and the doctor removes things like lamps, birds, bicycles, etc. from his stomach. I was completely amazed, since at age 4, I assumed the kid had actually eaten these things. My mom read it to me 1,484,403,489 nights in a row.
After that, I got into Curious George, and most of the Babar books. There was another one I'm wracking my brain to remember the title of....It had a steam engine named Mike. Mike couldn't dig as fast as the new diesel versions, so he was going to be replaced. Then he rescued someone (like the site foreman), and everyone thought he was da shit.
Then Star Wars came out, and I never read anything but Star Wars related crap for the rest of my preteen life.
Then it was porn.
Originally posted by mrnoodle
After that, I got into Curious George, and most of the Babar books. There was another one I'm wracking my brain to remember the title of....It had a steam engine named Mike. Mike couldn't dig as fast as the new diesel versions, so he was going to be replaced. Then he rescued someone (like the site foreman), and everyone thought he was da shit.
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. See the link in my post to quzah.
Originally posted by SteveDallas
At least in Haverford Township and the other Delaware County libraries, there's a fair amount of that stuff, or at least what I've looked for. (The Heinlein juvies are there, and actually in the children's section more often than the adult, and Madeline L'Engle, and Danny Dunn, and From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.)
Update: The Haverford Township public library now has an area that attempts to be attractive to teenagers. In addition to tradiionally-shelved "young adult" reading there's a whole wall of faced-out books, mostly graphic novels and manga, which I think is very cool. But mixed in with these are some mass market paperback, including the Heinlein offerings "The Door Into Summer," "Citizen of the Galaxy," and "Time Enough for Love." I'm thinking of starting a pool on how long it takes some parent to complain about that last one!!
Last of the Mohicans. really any of that series of books.
I was a huge Enid Blyton fan as a kid ( Famous five, Folk of the Faraway tree etc) but I think the series that totally got me more than any other was the Narnia series.....I used to lie there at night wishing I could crawl through the wardrobe into a snowy woodland and meet Mr Tumnus the faun and Aslan the lion
Time enough for love, what an awesome book.
then again, i really like The Chronicles of Narnia, too. I really like to read a series of books about the same characters.