10.03.2011

Children's Literature We Love

I wanted to share some of our favorite books for children, including Jonathan's and my childhood favorites, the favorites from our daughters' early years, and the series we are reading to them now.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. 
Goodnight Moon
Hannah loved this book so much as a baby that we tracked down the companion book, My World. Both copies are now tattered and worn, having gone on many outings and adventures with us. Two other books by this author have captivated Natalie: Runaway Bunny and Home for a Bunny.

Curious George by Margret & H.A. Rey
The Complete Adventures of Curious George: 70th Anniversary Edition 

Hannah's favorite toddler & preschool year books. I can't tell you how many times we've checked these yellow books out from the library. We even had a Curious George themed party for her 3rd birthday.

I believe the reason this series was such a favorite of Hannah's was due to the similarity between her personality and George's. For a while, I even described her as a "Curious George" as she got into lots of mischief, but by the end of the day she always made up for it.

Some books have become classic children's literature for a reason. Here are some big hits in our home:

Peter Rabbit & other stories by Beatrix Potter

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
The Velveteen Rabbit
I have to admit this one has become more meaningful to me after having a child who loved a stuffed bunny as if it were real. Natalie & her Cinnamon Swirl Bunny are never far from one another. I also love this passage, since becoming well acquainted with joint pain:

 "Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But those things don't matter at all because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."


The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

Corduroy by Don Freeman
Corduroy (40th Anniversary Edition)

A little girl named Lisa falls in love with this teddy bear at a toy store. Published in 1968.



Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones
The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name

A fabulous way to introduce Jesus and the Bible to children. The author does a phenomenal job of carrying the prevailing theme of the Bible through every story in this book. A wonderful introduction to the heart of God.

Owl at Home - Arnold Lobel
Owl at Home -- An I Can Read! Picture Book

This is just the most loveable owl. He makes tea out of his tears.


Mr. Putter & Tabby - Cynthia Rylant

Mr. Putter & Tabby Pour the Tea

Charming stories of an old man and his old cat. Some of the stories involve Mr. Putter's neighbor lady and her dog.


Chapter books I read and loved as a girl that we are now reading aloud to Hannah & Natalie:

All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor

All-of-a-Kind Family

Five Jewish sisters living in New York in the early 20th century. Though poor, they find no shortage of adventures and happiness.

American Girl Books - {Molly, Samantha, Kaya, Kirsten, etc...} Assorted Authors including Valerie Tripp {not only do these stories portray girls of various ethnicities with good values and strong moral character, the realistic life plots give plenty of opportunity for teaching & discussion between parent and child, and help kids learn about historical periods.}


Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace

The Betsy-Tacy Treasury

The tales of little girls who meet at age 5 and become best friends. Published in the 1940s. 

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
The Boxcar Children Bookshelf (The Boxcar Children Mysteries, Books 1-12)
These mysteries about 4 siblings are a generational hit in my family. My grandmother read them to my dad, my parents read them to me and my siblings, and now I have read them to my girls. These books captivated my imagination, probably in part due to how our family of 4 kids (two boys and two girls) was like the character siblings of the book. 


My favorite little girl book:

Baby Dear (Little Golden Book, 306-52)


Baby Dear by Eloise Wilkin {a story about a little girl whose mother has a new baby. The little girl takes care of her dolly just as the mother takes care of the new baby.}
From the age of about 4, when my mom gave birth to twins, I couldn't wait to be a mother. My copy of this Little Golden Book was so well loved that the spine fell apart and my parents reinforced it with masking tape. When I was a teenager my mom and I found a new copy in the grocery store and bought it. 


Jonathan's favorite boyhood book:

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Where the Wild Things Are

What are some favorites from your childhood & in your home?

5 comments:

  1. Great post!
    I have such fond memories of my Mom reading to my brother and I right after lunch, or reading to just me after he went to bed.
    Two of my favorite series were "Little House on the Prairie" and "Mandie".
    "Corduroy" was a favorite as well. And "The Bernstein Bears"
    and and and :) It's wonderful that there are so many good books out there!
    "All of a Kind Family" is a new one to me and looks interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I did love the Little House books, especially reading "The Long Winter" when it was wintry outside. One I would strongly recommend now is "The Timekeeper". The author was about 13 when she wrote it, but she was mature beyond her years.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We had almost every one of these! With seven daughters, all loving books and reading, we pretty much cover all the bases. Thank you for sharing this. It's been years since I looked at some of these. We have a grand baby girl on the way and I am so excited to read some of these again.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ohh, lots of good memories being reignited as I scroll through your list of favorites. Such classics and truly books to treasure for a lifetime. I can still name off the books I loved as a child... I could probably recite them to you as well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My son's closest imaginary friend comes from Goodnight Moon, so I'll always have a very warm place in my heart for that book! My mother read us A.A. Milne, and now I read the Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh to my son. We're also reading The Wind In the Willows, the first time I've read it, and it's delightful. We love Mr. Putter & Tabby, and Nancy Shaw's sheep books (Sheep In a Jeep, etc.). Right now my son is really enjoying Jon Scieszka's "Trucktown" books. We read a lot! Growing up, I loved it when my mother read the Anne of Green Gables series to us.

    ReplyDelete

I value your comments. Thank you for taking the time to leave one.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...