"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
Thursday Thirteen #19: A Thousand Posts and Still Ranting
I was getting ready to write a post and noticed that the last one was my 999th. So I decided to take a look at my most read entries. And I am beginning to think that I should just rename this blog "The Library Lady COOKS", because it's mostly my recipes that seem to get hits!
But I'm a dilettante. As my banner says around here it's "Family. Books. Politics. Just Plain Kvetching"
So I'll keep up with the recipes. But I also intend to keep on kvetching about anything and everything for my next thousand posts. So here's
MY THIRTEEN MOST POPULAR (AT LEAST IN HITS) POSTS:
13) We Are All Immigrants This is the one political post that made it onto this list. I wanted to remind people that ALL of our families came here with the same dream, that most of us were discriminated against when we came, and why we should WELCOME immigrants.
12) Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/Garlic Don't tell me you don't like these little sweeties until you've tried them this way!
11) Butternut Squash "Risotto" Baked in the oven, this is easy and healthy--it's a "Cooking Light" recipe.
10) Aglio Ollio Pasta with garlic and olive oil. Fast, easy and a favorite of my garlic addicted spouse!
9) Pancit Canton The Filipino equivalent of lo mein, there are a million variations on this recipe. This version is from my sister-in-law Rosie, one of the best cooks on earth. Everyone who tastes it wants the recipe!
8) Chocolate Pavlova This is from Nigella Lawson. JR has asked for this as a birthday cake!
7) Arroz con Pollo Chicken and rice. Sausage gives it zip. A favorite crock pot recipe.
6) Hummus There are lots of recipes forthis dip, but I like this simple version. More garlic, of course....
5) Beef Stroganoff Another crock pot winner.
4) Story Times Well, I AM "The Library Lady"! I promise to get back to updating this page one of these years ....
3) The Recipe File All of the recipes in this list, plus all the others I've posted are here.
2) Turkey Meatballs No garlic in these, just onions. These also work perfectly with ground beef. Either way they are a kid favorite at my house
AND (DRUM ROLL)
The top blog post I've done is:
1)Enlighten the Gentiles #9: Toches
But why is this post so popular? Why did it get thousands of hits more than any other post?
Because it used to feature a picture of Bart Simpson and HIS toches!!!!!
And I say USED to because I've since removed it. DOH!
And that's all there is for another thousand posts...................
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
