"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
About Hanukah & A Latke Recipe
Those of you of the gentile (non-Jewish) persuasion seem to be under the impression that Hanukah is a quasi-Christmas.
It isn't.
If you go to this website: http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm , you will get a great explanation of the holiday and its customs. Please note the part about gifts NOT being a traditional part of the holiday, just a way for Jews to make their kids happy without celebrating Christmas.
My mother, coming from a left wing atheistic sort of family, celebrated secular Christmas.My dad fell away from his fairly Orthodox upbringing when they married (he may have done it sooner for all I know)and we always had a Christmas tree and gifts from Santa. I was the envy of all the kids in our mainly Jewish neighborhood. Now I am married to a Catholic, neither of us is observant, and we observe Hanukah with the menorah and chocolate coins called "gelt", then celebrate Christmas with our families in New York. I feel lucky to have both holidays, and to share them with my family.But they are very different holidays!
Every time I hear about the "tradition" of 8 gifts, one for each night, I want to puke!
My grandma Esther used to give us $5 each. Her son, my dad, got nothing. Period.
Hanukah wasn't about gifts for me. It was about going to Grandma's and eating potato pancakes, a.k.a. latkes (pronounces LAHT-kehs, BTW) with applesauce. And never eating enough to make her happy. As mentioned elsewhere, I was a skinny child who didn't eat well, but I've made up for it since!
When Grandma broke her hip, and ended up in a nursing home, my mother got her latke recipe. But where Grandma laboriously hand grated her potatoes and onions, Mom discovered a blender worked just fine and was a lot faster. And now both of us use food processors to do the job.
Our latkes are a little lighter than the ones Grandma made, but that makes them even better. Grandma always served them with pink applesauce, but sour cream is excellent as a dip too.
They are not hard to make--in fact, I am throwing a party at work, complete with cheesecake, cookies and other treats for the staff this week, something I've done each year since we moved to our current library.
Grandma Esther's Latkes--Two Generations Later
Peel 6 potatoes (all purpose are fine) and cut into cubes.
Cut 1 1/2 yellow onions into chunks (about 1/4 onion each)
Place onion and 1/2 cup or so of the potato chunks into a food processor (use the regular steel blade) and begin to chop.
Add 2 eggs and 1/4 t baking powder
Continue to add potatoes until all are blended. You will have a rough batter--don't overprocess.
Add matzo meal or flour until the mixture resembles thick sour cream.
I would put the mixture in a strainer or colander and let some of the liquid drip before starting to fry these. I tried this while making them for my family, and they held together MUCH better!
Put enough oil in a big skillet (I use an electric) to cover the bottom and heat until a drop of water sizzles.
BE CAREFUL--THAT'S HOT!
Scoop big spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil--large enough for pancakes. Mix it into the oil as you do this.
I've discovered the big blue spoon I use to scoop rice from our rice cooker is ideal for scooping up latke dough. Appropriate enough when making latkes in a house that's half Jewish, half Filipino.....
Cook for several minutes till brown, then flip and brown the other side.
Make sure to let them cook enough before flipping. It may take up to 5 minutes for the first batch, depending on how long you've preheated your oil! You should see a bit of brown around the bottom edges of the latke. I take the spoon I'm scooping batter with and place it on top of the latke and hold it with that as I'm lifting the latke with a big spatula. Keeps it secure and elimintates most breakage!
And if the first batch don't come out too well, let your oil get hotter. The rest will be fine......................
Drain well on paper towels and eat with sour cream and or applesauce!
Try them and enjoy them. Oh, and if you're going to sing, try "O Chanukah, O Chanukah"--that web site has a clip of the tune and the words, both in English and in my grandma's native Yiddish.
It's a lot prettier than the "Dreydl Song". I HATE the "Dreydl Song"!!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND ABEI GEZUNT (Stay Healthy!)
