Favorite Books from Early Childhood

[qtiekiki]

My kids (4 and 6) like:

Mo Willems's Elephant and Piggie books
Dr Seuss's books
The Day the Crayons Quit - Oliver Jeffers
Little Tiger's Big Surprise - Julie Sykes
Clark the Shark - Bruce Hale
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus - Mo Willems
The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle

Those are all the ones I can remember off my head.

 

[MarionC]

[

]The Book of Live Dolls[/u] was one of my favorites -- I woke up & checked mine out to see if they'd been galavanting around -- I hoped so!


YES! That's when our dolls were our friends, not just things to play with : )

I still feel the influence of that book. I lent mine to someone and it was never returned -
I picked up another on Amazon last year - I think it was about $40!

I may just read it tonight and see if the magic is still there.

now where is that *Magic* emoticon

 

[JewelFreak]

What a great idea, Jimmianne! Tell me what you think tomorrow.

I forgot one -- The Black Stallion series. I loved that & have wanted horses ever since!

--- Laurie

 

[Sky56]

The Boxcar Children

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boxcar_Children

A Child's Garden of Verses

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Child%27s_Garden_of_Verses

 

[packrat]

How many can I pick? Better be lots, cuz I'm gonna.

Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden. My mom had a couple Donna Parker books and an Annette Funicello. Katie Kittenheart, Honestly, Katie John. Um...lessee...Drummer Hoff Fired it Off. It was a winner of a zillion awards, it's got crazy illustrations, and it's along the lines of the house that Jack built type, rhyme-y and progressive story. I have a bunch of the little Moby Books, illustrated classics and I adore them even still. Corduroy...that little bear stole my heart. There's a couple little books that Gramma Joyce used to read to us over and over, and I happened to find them one day packed away at my parents, so I have them now, put up so they don't get ruined. One of them cost a whole 17 cents. It was about a boy and a girl and little wagon and their adventures. Then the other was about a cat, a dog and a donkey.

Ohhh found the wagon one. http://www.scottunder.com/culch/?p=61 She posted the whole book in a link..it's about a 4 second long book but ohhh my word did we love it. goohhh and the other one http://www.amazon.com/Bremen-Town-Musicians-Mcnally-Junior/dp/B000I8EOB0

Little House on the Prairie. There were some others I read a lot that I can't remember the names, just the general premise of them.

 

[packrat]

Oooo Boxcar Children! Yes that one was awesome..I checked it out at the library a couple years ago just b/c. And Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Another is Behind the Attic Wall. That's one that I "forgot" to bring back to the library when I was in middle school, so I still have it.

ETA Dangit, knew I shoulda read thru the thread before posting. A Wrinkle in Time, loved. Bought it for London actually, so my copy didn't get ruined.

Monnie-The Monster at the end of this Book OMG how many times did I read that??? And how do I not have a copy of it? Ohhh Grover...

We had sooo many Little Golden Books. We also used to have these Disney books, Little Hiawatha, Jungle Book, etc, plus Sesame Street ones...they each were "sponsored" by a letter and number..they were so awesome. Wish we'd kept those. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_kw=sesame+street+library+volume and there was a bedtime stories collection too.

I'm totally gonna have to buy these when we have a little extra cash around. I love having things from my childhood.

 

[Gypsy]

