"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
Recipe: Ziti w/Spinach, Tomato and Cheese
I used to be a spaghetti sauce purist. I grew up on my mom's basic meat sauce--so easy to make I cooked it in college dorm kitchens. I've learned to make a lot of other sauces since, but using jarred sauce--never!
But there are some pretty good sauces out there these days.And after I found the wonderful book Desperation Dinners I started trying to use them in some of my recipes, including this ziti dish.
The Desperation Dinner ladies have a web site and a newspaper column. Their recipes are mostly great and they may give you some ideas of ways to streamline your cooking, something I'm always looking to do! I love to cook--but I seldom have time to FUSS!
Aside from the spaghetti sauce,I am giving you this recipe exactly as I have been making it for a good 10 years. I'm pretty sure I got it from Gourmet magazine, and I did find a similar recipe there dating from the fall of 1994. But that recipe includes sausage and pesto and requires the dish to be baked, while this one can be put together in the time it takes you to cook the pasta, and then is just heated to melt the cheese on top!
SC claimed to hate spinach and was about to refuse to try this, but I persuaded her to take one bite. Not only did she eat it, she had the leftovers for dinner several nights laters. I made it again last week and not only did she eat it, she admitted today she sort of liked the taste of the spinach. Victory!
JR still won't try it, but then again, she is the one who eats plain pasta a lot when a sauce is available. She's also so skinny you can see all her ribs. Adolescence will cure that--it did for me. SIGH.......
If you want the original recipe you can get it here. Feel free to tinker with it yourself. See if it can persuade YOUR kids to eat spinach!
Ziti with Spinach, Tomatoes and Two Cheeses
1 lb of ziti or penne pasta
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped (I use the jarred kind)
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
(we use Bertoli, which recently ranked high on a Cook's Magazine taste test, but you can pick your favorite tomato based sauce)
1 bag of spinach (the sort that is pre-cleaned--a 10 oz bag)
6 ounces grated mozzarella cheese (lower fat types work fine)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Heat large pot of water. While the water is coming to a boil, rinse, dry and chop the spinach. Set spinach aside.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions.
While the pasta is cooking, saute the onions and garlic in a large pan. Add the spaghetti sauce and cook until it is heated through. You can also heat spaghetti sauce in the microwave, but use a cover--it splatters!
When the pasta is done, drain it and combine with the spinach and mozzarella. Add the tomato sauce mix, and 1/3 cup of the parmesan.
Turn the whole mixture into a large, broiler safe pan. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and place under the broiler until the cheese melts.
Serve and enjoy!!
