"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
Enlighten the Gentiles #19:The Schnorrer and the Katrina Survivors
Schnorrer (sounds like Mooch the Cat in "Mutts" mispronouncing "snorer") means "beggar".
There is a wealth of stories about schnorrers. They were noted for their wit and skill in fleecing money from the wealthy. If you have ever seen "Fiddler on the Roof", you have seen the bit where the beggar is given only 1 kopek when he was given 2 the week before. His benefactor explains he's had a bad week, to which the schnorrer replies, "So, if you had a bad week, why should I suffer?"
I bring this up because of something about Katrina survivors reminded me of a favorite schnorrer story.
(Not that the Katrina victims are schnorrers by any means. But the story IS relevant)
While surfing various blogs I came across an indignant post about Katrina victims using debit cards to buy luxury goods. This apparently is true in some cases, according to Snopes.
Well, what did all you nice charitable folks expect?
A lot of the evacuees given these cards were people who didn't have a pot to pee in BEFORE the hurricane and now have even less. Most of them had no bank accounts, let alone credit cards. Not surprising that rather than go and buy some useful affordable stuff in Walmart, they have gone straight out for the brand name goodies our society has taught them to prize above all other things.
Look, I'm not condoning this. It horrifies me too, especially considering this is being done at the taxpayers expense. But it does surprise me. And the self-righteous ire, the "how dare they buy something I can't afford with the money we gave them" attitude reminded me of the following story collected by my favorite Yiddish maven, Leo Rosten:
A beggar mooched half a dollar and raced into a delicatessen for a bagel and lox (smoked salmon).
The donor followed him in and said. "I didn't give you money to throw away on luxuries!"
The beggar replied: "When I'm broke, I can't afford lox. When I have money, you tell me not to spend it on lox. So tell me, Mr. Philosopher,when can I eat lox?"
Point made?
Until next time, abei gezunt..............
