"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
Congratulate Me, It's My Daughter's Birthday
I mean, shouldn't I be the one getting the presents?
After all, I'm the one who went through the pregnancy. I'm the one who went through all the bodily discomforts, the doctor's visits and the free advice from perfect strangers.
Not to mention the labor. But I won't go into that again. I've talked about it elsewhere........
Then, of course, I should be feted for surviving a year of tween angst and being braced for the next round of woes. Adolescence is NOT like wine. It won't improve as it ages, unless you spell it "whine".......
Seriously, I am very proud of SC. Aside from her math woes, she is growing and flourishing. Her social life is suffering from the fact that there are only 11 girls in the 5th grade, and she tends to be odd girl out. But she stood up to her "best" friend last week, who has been, in SC's own words "turning me on and off like a light switch". And when the friend denied it, she gave her concrete examples of what she'd been doing. I was proud of that.
She's smart enough to have figured out that there are popular girls, girls who fit in, and girls like her, who don't quite fit in because they just don't follow the herd. I'm sorry she had to figure that out at 10, but come next fall, she will be in middle school, where the 6th grade contains twice as many kids as are in her ENTIRE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!
Meanwhile she is 11 today, taller at that age than I was at 14. Her hands are as big as mine, and though her fingers have the same stubby shape as mine do, they have her father's artistic skills. She wants to be a writer and illustrate her own books when she grows up.
And she is a dancer. Not a natural talent, she has to struggle to succeed at it--just as I do, as a matter of fact. But she loves her ballet teacher and her classes and she has a wonderful time with her dancing classmates!
I've decided something though. I don't think I WANT her to be 11. Why can't she be 10 again, and then 9 next year, and on and on until she is my sweet little baby again? It lasted for such as SHORT time............................
Oh, well. Happy birthday, SC. You are my first born and though you drive me nuts, I love you with all my heart.
Hug your babies a lot today, moms. And when they drive YOU nuts, know that it won't last for long. It goes from that to this:
And it happens in just no time at all.................
