"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
You Can't Google Your Way Through Life
I heard a piece on NPR this morning about a new test for college students to help identify those who are computer illiterate.
Apparently amidst the brilliant, file sharing, illegal downloading computer litterati of our campuses there still exist students who don't know how to open an attachment or download a file.
All very well then, that we should teach them these important technical skills, and identify those poor students who somehow have never learned how to use an Ipod. We don't want to stun their social growth.
But what got to me about the piece was the opening, which featured a 3rd year student from my alma mater, SUNY Albany. He was suddenly discovering the library as a place to do research.
DUUUUHHHHHH!
He explained (and he was proud of this!)that he does all his research on Google, and that though you do have to check the validity of the sources, the professors generally don't, as long as you give citations.
I hope his professors hear that bit and make sure to check HIS next paper with a fine tooth comb!
Now, I am not shocked at this. Frankly, 20 some-odd years back my fellow students at SUNY-Albany (currently ranked as the #1 party school on Princeton Review's college evaluations) were finding ways to get around doing REAL work.
But I've got news for you, folks. You may think you're smart because you're getting away with it. You can print out that 40 page term paper you cribbed in nothing flat and go drinking at O'Heaney's, or The Lamp Post, or whatever bar you favor these days.
But you are DUMB.
You worked to get into college. You and/or your parents are paying a helluva lot for you to be in college. And instead of LEARNING you are pissing your time away.
So have your fun. Because in a few years, when the only place you can find a job is Mickey D's or the Gap, or when you get onto a job and discover 4 years of Google and beer didn't give you the skills you need to do your chosen career intelligently, you're going to find out it's WAYYY different out here.
Oh, and have fun paying those student loans...................................
