The Best Children's Books Ever (in my humble opinion)
Posted by: Denelle
As I was barreling underground this morning with thousands of other soggy New Yorkers (please oh please let the rain stop) I found myself reminiscing about my favorite books when I was a kid. I think this rendition of "Memories" was brought on by the title of the book the lady across from me was reading but alas my attention span before 9 am is slightly better than that of a gnat so I really don't recall what she was reading or how it lead me on this recollective journey.
Anyway, I thought that I would make a list and share with you my favorite children's books. I've tried to break them down into age categories but it may not be an exact science - some of these I still read from time to time.
Younger than 8...
The Gus books were a series of stories but this one was by far my favorite.
A little girl with one cardboard box and a BIG imagination.
What's not to love about a moose that learned about math by buying gumdrops from the candy store.
The people of Itching Down have a problem. Actually, four million wasps are better classified as a big problem. Luckily the people of the city are creative and know just how to get rid of them. Great artwork and rhymes make this book a must read.
Ages 9 - 12
I was in second grade the first time I heard this story and it's slightly embarrassing to admit the amount of time I spent imagining how I would survive if I had to live in a boxcar. Especially when I have to admit that I still do from time to time.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler . . . I bought this book again when I was in college and have since purchased the DVD of the cheesy 1970s movie based on the book. I love them both dearly and credit them with starting my love for The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
To this day, this is one the best books I've ever read. This, along with The Hobbit, are the first books I remember reading and feeling like I was in the story.
A classic.
There are hundreds more I could list. Nurse Nancy, The Giving Tree, Penny, The New Kid On The Block, Tolkein's Middle Earth Series, the early books by Frank E. Peretti, etc. I was then and am now and insatiable reader. But what are some of your favorite children/young adult books? Were you a big C.S. Lewis fan? How about Judy Blume? What's is missing from my list that you couldn't live without? I would love to hear from you!
As I was barreling underground this morning with thousands of other soggy New Yorkers (please oh please let the rain stop) I found myself reminiscing about my favorite books when I was a kid. I think this rendition of "Memories" was brought on by the title of the book the lady across from me was reading but alas my attention span before 9 am is slightly better than that of a gnat so I really don't recall what she was reading or how it lead me on this recollective journey.
Anyway, I thought that I would make a list and share with you my favorite children's books. I've tried to break them down into age categories but it may not be an exact science - some of these I still read from time to time.
Younger than 8...
The Gus books were a series of stories but this one was by far my favorite. A little girl with one cardboard box and a BIG imagination. What's not to love about a moose that learned about math by buying gumdrops from the candy store. The people of Itching Down have a problem. Actually, four million wasps are better classified as a big problem. Luckily the people of the city are creative and know just how to get rid of them. Great artwork and rhymes make this book a must read.Ages 9 - 12
I was in second grade the first time I heard this story and it's slightly embarrassing to admit the amount of time I spent imagining how I would survive if I had to live in a boxcar. Especially when I have to admit that I still do from time to time. To this day, this is one the best books I've ever read. This, along with The Hobbit, are the first books I remember reading and feeling like I was in the story. A classic.There are hundreds more I could list. Nurse Nancy, The Giving Tree, Penny, The New Kid On The Block, Tolkein's Middle Earth Series, the early books by Frank E. Peretti, etc. I was then and am now and insatiable reader. But what are some of your favorite children/young adult books? Were you a big C.S. Lewis fan? How about Judy Blume? What's is missing from my list that you couldn't live without? I would love to hear from you!
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Not ghosty at all - but an imaginative dream-style book in which a boy eats Subtraction Soup (and gets hungrier with every bite) and an orchestra controls days and times. Must.Read.
Posted by
Liz |
Fri Sep 15, 02:16:00 PM 2006
omg, I was the hugest Judy Blume addict all throughout upper elementary and middle school. I also read R.L. Stine voraciously. But one book that I have never been able to forget was Jean and Johnny by Beverly Cleary. It was so much more meaningful than the usual "boy meets girl, they kiss in the end" YA lit.
Posted by
chantell |
Fri Sep 15, 02:34:00 PM 2006
For little kids books, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton were my classics. I have since bought both for my kids. For teens, I loved A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle. The first real grown-upish (I don't think that's a word) book that I remember being entralled in.
Posted by
Don |
Sat Sep 16, 08:21:00 AM 2006
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
Posted by
shirleymc |
Sat Sep 16, 05:27:00 PM 2006
I was absolutely hooked on anything written by Louisa May Alcott. I still have a copy of Little Women, and Little Men. My all-time favorite of hers was Eight Cousins.
Posted by
Theresa |
Sat Sep 16, 07:50:00 PM 2006
My 3-yr-old grandson and I enjoy reading, "Stand Back," Said the Elephant, I"m Going to Sneeze!"
Posted by
shirleymc |
Sat Sep 16, 10:19:00 PM 2006