I loved Where the Wild Things Are. Anything by Dr. Suess

I used to read to young kids as part of a Literacy Clinic. Here are some books that the kids really liked:
http://www.amazon.com/Stellaluna-Janell-Cannon/dp/0152062874 Love this one.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Gruffalo-Julia-Donaldson/dp/0803730470/ref=pd_sim_b_25?ie=UTF8&refRID=05EE715NARGKZPN641A8
http://www.amazon.com/Giraffes-Cant-Dance-Giles-Andreae/dp/0545392551/ref=pd_sim_b_32?ie=UTF8&refRID=05EE715NARGKZPN641A8
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Night-Gorilla-Peggy-Rathmann/dp/0399230033/ref=pd_sim_b_22?ie=UTF8&refRID=05EE715NARGKZPN641A8
http://www.amazon.com/Harold-Purple-Crayon-Board-Book/dp/0062086529/ref=pd_sim_b_10?ie=UTF8&refRID=05EE715NARGKZPN641A8
http://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp/0694003611/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TYG0CTM3S4W5E8Y5CJW
http://www.amazon.com/Love-You-Forever-Robert-Munsch/dp/0920668372/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TYG0CTM3S4W5E8Y5CJW
http://www.amazon.com/The-Going-To-Bed-Book-Sandra-Boynton/dp/0671449028/ref=pd_sim_b_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TYG0CTM3S4W5E8Y5CJW
http://www.amazon.com/Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-Eric-Carle/dp/0399226907/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TYG0CTM3S4W5E8Y5CJW
http://www.amazon.com/Guess-How-Much-Love-You/dp/0763642649/ref=pd_sim_b_9?ie=UTF8&refRID=05EE715NARGKZPN641A8
http://www.amazon.com/The-Rainbow-Fish-Marcus-Pfister/dp/1558585362/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=05EE715NARGKZPN641A8
http://www.amazon.com/Strega-Nona-Tomie-De-Paola/dp/0689817649/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=05EE715NARGKZPN641A8
http://www.amazon.com/Corduroy-Giant-Board-Don-Freeman/dp/0670013110/ref=pd_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=05EE715NARGKZPN641A8

 

[Gypsy]

I read a LOT as a kid too. If you want books for older children (7+) let me know.

 

[packrat]

Reading Rainbow....that show was HUGE for me and my brother. We were talking about it a while back and there was one specific book I remembered but not the name of it, and somehow he found it for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBDqPOd-eXI Luckily we're Vulcan mind melded enough for him to understand "You know...that one book, and it kinda repeated, and it had pretty name and a boy that stood on one leg."

I remember one about goats too...Levar was in a diner and they were all goats.

Gosh kids miss out on such cool stuff nowadays. Late 70's/early 80's rocked.

 

[mochiko42]

oooh..love this thread. Is there also a thread for books you enjoyed as a child / teenager? (I guess what is now called "YA"?)

Here's my loooong list of favorites:

FOR YOUNGER READERS:
Eric Carle -- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Ted Hughes - How the Whale Became and Other Stories
AA Milne - Winnie the Pooh
LM Montgomery -- Anne of Green Gables
Roald Dahl - Matilda, the BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Boy
Enid Blyton series
Beatrix Potter - Peter Rabbit series
Rosemary Manning - Green Smoke series (love love love this)
Frances Hodgson Burnett - The Secret Garden
Oscar Wilde - The Happy Prince and other stories
Hans Christian Anderson stories
Arthur Ransome - Swallows and Amazons
Roger Hargreaves - Mr Men books -- I tried to collect them all because of the covers.
Jill Barklem -- the Brambly Hedge series -- the illustrations are amazing and I love the seasonal themes.
EB White - Charlotte's Web
Goscinny & Uderzo -- Asterix et Obelix series
Raymond Briggs - The Snow Man
Walter de la Mare - Collected Stories for Children


FOR SLIGHTLY OLDER READERS:
C.S. Lewis - Narnia series
Tolkien - The Hobbit
Philippa Pearce - Tom's Midnight Garden
Richard Adams - Watership Down (OMG love, love love this book; we had to learn the song "Bright Eyes" in school choir)
Louise Lawrence - Children of the Dust
Susan Cooper -- The Dark is Rising / Over Sea, Under Stone
Alan Garner - The Weirdstone of Brisingamen / The Moon of Gomrath
Brian Jacques - Redwall series
Louisa May Alcott - Little Women
Neil Gaiman - Stardust
Gillian Cross - The Demon Headmaster
Homer - Odyssey (the Robert Fagles translation)
Dodie Smith - I capture the Castle
Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre
Michael Morpugo - Why the Whales Came
JK Rowling - Harry Potter series
Philip Pullman - Golden Compass & His Dark Materials series
Marcel Pagnol - La Gloire de mon père / Le château de ma mère

 

[packrat]

Oh oh oh, that reminds me Roald Dahl-George's Marvelous Medicine (another "forgotten" to bring back to school) and the Twits!

