"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
Ham It Up II: Crockpot Soup
As I said, I make that ham in coca cola not only for a fabulous Sunday feast but for the leftovers.
Today at lunchtime I took the ham bone I'd been keeping in the freezer, tossed it into my crockpot along with some canned beans, water and a few seasonings and let it cook all afternoon.
The result was a marvelous bean soup for dinner tonight. The Man and JR ate theirs with rice, while SC and I just had ours the standard way. And both the girls had seconds!
This came from the popular slow cooker book Fix It and Forget It ,where it is called "Old Fashioned Bean Soup", but I adjusted it by using canned beans. This guarantees you will not have hard nasty beans in your soup AND it's a lot faster. I also mashed some of the beans to thicken the soup.
The original recipe also has celery in it. Add it if you have it, we seldom have any on hand here.............
CROCKPOT NAVY BEAN SOUP
1 large ham bone with some meat left on it
3 cans navy beans or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
6 cups water
1/2 cup chopped onions (I use the frozen kind--you can toss them right in and they'll defrost as the soup cooks)
1 (dry) bay leaf (or 2 fresh)
ground black pepper (to taste)
Place the ham bone in your crock pot. Add the beans,onions and bayleaf. Add the water.
Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours
Remove the ham bone. Chop off all meat and put it back into the soup. Add pepper to taste.
Optional: Remove 1-2 cups of the beans, mash them and stir them back into the soup.
Serve as is, or atop rice. And if you're the Man, add hot sauce..............
