International Children's Book Day

[Kirby]

Today is International Children's Book Day and I've never outgrown my love for children's literature. What books did you love as a kid, or enjoy reading with your kids or grandkids?

[shootingstar]

I read Beverly Cleary's books and loved them.  Ramona the Pest, etc.  I was a bookworm as child and teen.

[MoseySusan]

Beyond the Paw Paw Trees, by Palmer Brown, was a personal favorite. I checked it out of the library dozens of times. 

#1 and I loved to read together anything by Mercer Mayer. And she called a lighted house from my collection of Christmas town buildings “Mercer Mayers’ house” and used it year round as a nightlight. 

[Airehead]

I love to read anything by Eric Carle, Maurice Sendak, or Good Night Moon to little people. 

[Airehead]

Ahh and let’s not forget The Mitten. 

[petitepedal ★]

Bed Time for Frances, Go Dogs Go, the Little house books...and more 

[maddmaxx ★]

The little engine that could.

[jsharr ★]

Here is @BR46's 

[jsharr ★]

2 hours ago, Kirby said:

Today is International Children's Book Day and I've never outgrown my love for children's literature. What books did you love as a kid, or enjoy reading with your kids or grandkids?

@Randomguy could get this for his niece!

https://www.amazon.com/Tricking-Your-Vegan-Friends-Eating/dp/0991809270

[Mr. Silly]

3 hours ago, Kirby said:

Today is International Children's Book Day and I've never outgrown my love for children's literature. What books did you love as a kid, or enjoy reading with your kids or grandkids?

 

I had my mother read me Barney Beagle and Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel a million times each.

When I was old enough to read books without pictures, I enjoyed the 'Eddie' series.  I only remember two stories.  One was about finding some money in the ice on a winter’s day.  He had to chip it out but once he did he got to buy himself something.  There was another story were he hated his bike and wanted a new shiny one.  He fixed it up and gave it a paint job so he could sell it.  By the time it was done, he realized his bike was pretty cool and decided to keep it.

In 7th grade, I read my first novel that targeted adults, it was Slaughterhouse 5.  I thought it was cool because it had naughty parts, so I thought I was pulling one over on all the adults in my life.  I ended up reading a good chunk of Kirt Vonnegut's catalog.  I don't think my parents cared that there were naughty parts in Vonnegut's novels.

[BR46]

I got to meet the author of this book at the races last year 

[Kirby]

My Mom was a specialized "reading" teacher for a number of years and then switched to grades 1-3, so we always had a lot of kids literature around the house.  For the first reading stages, the Frances books were popular, plus the Frog and Toad series (naturally).  The Stupids series was a favorite of her classes and she always saved that as a treat for the class.

As we got a bit older, the PL Travers's versions of the Mary Poppins books (not the Disneyfied versions) were family classics, plus Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland.

I also loved the various mystery series, although I don't consider them "classics" - Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton and my favorite, Trixie Belden.

Charlotte's Web still makes me cry and Behind the Attic Wall is a more recent favorite. 

When I started college, every freshman was required to take a writing seminar.  The topic of the seminar was chosen by the professor but the focus was supposed to be on writing skills, not the actual topic.  They "volunteered" professors from all over the College of Arts and Letters, so the topics were varied and impacted the reading you had to do for the seminar.  My original assigned topic was "Japanese Poetry" but on the first day of class they announced that teacher wasn't available, so we had a new teacher and the topic would be "children's literature".  I still consider that one of the happiest days of my college years.

[bikeman564™]

9 hours ago, shootingstar said:

I read Beverly Cleary's books and loved them.  Ramona the Pest, etc. 

Ha, I was going to say this

[shootingstar]

43 minutes ago, bikeman564™ said:

Ha, I was going to say this

Not sure if I read her "The Mouse and the Motorycle".  But I remember another for her other books --Henry Huggins.

1 hour ago, Kirby said:

My Mom was a specialized "reading" teacher for a number of years and then switched to grades 1-3, so we always had a lot of kids literature around the house.  For the first reading stages, the Frances books were popular, plus the Frog and Toad series (naturally).  The Stupids series was a favorite of her classes and she always saved that as a treat for the class.

As we got a bit older, the PL Travers's versions of the Mary Poppins books (not the Disneyfied versions) were family classics, plus Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland.

I also loved the various mystery series, although I don't consider them "classics" - Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton and my favorite, Trixie Belden.

My father (who could speak and read English) never read aloud stories to us.  Reading aloud children's stories to young children in traditional Chinese culture was not part of their upbringing. So never done with any of us.

Instead when I had to learn English from kindergarten onward, I was told by father to go to library and get some books. I was reading bound children's book volumes far beyond my reading level.... Heidi (the little Swiss girl and her lamb, etc.), Grimm's Fairytales (European version, with enough violence ), etc. So B. Cleary's books were a relief and such fun to read.  I didn't know 50% of the words of what I was reading since my English reading skill was just starting.  So over the months, I started to recognized words and get the gist of story.  

***So I bypassed alot of child's picture books stage. Alot.

Father really truly wanted us to get our English fluency ramped up...but he wasn't a teacher. Anyway, break-through came, when we were allowed to sign out whatever library books we wanted.  Yes, Little House on the Prairies books went through me and my siblings, etc.