 

[mochiko42]

Oh oh oh, that reminds me Roald Dahl-George's Marvelous Medicine (another "forgotten" to bring back to school) and the Twits!

oh yes!! the Twits, Danny Champion of the World, James and the Giant Peach, and the Witches!! Also I like Roald Dahl's The Enormous Crocodile for younger readers, too. Basically, almost anything for kids by Roald Dahl is gold.

I like his "adult" stories too, like My Uncle Oswald and his short stories.

 

[Gypsy]

Bunicula series for older readers hasn't been mentioned yet.

I love the Anne of Green Gables. There are a lot of great books out there. Just go on Amazon and click around, you'll find a ton.

James and the Giant Peach, The Witches...all Roald Dahl.

 

[04diamond<3]

The Boxcar Children

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boxcar_Children

I *loved* the Boxcar Children!!!

Beatrix Potter - Peter Rabbit series
Frances Hodgson Burnett - The Secret Garden
EB White - Charlotte's Web
Goscinny & Uderzo -- Asterix et Obelix series

I also loved all of these! Especially Asterix because we were learning French and it was such a fun way to!

 

[monarch64]

This thread made me think of Reading Rainbow. I really wish it was still on; I'd love for my daughter to grow up with it like I did. A Kickstarted was begun in May this year in hopes of funding the show again...maybe it will actually happen!

The Reading Rainbow song gets stuck in my head from time to time! "Butterfly in the sky… I can go twice as high…"
There's lots of Reading Rainbow n Youtube.
What a fun thread I always enjoyed Little Critter books as a kid. As I got older, I was a huge fan of Beverly Cleary books and I read every one.

I loved that show! Anyone remember when they made paper out of old jeans? I think I tried it once on my own...didn't quite work for me, ha.

Also, if we are talking books from when we were a bit older- I loved The Secret Garden, The Little House on the Prairie (and all of the other books), and The Boxcar Children series.

Momhappy, absolutely Beverly Cleary books! Ramona Quimby, are you kidding me??? That girl...was just hilarious. So many great, endearing stories.

I barely remember the Boxcar Children books, but I remember the cover of the first one, I think?

Does anyone remember The Borrowers? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Borrowers We used to blame everything that ever went missing in our household (basically my mother's glasses and keys) on The Borrowers.

ETA: and Canuk-Gal (Sharon!) Toad Hall--The Wind in the Willows, YES!

 

[monarch64]

Bunicula series for older readers hasn't been mentioned yet.

I love the Anne of Green Gables. There are a lot of great books out there. Just go on Amazon and click around, you'll find a ton.

James and the Giant Peach, The Witches...all Roald Dahl.

Oh yeah, Bunnicula, the vampire rabbit! Great series.

How about R.L. Stine? Those were veering on YA but kids who were reading at a higher level probably still consider them kid lit.

Trashy-ish: Babysitter's Club, Sweet Valley (Twins and High), more risque or mature: Judy Bloom. I read a ton of Judy Bloom in elementary but JUST read Summer Sisters a few years ago, and what an awesome novel.

This thread makes me want to quit the internet for the rest of summer, check out a bunch of old favorites from the library, and sequester myself at the lake every weekend. Too bad reality dictates otherwise!

 

[mochiko42]

Does anyone remember The Borrowers? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Borrowers We used to blame everything that ever went missing in our household (basically my mother's glasses and keys) on The Borrowers.

Yes, I remember the Borrowers!! Did you see the Studio Ghlibi animated film, The Borrower Arietty? It's based on the Borrowers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrietty

 

[AGBF]

I am sure that we have threads on Young Adult literature that encompass many of these books in threads that we contributed to in The Library while it was a more active venue. Did we never discuss books for younger children? I feel like going back there and digging through the old threads. I just have the feeling that we must have done this before!!!

Deb/AGBF
Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[VRBeauty]

BTW books that rhyme, Like Jamberry or the Sheep in a Jeep series, are wonderful for younger kids.

