"Classic" Children's Novels I Recommend To Patrons and Friends
All of A Kind Family
by Sydney Taylor
First in a series about 5 little girls growing up at the turn of the century on the Lower East Side of New York. I learned a lot about Jewish culture from these books, but above all they're great family stories.
Anne of Green Gables
and all other books by L.M. Montgomery
They are aimed at children, but the picture of life in turn of the century Prince Edward Island is a delight for adults!
Ballet Shoes
by Noel Streatfield
Very English and very charming.
Betsy-Tacy
First of the series, by Maud Hart Lovelace
My older daughter(10) loves these too.
The Story of Doctor Dolittle
First in the series by Hugh Lofting.
Don't settle for the movie messes made of these wonderful books!
Heidi
by Johanna Sypri
This is not that easy for a kid to read--and some may find it saccharine. But it's always enchanted me...
Little House in the Big Woods
first in the series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Another series my daughter loves as much as I do!
A Little Princess
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
There's only been one good version of this on film--a BBC mini series. If you haven't seen that one, you don't know this story!
Little Women
and all other books by Louisa May Alcott.
I read this first in 6th grade, but I didn't understand a lot of it until college..
The Moffats
by Eleanor Estes
A family you'd love to belong to.
Pinky Pye
also by Eleanor Estes
You don't have to be a cat lover to love this, and if you're not, Pinky just might convert you!
Mr Popper's Penguins
by Florence Atwater
The tone is deadpan but the humor is pure slapstick.
A well loved read aloud.
The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
There have been good films of this, but nothing beats the book, especially with the delicate Tasha Tudor illustrations!
The Trumpet of the Swan
by E.B. White
I love Charlotte's Web , but kids should also meet Louis the mute swan who gains a voice and a love. And if you liked Make Way For Ducklings (another favorite of mine) you'll recognize one of the settings......
The Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame
Not a young child's book at all,but a beautifully written book about friendship, greed, self centeredness and love.
The best illustrations are by Ernest Shepherd. He was also the first (and only REAL!) illustrator of Winnie the Pooh!
Blueberries For Sal (& One Morning In Maine)
and other books by Robert McCloskey
The Nutshell Library
4 book set by Maurice Sendak
The music to go with the books is on:
Really Rosie by Carole King
Where the Wild Things Are
also by Maurice Sendak!
The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge
by Hildegarde Swift
(A beloved NY landmark!)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
and every other book by Eric Carle
Caps For Sale
by Esphyr Slobodkina
Madeline
by Ludwig Bemelmans
Beloved by little girls long before the toys or the movies!
Yes, I Read "Grownup" Books Too--When They're Worth It!
And These Are:
Silver Pigs
(1st of the Marcus Didius Falco mysteries) by Lindsey Davis
Welcome To Temptation
(and all other books) by Jennifer Crusie
Breakup
(Kate Shugak mysteries)by Dana Stabenow
And Ladies of the Club
by Helen Hooven Santmyer
The Cazalet Chronicles
(4 books) by Elizabeth Howard
Poldark
(the whole series)by Winston Graham
The Mitford Years
(series) by Jan Karon
Stranger In A Strange Land
(& just about any other book) by Robert Heinlein
Buffalo Chicken
I posted this recipe last spring, but since (thanks to Blog Explosion) there are more people reading my blog these days, I thought I'd repost it. It's also in honor of our visit last week to see our dear friends in upstate New York. Long, long ago, Beth introduced me to Buffalo Wings. That was almost 25 years (and two daughters each!) for us,but I still have a lot of happy memories of that house we shared while we were in college. We had so little money, but we had such a good time!
Anyway, try this and enjoy it!
BUFFALO BUTTERMILK CHICKEN
A recipe in The Frugal Gourmet first gave me the idea to bake chicken in the oven with a mix of hot sauce and butter or oil. But then a women's magazine had a "Hot Sauce Fried Chicken" from Emeril.
Frankly I loathe Emeril and his whole schtick. But the recipe did give me the idea that I could marinate the chicken in buttermilk with hot sauce. That and baking/broiling instead of frying the chicken makes this nice and low fat. Of course, the blue cheese on the side brings up the calories, but it tastes SO good with this!
Marinade: 1/2 cup buttermilk (the fat free is fine for this)
1/2 cup hot sauce (your choice. We usually use Tobasco, but any hot sauce will do)
Place marinade in a gallon size zipper bag. Add 2-3 pounds of chicken parts--we use bone-in chicken thighs .
Seal the bag. Place the bag in a second bag so it won't leak. Place in the refridgerator to marinate--at least 8 hours, but 24 is even better.
Prepare: Drain buttermilk/hot sauce from bag. Take the dry outer bag and put a small amount of flour or plain breadcrumbs inside. Add chicken pieces one at a time and shake until covered with breading. Place chicken pieces on a sheet pan that has been foil covered and sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake: At 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Use a cooking thermometer to check the chicken--it should be between 165 and 170 degrees. Place it under the broiler for about 5 minutes so that the top gets crispy. Watch it--you don't want it to burn!
Serve:We like rice with this--of course we do, the Man is Filipino-American. Seriously, plain rice goes well with spicy food--and if you want it spicier, do what the Man does and add hot sauce to your rice!
The traditional Buffalo wings condiment is blue cheese dressing, which we serve on the side. Celery is customary too, but we are not celery people. Instead we like carrot sticks and sometimes cucumbers--nice and cooling with spicy chicken.
Kids Version: For the girls, I marinate chicken in plain buttermilk, then cook it as above. They'll eat the spicy version eventually, but right now--no!
