"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
Dear Ikea: A little suggestion from a weary parent.....
Dear Ikea,
You know we love you. Certainly, anyone coming into my house would know that I love you. From the wonderful chests of drawers in my bedroom, to the little wall cabinet near our front door, much of our furniture came from you. And of course, we obviously are big fans of your BOOKCASES!
The girls love coming to the store. Even though they are too old for the play areas (at least SC is, and JR won't go in solo) they love coming to the store, trying out the furniture, playing in the toy area, and occasionally creating a ruckus, though they've gotten LOTS better since the time Mommy took them out and made them sit in the car until Daddy was through paying for our stuff.
And of course we all love your food--the cafeterias are GREAT!
No, Ikea, we love you and we appreciate how child friendly you are, except in one place.
The bathrooms.
No, the kiddie stools are a great idea at the sinks. The child seats in the stalls, the diaper tables, all great. It's wonderful that you have family bathrooms and diapers and all that. That's not the problem.
IT'S THOSE DAMN SELF-FLUSHING TOILETS!
Ikea, dear Ikea, have you ever stood in a stall arguing with a tearful, nearly hysterical 5/6 year old because she's afraid of the loud flushing noise, and knows it can happen quite abruptly? A child who really, REALLY needs to use the toilet, and is insisting she'll wait another hour or two rather than use the toilet?
My guess is no. But it happened to me last night, and it's not the first time.
Oh, it all ended happily. JR finally agreed to use a toilet after I got her to believe it wouldn't flush until I pushed the button. And luckily, it didn't.
In fact, JR proclaimed it was a nice toilet and decided that she'd been a "brave girl".
Yeah, right, after 10 minutes of screeching and me being afraid that someone would think I was hitting her or something!
Anyway, Ikea, how about a special bathroom just for little kids with a plain, old fashioned flush on command toilet? I know it's less sleek and high tech, but it would've made life a whole lot easier for me today. And I'll bet I'm not the only mom out there who goes through this every time she visits one of your stores.
And with the amount of books we have in our house, that's pretty often!
Tack så mycket!
The Library Lady
(Mother of the darling and exasperating "brave little girl")
