Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

[Annie]

Other schools close for Martin Luther King Day and Presidents' Day; I figured it wouldn't hurt if we took a break for Dr. Seuss's birthday, since we don't take those other days off. Instead of their regular school subjects, my kids are reading, reading, reading (not just Dr. Seuss stuff).

Who/what are some of y'all's favorite children's authors and books--either ones you enjoyed as a child or ones you've discovered since then?

[Bakershalfdozen]

Arnold Lobel, for one. His "Frog and Toad" books are so cute and he's written some other charming stories as well like Mouse Soup and Owl at Home.

Richard Scarry comes to mind...like all his books

Stan & Jan Berenstain - I like their older books

Rita Golden Gelman - More Spaghetti, I Say! and Why Can't I Fly?

Irene Haas - The Maggie B.

Margret & H.A. Rey - Curious George books

Rev. W. Awdry - Thomas the Tank Engine and friends stories

Jane Yolen - Commander Toad books - If you like Sci-fi, these are hilarious because she is constantly spoofing Star Trek and Star Wars and other famous Sci-fi books and movies.

Peggy Parish - Amelia Bedelia books

Else Holmelund Minarik - Little Bear books

Johanna Spyri - Heidi

A.A. Milne - Pooh books


For older kids...

Kate Seredy - The Good Master, The Singing Tree, The Chestry Oak, The Open Gate

E.B. White - Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, Trumpet of the Swan

Laura Ingalls Wilder - All her books

Marguerite Henry - Misty of Chincoteague and Stormy, Misty's Foal

L.M. Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables books

Lousia May Alcott - Little Women (not really a fave but this is the book Alcott is best-known for); I liked Eight Cousins

Frances Hodgson Burnett - The Secret Garden, A Little Princess

Carol Ryrie Brink - Caddie Woodlawn, Magical Melons

Nan Denker - The Bound Girl

Holly Wilson - Snowbound in Hidden Valley

Charles Major - The Bears of Blue River

Stephen Meader - Red Horse Hill

Dinah Mulock - The Little Lame Prince

J.R.R. Tolkien - his books are literary masterpieces...

Dorothy Canfield - Understood Betsy

Barbara Bates - Trudy Philips books

Enid Blyton - Adventure series

L. Frank Baum - The Wizard of Oz and other stories

Madeleine L'Engle - A Wrinkle In Time


***SIGH*** I could go on and on and I'm sure I've forgotten many that I loved as a child. I love to read; going to the library was and still is a favorite past time.

[CJP56]

What Bakershalfdozen said!!!!! Hee hee. In 1st grade I was reading The 500 hats of Bartholomew Cubbins all by myself, along with And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, and If I ran the Zoo, etc. I love Dr. Seuss's books. How about Walter Farley -- The Black Stallion books. Also Marguerite Henry -- The Misty of Chincoteague books, and King of the Wind. That is my all time favorite since I was 9 years old. I read it so many times the bookmobile guy wouldn't let me borrow it any more. My Mom bought me a copy for my 10th birthday. I still have it.
I have probably read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings 30 times. They are indeed literary masterpieces. (Please don't judge the books by the movies! The movies are trash and garbage!!!! ) CJP56.

[Annie]

Thanks for the input, ladies! I like all of the ones you mentioned also. I've just been compiling a list of "must-read" children's books for a workshop on literature I will be giving soon. I hadn't thought of some of the ones you mentioned. Keep 'em comin'!

[CJP56]

Here are some more good ones:
Kipling--Captains Courageous
Felix Salten--Bambi
Jim KJelgaard--The Black Fawn
Walter Brooks--Freddy and the Men from Mars (There are a lot of the Freddy books)
P.L. Travers--Mary Poppins
Walt Morey--Gentle Ben
Eleanor Porter--Pollyanna
Laura Lee Hope--The Bobbsey Twins, The Bobbsey Twins in the Country, and The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore
Will James--Smoky the Cowhorse
Kate Wiggin--Rebecca of Sunny Brook Farm
Beatrix Potter--The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Dixon--The Hardy Boys
Ralph Moody--Little Britches
George Selden--The Cricket in Times Square
Anderson--The Billy and Blaze books
James Garfield--Follow My Leader
Fred Gipson--Old Yeller
Sterling North--So Dear to my Heart
Mary E. Patchett--Brumby the Wild White Stallion, The Great Barrier Reef
Marshall Saunders--Beautiful Joe
Anna Sewell--Black Beauty
Isaac Asimov--David Starr-Space Ranger

[HappyChristian]

And don't forget Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, and Five Little Peppers All Grown up.

I liked the Sherlock Holmes mysteries as well. The Hound of the Baskervilles was a particular favorite.

[okjac80]

Little House series
and the Ann of Green Gables series

I LOVE those!!!

[Annie]

Little House series
and the Ann of Green Gables series

I LOVE those!!!

Yes. My 10-year-old daughter is currently enjoying Anne of Green Gables.

[JerryNumbers]

I recall in one of my early classes our teacher would read us a story each day about Br're Rabbit. I always looked forwards to the next story. Br're Rabbit seemed to always get in trouble.

Wow, had not given Br're Rabbit a thought in many years.

[okjac80]

I recall in one of my early classes our teacher would read us a story each day about Br're Rabbit. I always looked forwards to the next story. Br're Rabbit seemed to always get in trouble.

Wow, had not given Br're Rabbit a thought in many years.

hahahahaha, that brings back a little incident that happened at college several years back. A "yankee" friend of mine was all upset. She was assigned the reading of a few chapters of Br'er rabbit, and was then told to retell it in her own words. (this was for a speech class by the way). Well, if any of ya'll have ever had the pleasure of reading Br'er Rabbit, you know it isn't common everyday speech. Her being from the north put her in a pickle!! LOL I remember having to "translate" the chapters for her!! LOL

[JerryNumbers]

I read several Br'er Rabbit stories yesterday on the net, was disappointed to find one that ended saying this.

"So whenever Rabbit grew thirsty, he had to turn himself into a faun in order to get a drink from the river."