I think that many parents get caught up in all of the latest and greatest book releases for sharing with their children. And, I know that when my kids were in public school, most of the books that they had read to them in the library (as well as many in the classroom) had been written in the last ten years or so.
Now, don’t get me wrong. There are so many amazing books that have come out in the last ten years. Personally, I am a huge fan of Kevin Henkes’ books. (Oh, Chrysanthemum — I do love that sweet little mouse!) But, I think it’s an oversight to forget about older books.
And, do you know what my favorite way to pick older books is?
It’s to read the children some of my favorite books when I was a kid!
Not only does this introduce the kids to books that they are not familiar with, but it shares my love of children’s books with them. It’s hard for the enthusiasm to not be contagious when Mom is reading and keeps saying, “Oh — I forgot about this part!” or “I used to read this book over and over when I was your age!”
Just the other night, we sat for quite a while on the couch reading the 1973 edition of The Bears’ Almanac (by the Berenstains). Not only did we all enjoy the lively almanac, but I got to share stories about my twin sisters with the kids. You see, the book was actually theirs (I wasn’t born when it was published!), and they had a habit of writing in all of their books. So, we got to laugh at all the little pictures they wrote in. What a hoot! (My kids were both amused and horrified.)
Some childhood favorites of mine that I have recently shared with my kids or plan on sharing soon (besides the Almanac):
- Bread and Jam for Francis (and all of the other Francis books!)
- Poems by Shel Silverstein (which my Mom and I used to memorize)
- The Missing Piece
- Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now (which Noah reads every time he gets a free choice book now, because it cracks him up)
- Frog and Toad
- Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
- Amelia Bedelia
- Nate the Great
That’s just to name a very, very few. Because I also want to hear from you! What are some of your favorite children’s books — past and present?
Angie can be found writing at Many Little Blessings where she shares about daily life with her family, household management ideas, easy recipes, and ways to try to live a little more simply.
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Thanks for sharing your favourite read-alouds.
I think the old ones are the best. Some of the books we have enjoyed so far and will read shortly are The Faraway Tree Stories by Enid Blyton, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, Mr Popper’s Penguins by R. Atwater, The Borrowers series by Mary Norton and my favourite the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis.
I’m looking forward to seeing what others have enjoyed.
I loved Amelia Bedelia! Have you read the Great Brain series? They’re a lot of fun! And My Side of the Mountain is one of my all time favorites.
My mom read “Little House on the Prairie” out loud to my sisters and me.
One of my favorite books as a child was The Color Kittens by Margaret Wise Brown. The funny thing about this book is I didn’t remember it until I found a copy recently. Wow, then the memories flooded back of all the pictures. Margaret Wise Brown is now one of my favorite authors to read to my daughter. I have discovered that she wrote many! Also Virginia Lee Burton is a favorite as well, even though I don’t remember reading it as a child.
I loved Harry By the Sea by Gene Zion (I think). I still have my copy.
My kids have recently gotten REALLY into Dr Seuss and Shel Silverstein, as we checked out audio books of theirs. They LOVED Where the Sidewalk Ends. And I loved saying the words along with David Hyde Pierce for One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish!!
A few favorites that I like to share with my kids from my own childhood are Katy No Pockets, Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing, and Can I Keep Him? My MIL recently passed along a bunch of picture books by Mitsumasa Anno from when hubby and BIL were young. They are treasure, for sure.
How funny! My mom sent me home recently with a huge box of books from when I was little, so my sons and I have been working our way through them. So many of the ones you mention are in there, including the Berenstain Bears Almanac! The boys have been having a blast reading the same books mom read when she was their age ( I know, SO long ago!).
I like Encyclopedia Brown and Wrinkle in Time. Oh, and CS Lewis.
Hugs,
Melinda
Thank you so much for sharing your list. I do not have memories of books liked for little little ones. So I had to wait until recently to share my favorites with her. Please share some of these with my Friday Finds
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Av-fhSkWm8A/SPf_TsD9NwI/AAAAAAAAAEc/awWh0OOItBQ/s320/friday+find.jpg
Besides the books mentioned, a few I loved:
The Wednesday Witch; Geared towards girls (7 or 8ish), but fun.
The Jungle Book & Rikki Tikki Tavi.