Another fun topic from The Broke and the Bookish, and another late posting. But I just couldn’t miss posting on children’s books, one of my favourite genres. I just wonder if I’ll be able to keep the list at ten only.
1.
Flip The Story of An Otter is an obscure book but an old one which I loved when I went to elementary school. In fact, it’s the first book I actually read as a child, and the library card was full of my name and no one else’s. That in itself shows how much I loved reading it.
2.
Swallows and Amazons absolutely mesmerized me. From the holiday in the Lake District, to camping on an island, to a war with savages, not to mention a scary pirate, this book is certainly at the top of my list. If I could time travel I think I’d choose this time period and this particular area in England. Pure fun!
3.
What is a Moomin? A white, snuggly, Hippo-like creature who completely captivates your imagination. There is nothing more exciting than following Moomintroll and his family on their adventures, and meeting their group of rather eclectic friends, from the Hemulen the botanist, to the Muskrat the philosopher. This book is a brilliant imaginative creation and certainly a childhood favourite.
4.
Milo and Tock go together like bread and butter, and what could make up a better story than one made from letters and numbers in a creative soup of adventure. The mission? To rescue Rhyme and Reason, yet what can a rather apathetic boy and a ticking dog do? Read and you will discover!
5.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was the only one of the Narnia books that I read as a child but I remember being captivated by it. Sadly, when I read it as an adult, I couldn’t revive the same feeling, but in compensation, I was able to draw out some of the more adult themes. I did finally read the complete series last year and my reviews can be found in my reviews master list on this blog.
6.
Elmer from My Father’s Dragon is a kid after my own heart. His inventiveness and persistence made me want to be more like him. Imagine using bubblegum to escape when faced with terrifying tigers! He’s just awesome. There are two other books in this series: Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland but I think this first one is the best.
7.
My grandmother owned this book and I can remember searching for it on her bookshelves each time I visited and curling up with it in the big easy chair. I remember absolutely loving it, but curiously I can’t recall any details, which is why I have plans to re-read it in the next little while. I hope I still have the same nostalgic and fond feelings for it.
8.
Who could not adore this bear-with-little-brain? I loved Pooh, I loved his friends and I especially loved the adventures that they had.
9.
And the moral of the story? Care. And at the very least, never, never, never say, “I don’t care,” unless you are prepared for the fatal consequences. Sendak at his finest.
10.
What would you do if you discovered a rather grumpy fairy who granted wishes? Surely your life would exceed your expectations, as you could now have anything you wanted. Yet these four brothers and sisters find that fondest desires don’t always turn out as expected, and with the power to create reality comes an even greater responsibility. This book is hilarious and kept me laughing from beginning to end. It’s the first of a trilogy, followed by The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Story of the Amulet.
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I LOVE Swallows and Amazons! I'd like to re-read that as well. Oh, and Winnie the Pooh! Also, as I've said to you before, the CS Lewis 🙂 Great list! 😀
I've read some of these but I've never even heard of Swallows and Amazons, Flip, Finn Family, or My Father's Dragon. I am going to look them up now on Amazon. Thanks for sharing these.
Have you read the complete Swallows and Amazons series? I've read about 4-5 of them so I still have a few to go.
Oh Sharon, I think you'd love the Moomintroll books (there's a number of them) and the Swallows and Amazons series!! The others are excellent as well, but you can't beat Tove Jansson or Arthur Ransome for their fabulous stories. I hope you let me know what you think when you read them!
Swallows and Amazons is one of my favourite childhood memories. Loved it!
No, only read the first one. I have a few of the others but not read them yet. Probably should build the collection up a bit before I embark on reading them all 🙂
(Just looked – I've got S&A, Swallowdale, The Picts and the Martyrs, and Great Northern).
I'm so glad to hear that there are others who know about Swallows and Amazons, and O and I aren't the only ones!
I am not familiar with most of these other than Narnia, Phantom Tollbooth and Winnie the Pooh. 'Pierre' looks pretty good though. Sendak is da man.
I have no idea what your taste in children's literature is now, but you should check out Swallows and Amazons at least. I'm not sure how you'd feel about Finn Family Moomintroll but it can be a little sci-fi in an odd way, so you may like it. My Father's Dragon and The Five Children and It, I'd recommend to you too.
I never read Finn Family Moomintroll or My Father's Dragon as a child, but I've enjoyed reading them to my son. I think we're going to start on E. Nesbit soon…one of my all-time faves. We started Swallows and Amazons but it was a bit wordy for a read-aloud. I think he's a bit young for it perhaps. Thank you for sharing your list!
Swallows and Amazons can get quite intricate, so you may perhaps have to wait until your son is a little older. When you get a few books into the series they actually go on a voyage to hunt for treasure so it gets quite exciting.
Now you're tempting me to go on an E Nesbit binge. There are still some books of hers that I haven't read and she was one of my favourites. Perhaps a project for next year!
These are my favorite sorts of lists! I haven't even heard of some of these nor read most, but those I know are certainly excellent. The Lewis would be on my own list, if I made one, I'm sure. As would the Moomins IF I had discovered them as a child! At least those are so delightful that they can be still enjoyed as an adult.
Yes, I know a little about your love of children's literature! 😉 I have to do a Moomin series re-read soon. They're so much fun!
Most of these I've never heard of. The Phantom Toll Booth is one I really want to read. I'll probably wait until my son is older and read it with him. Very cool list!
The Phantom Tollbooth is fantastic! I hope you both enjoy it when you get around to reading it.
There are so many excellent older children's books that have passed out of the mainstream. If I could get around to updating my children's blog more often, I would be trying to get some of them out there and perhaps start a classic children's book revival. 😉 Now I just have to find more time in the day …..