"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 #18: Special Grandparental Visit Edition: Zayde, Bubbe and the Elephant
Zayde (zay-da) means Grandpa in Yiddish.
Bubbe or Bubbeh (buh-beh and buh-bee, it's said both ways) means Grandma, probably deriving from the Polish and Russian words for grandmother.
In the Bronx, the word was generally mangled as "Bobby", just as challah (kha-la) bread was often insulted by being called "holly"!
I didn't have any grandfathers--my mom's father died when she was a child, and my other grandfather died when I was about 3 or 4. And I didn't call my grandmas bubbe, bubbeh, OR bobby, just "Grandma".
My own girls call my parents "Grandma and Grandpa". Their other, Filipino-American grandparents they call Nanay and Tatay, which actually mean "Mommy" and "Daddy", not Grandma and Grandpa. But it's an easy way to know which grandparents they're referring to!
Anyway, someone commented here not long ago about Jews prickling about Jewish jokes, and it's true-they do when they're told by gentiles. And if my husband (who my parents have known and loved for over 2 decades) asked about this joke, they might be looking (still!!) for hidden anti-Semitism. Oyyyyy!
But Jews LOVE Jewish jokes told by other Jews. There is a delight in cutting down pretensions, in self-mockery.
It is this sarcastic streak that prevents me from ever becoming the sticky-sweet sort of children's librarian that would be featured on Barney. I'm more like Oscar the Grouch, though the kids seem to like it!
Anyway, enjoy. Not only is this a Jewish joke, it's an elephant joke:
It is reported that several men of various nationalities were engaged in writing books on the elephant.
A German put out a three-volume tome replete with footnotes, entitled ‘A Short Introduction to the Study of the Elephant.’
A Frenchman put out a thin and graceful book entitled ‘The Elephant and His Love Life.’
An Englishman put out a heavily illustrated travel guide, entitled ‘Hunting Elephant in Deepest Africa.’
An American put out an advertising brochure, ‘How to Raise Elephants in Your Backyard for Fun and Profit.’
And a Jew published a fiery pamphlet entitled ‘The Elephant And Anti-Semitism.’
Until next time, abei gezunt....................