 

[monarch64]

Does anyone remember The Borrowers? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Borrowers We used to blame everything that ever went missing in our household (basically my mother's glasses and keys) on The Borrowers.

Yes, I remember the Borrowers!! Did you see the Studio Ghlibi animated film, The Borrower Arietty? It's based on the Borrowers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrietty

Glad to see another Borrowers fan! No, I have not seen that film, but thank you for posting the link! I'll definitely check it out!

 

[monarch64]

I am sure that we have threads on Young Adult literature that encompass many of these books in threads that we contributed to in The Library while it was a more active venue. Did we never discuss books for younger children? I feel like going back there and digging through the old threads. I just have the feeling that we must have done this before!!!

Deb/AGBF
Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

We definitely have threads on YA, Deb, you're right. And there have been threads on children's books in FHH several times, although I cannot remember the thread titles nor how long ago they were posted. I confess I am too lazy and too tired to look them up.

This has been a wonderful thread for me today (and I'm sure for many others.) I had a sick child on my hands this afternoon and had to visit the doctor's office, then deal with making sure she was comfortable/loved/fed/hydrated this evening among other demands of daily life. Reaching back into my childhood memory through this thread really helped me as a parent. Reading truly brings joy to the soul!

 

[athenaworth]

My parents split before I was a year old so all of my memories of my dad are weekend ones. He started reading me novels at the ripe old age of 3 (we never did shirt stories). The one I remember most vividly was Watership Down. Heartbreaking but amazing

 

[marymm]

Some wonderful books that come to mind that I don't think have been mentioned yet:

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series by Betty MacDonald

The Great Brain series by John Dennis Fitzgerald

Caddie Woodlawn and Baby Island, both by Carol Ryrie Brink

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter

Heidi by Joanna Spyri

The Bobbsey Twins series by Laura Lee Hope

The Five Little Peppers series by Margaret Sidney

 

[blackprophet]

This thread made me think of Reading Rainbow. I really wish it was still on; I'd love for my daughter to grow up with it like I did. A Kickstarted was begun in May this year in hopes of funding the show again...maybe it will actually happen!

It broke Kickstarter records, so I assume something is going to happen.

My fave childhood book was "The Seventh Princess" by Nick Sullivan.

Not many Canadian's here, cause any self respecting Canadian has to mention Robert Munsch. "I love you Forever" being the classic.

Apparently I was a big curious George fan as well.

ETA: Gypsy mentioned Munsch, shes doing her patriotic duty.

 

[Loves Vintage]

I'm glad so many of you liked this thread! I have followed along, but didn't have time to reply. Here's my looong reply! You've all given me a lot of inspiration! I appreciate it!

ecf8503 - What a lovely memory! We have an old old copy of the Little Red Hen. My daughter loves reading the parts of the cat, the lamb and the pig. "Not I" said the cat! "Not I" said the pig! . . . It's one of my favorites to read.

Missy - So true about that Little Engine That Could! It's a keeper. Little by little, we can all make it, if only we try.

RandG - I ordered a copy of the The Giving Tree after seeing a few responses here including yours. We do not have a copy, and I've never read it (that I recall)!

vc10um - That's adorable about the Smurf book. Will look up your sis's favorite book when I get a chance.

Jimmianne - The Book of Live Dolls. Check. I'll be looking for it.

AMC - It's very sweet that you have your old books to read to B. We have a few of those. Home Sweet Tree comes to mind.

Monarch - How fun! I do have to take Where the Wild Things Are out from the library. I gravitate toward the Caldecott table because you know you are picking a good book! Sometimes, some of these little kid books can be duds! We have some of the others you mentioned. I do love the Gyo Fujikawa Sleepy Time book. It is nice for bedtime. I am going to look up some of his others. Maybe go to the library tomorrow. I do love older books. We have a lot of books, and I've gotten many of them from garage sales. I picked up some really great older books that way.

Puppmom - We may need to borrow you at story time. I really hate reading that book!!

Moneymeister - Thanks for including your list. Where the Wild Things Are is next on our to read list.

Jaysonsmom - I loved all of those Little House books growing up too!

