"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
The Workmen Are Gone, But The Work Isn't Over
The Man thought the workmen wouldn't be gone till Friday, even though I'd told them they had said Thursday at the latest, and we knew how good these guys are.
Sure enough, they were finished by Wednesday night.
Told him so! Heh,heh,heh,heh,heh..........................
JR's room is now a color her dad calls "Barbie Pink". Duron calls it "Feathery Lilac", but it's a very pale pink. Pink enough for her to see it, not so pink that you feel as if you were standing inside a Pepto Bismol bottle. She loves it.
SC's room is "Iceberg"--a very pale blue. She wanted a darker color, but her room is not brightly lit and tends to be dark from the trees outside, so we persuaded her to go for the light color. And I'm going to buy her a wallpaper border--something with planets or constellations, which is what she wants for her room.
The hallway, the stairway and the whole downstairs are wallpaper free and white/eggshell colors. A lot of small plastering jobs were taken care of.
Now there's only one problem.
The Man managed to not finish clearing out JR's room. He didn't box up the books on the floor or all of the other assorted "stuff" that was all over the living/dining room.
So right now our living room sofa is STILL out of place and covered with books, there are small bookcases, boxes and books all around it and our kitchen table is covered with books, tchotchkes and heaven knows what else.
The girls ate dinner (pizza) on my bed last night because it's the only clear place to sit in the house. Breakfast too. Lord knows what we are going to do at dinner time tonight.
It's kind of like being pregnant. It takes forever, you know something good is coming at the end of the wait, and once you get started you can't stop.
We're making progress. Slowly but surely.
But the key word is "slowly".
SIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