I read Little Women...twice. lst time  I must have been in Gr. 4.  Next time around Gr. 7. I loved it and related to it, somewhat because of Jo and all the sisters.

[Kirby]

I don't recall my parents reading to us, but I do recall their sharing books they loved and letting us know they considered those books "special" and discussing them with us.  My Mom did read aloud to the students in her classroom for a "fun" break in the day.

My family still quotes from some of the Frances and Frog and Toad books.  Each relayed some wonderful concepts that are appropriate all through life with simple phrases and drawings.

[Zephyr]

As a kid, "Alexander the Green Horse with Red Stripes".  About a boy who misbehaved and blames everything on his toy horse (way predates Calvin and Hobbes). They day it arrived as a kid, I had done a lot of the things the horse was accused of and apparently I accused my mom of making up the story to fit my day

As an Adult, Tacky the Penguin because everyone in my family said I was the "Tacky" in our family

As a kid, probably the biggest influence on my life by a book was a book I read in school about a boy who took scuba lessons.  I even remember when I took my course thinking it was like the book.  I could not remember the title but knew what it looked like and after years found it and bought a copy.  (I even had my mom track down my now retired teacher to see if she remembered the books in her class)  it was a book that set me on a path that changed my life

[Wilbur ★]

[Zephyr]

45 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

I remember this book.  The boy squeezed water out of the  cheese and gave the giant a rock!  

[shootingstar]

Jo in Little Women was the tomboy, outspoken young woman, and wanted to become a published writer.  She also marries an older guy, Professor. 

They later had 2 boys.

Aside all these fictional details...it's strange how certain details a child identifies especially the hero or heroine what they wish to be too.  I had forgotten Little Women for 2 decades, until the first movie in colour, was made of the book.

 

[Kirby]

1 hour ago, shootingstar said:

Jo in Little Women was the tomboy, outspoken young woman, and wanted to become a published writer.  She also marries an older guy, Professor. 

They later had 2 boys.

Aside all these fictional details...it's strange how certain details a child identifies especially the hero or heroine what they wish to be too.  I had forgotten Little Women for 2 decades, until the first movie in colour, was made of the book.

I'm still mad

Spoiler

Amy got the trip to Europe with Aunt March.  That should have been Jo's!!!!!!

 

[Randomguy]

I really liked a few books when I was a tiny toddler. 

Aesop's Fables had great illustrations, and I didn't understand the fables but loved to have it read to me.  I memorized a book called "Snow" when I was three, enough to convince my grandmother I could read then when I clearly couldn't. 

I also liked horses if you can believe it, and loved a book called "Little Black, a Pony" or somesuch.  It was all about a pony who got jealous that the growing child ('his' child) of the household started riding the grown horses who could run faster and jump stuff that the pony couldn't.  In this jealous snit, the pony ran off and got in some danger or other, but ultimately ended up rescued by the boy, who decided after to only ride this apparently mentally ill jealous-ass pony.

Plus, you know, 'Go Dog Go' and 'Are You My Mother' and such.

Edit:  I got it wrong and forgot that the boy got in danger when out looking for the insane pony and fell through some ice.  The pony positioned his butt close to the boy,  who was trapped in the icy water, presumably to fart or shartt on the soon to be drowning boy.   The boy grabbed the pony's tail instead and was pulled out of the water, making the pony into a hero.   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394900219/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A3AM3URTMSBDCO&psc=1

I just ordered the book for the princely sum of $2.25 and shipping.  Nostalgia is worth that, I think.

[goldendesign]

Two stand-out favorites to me:

My daughter has a copy of both. She has my original copy of Twiddlebugs. It's the first printing from 1980. She can recite it front to back. 

[Johnny Come Lately Name]

I asked my mother to read me the Little Engine That Could so many times, she ended up teaching me to read - before I went to Kindergarten.

My son liked "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales" - which is a parody of the standard fairy tales. I was so proud of him,

I refused, however, to read him Goodnight Moon. I HATED that book.

I recently found this and sent the link to a former forumite -whose name is Steve - and he responded by sending me a copy autographed by the "author". 

[Chris...]

The girls got a new book today 

[jsharr ★]

I almost forgot about this classic!

[Kirby]

We're calling it off-gassing now!

[Razors Edge ★]

On 4/2/2024 at 9:18 AM, Kirby said:

International Children

Are these kids with dual citizenship? Or just well-traveled kids?  Or maybe just from outside the US? 

[jsharr ★]

1 minute ago, Razors Edge said:

Are these kids with dual citizenship? Or just well-traveled kids?  Or maybe just from outside the US? 

[jsharr ★]

Any book with kittens has got to be good

[jsharr ★]

This book can only be checked out six times by the same kid in Texas.

[Randomguy]

On 4/3/2024 at 9:21 AM, Randomguy said:

I just ordered the book for the princely sum of $2.25 and shipping.  Nostalgia is worth that, I think.

Yay, it is here!

I am gonna post one pic per day so everyone can read it, too.