"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
No Kleenex For Martha Alito
Poor,poor, widdle Martha Alito. Scurried out of the committee hearings on her husband's appointment, because they asked him some MEAN questions.
Weep on, Martha. Because when your husband gets on the Supreme Court--and barring any miracles, it seems likely-- a lot of people are going to have REAL reasons to cry.
Like the 10 year old girl who got strip searched when the cops raided her house for drugs.
And the women who were having a hard enough time dealing with the fact that they had decided to have abortions, and then were required by a law Alito upheld to go and tell their husbands what they were doing.
I am not looking to start an abortion argument here. As far as I'm concerned, it's a private matter, and if you differ fine. Don't get pregnant in the first place, or if you're a male, don't have sex, and keep your noses out of other people's medical decisions.
But I can't help but think that any woman for whom it takes a court order to tell her husband that she is having an abortion probably has problems with her spouse in the first place that go beyond the pregnancy. She might even be in danger from her spouse.
But what do Sam Alito and his ilk care about the mother anyway? All they give a damn about is the unborn children--until they're born that is...............
Then there's the manager who deserved a promotion, didn't get it because of racial discrimination and would have lost the case in court if Alito's opinion had prevailed. Apparently Sammy thinks it's okay to discriminate as long as you say you weren't CONSCIOUSLY discriminating. No, you just rejected the highly qualified applicant and kept interviewing because you were waiting for someone even better to come along........
I won't even get into his views on the McCarthy era wiretapping being done in the name of anti-terrorism, his beliefs on the President's ability to ignore the laws with impunity, and a whole bunch of other things he's written or said that lead me to believe that one day a lot of us are going to have to look into moving to Canada. Or at least to bluer states.
But to get back to Martha. What the hell are you crying about?
Your husband is about to get a job with a lifetime appointment. Outside of royalty, there aren't many jobs like it out there.
Betcha George Porgie Bush is jealous of the Supremes!
You are about to enter the circle of power. Even if Sammy croaks before you do, you will have a cushy pension, benefits, and the ability to get great seats at the Kennedy Center for the rest of your life!
So be brave, Martha. Save the Kleenex for those of us out here in the world outside the bubble--and that DOES include a lot of us folks INSIDE the Beltway, BTW!
Because once your husband joins the Supremes I see a lot of tears for us.
But there will be nothing but sunshine in your little world................
