So, many of you might have thought that I had forgotten about my children's lit post, but I haven't!! Here it is, possibly in progress. I have a feeling I will add and tweak as ideas come to me.
Although there are several titles that are important and valuable to include in the childhood experience, I tend to focus on authors. If I find a book that I really love, then I want to read more by that author. I think that is something that we all do. So, for my Children's Library Essentials List, I included mostly authors with some title recommendations for each. There will be some titles, however, as there are books out there that I've come across that I really love, but I don't know all that much about the authors' other books.
I also organized the list by chapter books and picture books. When I think of children's lit, I automatically think of chapter books because of the age that I teach. I have to know a lot about the world of YA lit for my job, so I don't stay as focused on the amazing world of picture books as I would like.
One more aside to all this - I tried to think of books that I actually enjoyed as a child or that I would have enjoyed as a child, not books that I think are important as a teacher.
So, this is my grand list. I recommend any or all of the following in no particular order:
Chapter Books
- EB White - Charlotte's Web, of course, but I also loved The Trumpet of the Swan
- Roald Dahl - ALL titles by Roald Dahl. Children should all experience more Dahl than Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys - I only read the former of these when I was young, but I think they both follow the same general model. However, I think they are making new, more modern story lines with Nancy Drew, and I do not recommend that. I'm sure they're just as good as the oldies, but there's something about those hard back books with the yellow spine all lined up on the book shelf, the ones with the drawings on the cover and interspersed throughout the story of a perfectly coiffed Nancy in cigarette pants and loafer flats while shining a flashlight under a canoe that are just so appealing.
- Beverly Cleary - the Ramona Quimby series and the Ralph books, of course. Classics.
- Judy Blume - Ahh, the innocence of Super Fudge and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing before graduating to Are you There God, It's Me Margaret?, Deenie, and Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself. Judy Blume gave me that childhood sense of what it would be like to be a child in NYC. It seemed huge and fantastic and an amazing environment in which to be comfortable.
- The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint Exupery) - I'm not sure if high school French classes are reading this anymore. I remember my sister tossing around a copy of The Little Prince in French at some point. I did not read this in English or otherwise until I was grown, and I wish I had read it as a child. I might not have walked into it expecting some higher philosophical message; I could have just enjoyed it with childhood simplicity.
- Tuck Everlasting - by Natalie Babbit.
- EL Konigsburg - From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. This book also influenced my NYC ideals. All I wanted to do was sleep at the Met at night and enjoy the city by day. The whole world was at Claudia and Jamie's feet.
- Madeline L'Engle - delightfully creepy and weird, sci fi mixed with issues of faith. If nothing else, read A Wrinkle in Time so you will know what a tesseract is.
- Because of Winn Dixie - by Kate DiCamillo
- Bridge to Terabithia (Katherine Paterson) This was the first book ever to make me cry. I read it in one night in the 5th grade - the night before I was supposed to be finished with it for school.
- Harry Potter - I don't care who you are, these books are so good when you finally commit. When HP first came out, I heard a lot of hype before giving in. When I finally did, I wondered where he had been all my life.
- Little House on the Prairie - What little girl's book shelf is complete without the Laura Ingalls Wilder section of those 9 perfect paperbacks? You can't skip Farmer Boy just because it's different.
- Narnia - I never read the Narnia series. Okay, back off. Don't judge me! I have always wanted to learn more about CS Lewis, starting with the Narnia books. Hmmm, guess I just made a little goal for myself. I'm sure that means I'll just rent Shadowlands and call it a day.....dang, for a lover of books, I'm surprisingly lazy about reading!!
- Junie B Jones - those of you who work with me heard the same story about the 2nd grade teacher who had replaced over 600 classroom copies of Junie B Jones because the kids kept stealing them. I think that speaks for itself.
- Gary Paulsen - Hatchet, The Cay, etc.....good rough and tumble male oriented tales of survival.
- Louis Sachar - Wayside School series and Holes. I have discovered this guy in the past 10 years or so, and I really love him. It seems he was a lawyer before he realized that he hated it and turned to writing children's lit. Don't take my word for it on that 10 second bio, but the guy is awesome. The Wayside School books are wacky and nuts, and then you get to Holes. And you realize that Sachar was holding back in Wayside. He has some serious story telling skills!! Holes is my absolute favorite children's book that I have read as an adult (with the exception of Harry).
- Christopher Paul Curtis - The Watsons go to Birmingham and Bud, Not Buddy. Watsons depicts a boy who was visiting his family in Birmingham at the time of the bombing at the 16th St. Baptist Church. This point of view on that frightening event was very well written.
Listed Below are some timeless chapter book classics, necessary for all libraries:
- Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.
- Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
- The Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum
- The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein
Picture Books
- Shel Silverstein - Don't Bump the Glump is being reprinted as of late. Go. Get. A. Copy. NOW!!! And you should have a collection of Shel lines memorized to have for regular entertainment purposes.
- Tomie DiPaola - this Italian American queen is a wicked good illustrator, His unobtrusive bunnies and peacocks amid the elaborate tile work of an Italian village in Strega Nona are perfection.
- Chris VanAllsburg - this guy is unreal. I usually hate art work that looks like a photograph. And, although his illustrations are ultra-realistic, their beauty far surpasses the content of any old photo. Not only that, his story lines are as ethereal as his pictures. Although Jumanji and The Polar Express are old standards, I highly recommend The Stranger. The answer to the questions created in this story seems so simple and yet so abstract.
- Maurice Sendak - I dig this guy because of Where the Wild Things Are, and I've never loved another of his books as much as I love that one.
- Babar - (Jean de Brunhoff ) There is something about the king and queen elephants in their royal robes against the starry night sky that I found beautiful when I was little.
- Peter Rabbit (Beatrix Potter) - Peter Rabbit, as well as the several stories also written by Potter (like Squirrel Nutkin and Benjamin Bunny) were a mainstay on my book shelves, as well as porcelain lamps, tea sets, etc.....
- David Weisner - this dude is COOL. He has two titles (Tuesday and Flotsam) that I know of that are completely illustrated; You create the story.
Here are some undisputed essentials:
- Richard Scarry - without a doubt!! I remember gazing at the pictures in these books for what seemed like hours
- Milne - aside from Pooh, I have only seen his poetry books. I love them all.
- Good Night Moon (Margaret Wise Brown)
- The Snowy Day (Ezra Jack Keats)
Some other Picture Book authors and/or titles of note:
Patricia Polacco
Jon Scieszka
Virginia Lee Burton
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Alexander books by Judith Viorst
Peggy Rathman
Kevin Henkes
Richard Scarry
P.D. Eastman
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Miss Suzie by Miriam Young
Angelina Ballerina by Katherine Hollabird
Old Black Witch by Wende Devlin
Toot and Puddle by Hollie Hobby
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, John Archambault, Ray Charles
Well, there it is. This list, very much like my wedding guest list, is surely missing some important names, and it seems to be in terrible disarray. Also, I was not able to include all of your suggestions because I was not familiar enough with all of them. But thank you so much for all of your wonderful suggestions.
Jacks had a play date today with his friend Cooper B. from his class. I don't think I have ever seen Jacks so thrilled to have a guest in his life - with the exception of his Queenie (my mother). He danced just about the entire time Cooper was here. It was adorable. We will definitely do this more - the boys had a blast!