Jewelfreak - What great memories you've shared. The Little Engine That Could seems like a very appropriate first book to read! I am adding the Little House to our short list. Sounds like a perfect book for us.

VRBeauty - What a great image!! Before I saw your post, I remembered one of my all time favorites to read -- Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey. I'd recommend Blueberries for Sal to anyone looking for a new toddler book!

Kenny - I will have to see if I can find Miss Pickerell on one of our library outings.

Zoe - I don't think I've ever read Little Bear.

Canuk-Gal - We went through a long period where my daughter wanted to read Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day . . . every single day!!

MomHappy - They sell those Little Critter stuffed animals at Kohl's! I got one of each. My daughter loves them. We have just a few of those books.

Alexah - Adding Frances to the list!

AprilBaby - Eloise Wilkin! We have the My Goodnight Book. A vintage version. One of my garage sale finds. Soooo sweet!

qtiekiki - We do have a few Mo Willems books. So funny!

Okay, I am going to reply more later!!

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi LV! It's nice to see you posting again!

Little Bear books are great. I used to love all of the I Can Read books. Morris the Moose and Danny and the Dinosaur are two other series I liked when I was younger.

These weren't part of my childhood, but as an elementary teacher, my kids at school love Froggy books. Maybe S. will too?

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I loved reading when I was small, still do to this day. My favorite books were all of the stories by Beatrix Potter, the Berenstain Bears (any and all), the original American Girl books, The Babysitters Club, Goosebumps, tons of series books really. I also remember that I had a subscription to the Highlights magazine book club and I would get 3 books every month, I read them all in the first week I got them. My Mother also read a lot and we would sit and read together after dinner.

I also loved reading fairy tales from different cultures. I had volumes of the same fairy tales but from different cultures, China, Russia, Germany, etc. Mythology too, I still have a Greek Mythology book from childhood that I've held on to.

 

[iLander]

I was the story mom for my son's second grade class. I was trying to get him interested in reading. Totally didn't work. Read to him every night until he was about 4, then he didn't want to anymore. Luckily, DD was a little more into it, and I got to read to her until she was about 6.

My grandmother read to me, to teach me English, but the only English books in the house were books of gruesome European fairy tales, with only one picture per 50+ pages. I often wonder if it was better to read me books without so many pictures? It forced my brain to create the pictures, to use my imagination, and made the transition to reading to myself easier. I will test this out if I ever have grandkids.

But here are some crowd pleasers

Kat Kong

Dogzilla

Island of the Skog

Brambly Hedge Series

Sandra Boynton books

I lost almost all of the kids' book in a flood, which still bothers me, mostly because I can't remember what they liked.

 

[AGBF]

I give all young children to whom I am close the "Henry and Mudge" books and the "Mr. Putter and Tabby" books by Cynthia Rylant. I do not believe that I saw them mentioned above. I also, usually, give a boxed set of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, which I am sure was mentioned. And I love to give-and to read aloud-Margaret and Margarita.

When I was young, I read all the "Oz" books, not just, "Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz". I was lucky enough to have a friend whose family had the original books with their beautiful illustrations and I read Ozma of Oz and Glinda of Oz and all the other wonderful books by L. Frank Baum.

Of course, there were the Curious George, Babar, and Madeleine books, too. And all the Dr. Seuss books. And strange books I found on the shelves of my elementary school about a little girl who talked about "commencement" in the south (what was that?). And Queen Esther and Purim. (I think that one was called, Behold, Your Queen!.) And Betsy and James. It was all magic. In fact, The Thirteenth is Magic is one book I loved. Then there were the books I have mentioned in other threads by Edgar Eager like Half Magic; Magic By The Lake; et cetera and those by E. Nesbit like The Five Children and It which inspired him.

I could go on for hours, which was why I was afraid to start writing! Children's books are magical.

PS-I do remember The Borrowers, of course. Also Nancy Drew; The Bobbsey Twins; Miss Pickerell; and Homer Price!

Deb/AGBF

 

[blackprophet]

Someone mentioned Encyclopedia Brown. I loved those book as a kid.

I was a big nerd though. Grade 6 I was reading Star Trek Schematics books.