THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => ENJOY => Topic started by: SonofZ3 on 20 Dec 2007, 21:15
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I was recently discussing childrens books with one of the nurses I work with, so I picked some of the ones from my early childhood up last time I visited my parents. Re-reading them now, some really make me smile. "The Ships Cat" and "The Tyger Voyage" by Richard Adams are still fun. The same nurse had me read "Red Ranger Came Calling" the other night because of its Christmassy mood and I gotta admit, I really enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong, I love my Tolstoy and Hesse and all the others, but if you haven't read any childrens books lately take a couple of minutes and re-read a few, I bet you'll like it.
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Where the wild things are
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i'm a big fan of reading children's lit as an adult. good writing is good writing, regardless of the intended audience. some of my favorites are pretty much anything by bill peet, neil gaiman's coraline, and tuck everlasting.
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Man, Harold and the Purple Crayon is probably the best book.
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Go, Dog Go!
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
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THE LITTLE PRINCE
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Hop on Pop since it taught me how to read
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Even when I was four the alliteration and assonance that Seuss employed with such abandon annoyed me to no end.
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Horton Hears a Who!
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One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!
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Hop on Pop since it taught me how to read
Man, I loved that book to death. I had my parents read it to me so much that I memorized it cover to cover and could recite it back before I knew how to really read.
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Owl Babies.
I still have it on my bookshelf and love it with all my heart. When I was little I liked that the oldest owl baby was named Sarah. It made me feel important and authoritative.
And Harold And The Purple Crayon never ever gets old. God that series is incredible.
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As a little kid, I'd always be reading The Walker Book of Ghost Stories. I took it every where with me, like a beloved soft animal, and the book shows extreme wear and tear form my extreme reading habits. The stories themselves were simplistic in their use of words and the ghost stories were merely spooky rather than scary.
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Owl Babies.
I still have it on my bookshelf and love it with all my heart. When I was little I liked that the oldest owl baby was named Sarah. It made me feel important and authoritative.
Yeah, I've still got my copy too.
Lost my favorite, though.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51JBYZH4W3L.jpg)
HI-LARIOUS.
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I loved those stories!
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Oh my god.
Yes.
One of the best.
Also what was that book of fables with the one about the squid in the title? Something about squids being boring? I think it was by the same authors. It had the stories about the slug who was obsessed with herself so she got smushed by a steamroller and the pigeon who was always fishing for compliments and ended up getting eaten?
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It's kind of cheating since I only found it recently, but I love Owl Moon.
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Audible gasp! Stinky Cheese Man! Which reminds me that I used to have that book, and I don't know what happened to it, and that cannot stand.
Also: Wayside Stories. And I remember laboring over the Velveteen Rabbit when I was a wee one. I can kinda see why now; not only was/am I a bad reader, there were some words in there that a wee one wouldn't know anymore.
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Poems by Shel Silverstein are pretty much awesome.
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This thread has prompted me to dig out my dad's old copy of The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, which I loved as a kid. Will report back once I've got started on it.
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The Phantom Tollbooth
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sideways stories from wayside school
ramona books
mouse and the motorcycle
phantom tollbooth
wrinkle in time
island of the blue dolphins
younger kids books...
why do mosquitoes buzz in people's ears... or something like that
a story a story
corduroy
where the wild things are
the lorax
this is all very essential reading.
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Horton Hears a Who!
So apparently they are making a movie of my favourite children's book.
WHO ELSE IS THRILLED?
Just me? Ah, well.
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What was the name of that children's book with the young woman, or little girl, and she wore a yellow dress, and she felt the moon was following her around places?
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yelley, your post just about sums it up - ALL those books are brilliant.
I would also add Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
Oh, and everything Roald Dahl ever wrote - esp Mathilda.
My favorite Dr. Seuss was always The Sleep Book.
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Man, I loved that book to death. I had my parents read it to me so much that I memorized it cover to cover and could recite it back before I knew how to really read.
My little sister did that with Go Dog Go.
I've always been a pretty big fan of The Monster at the End of This Book. I also read lots and lots of dinosaur books as a child. Also, Richard Scarry, although looking through those old books as a young adult kind of freaks me out (They're eating chicken but one of them is a bird OH GOD).
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Anything by Enid Blyton was great for me as a kid - my mum actually passed hers along to me when I started school. I loved reading The Magic Faraway Tree and Naughty Amelia Jane, Secret Seven and Fantastic Five were just awesome.
Also - Oh The Things You Can Think! by Dr. Suess. A fair few tongue twisters in there for little kids - I love tripping up my own nephews with them these days.
Heck, I still buy "children's literature". When I was about 8 I started collecting the Baby Sitters Club books, I have almost 100 of them, and okay, some may be doubles, but, if I see them - garage sales, opportunity shops, library book sales, I'll buy them. They were great books for me to "cut my teeth on".
However, one question, what's Horton Hears A Who, about? I've heard mention of it several times (in different circles), and now I'm really curious.
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The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
I forgot about that book, but I remember it now! It was awesome. I think next time I'm in a bookstore, I'll pick it up.
(http://www.ofertondelibros.com/images/large/isbn978038/9780380978274-l.jpg)
If you like either of those two, pick it up.
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Something about squids being boring?
Hey!
My dad used to read me The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy but I'm not sure that's a kid's book. I used to read Sherlock Holmes when I was in primary school, that was pretty cool. Basically what I am saying is that I was crap at being a child.
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(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZHRFF5SWL._SS500_.jpg)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51K633Z7D9L._SS500_.jpg)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51409TYEF8L._SS500_.jpg)
basically anything illustrated by Chris Riddell
and Roald Dahl, always.
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Where the wild things are
[img width= height=]http://www.timelineuniverse.net/images/wild_things.jpg[/img]
Seriously, one of my top 10 favorite books, and probably what got me into graphic novels (indirectly I guess).
Also:
[img width= height=]http://fatbackpublishing.com/bookstore/images/alexander.jpg[/img]
I wonder if it was ever published in Australia . . . .
and
[img width= height=]http://www.suite101.com/files/topics/16862/files/cover.jpg[/img]
and definitely
[img width= height=]http://www.okanagan.bc.ca/Assets/Departments+(Administration)/Library/Images/deakin/thecremationofsammcgee.jpg[/img]
I don't think it's too much to say that I love literature and poetry due in large part to reading the above over and over between 4 and 6.
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and Roald Dahl, always.
I think the development of my sense of humor as a child was influenced mainly by Bill Watterson, Roald Dahl, and Shel Silverstein.
Also, I loved Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day as a kid.
Also great: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61850RSK98L.jpg)
Once these books get out of the garage, I'm hoarding 'em for my future offspring, shall they come to pass.
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Wayside School, Stinky Cheese Man, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and many of the others all are just great. Maybe 15% of my desire to someday procreate comes from wanting to be able to read kids books without needing some weak rationalization.
The one I haven't seen here is Dr. Seuss' Butter Battle Book it does a great job of summing up the pointlessness of war and ridiculous military display. It's a rather large message for a kids book but then again Dr. Seuss seemed to do a great job of weaving deep meaning into ostensibly childish works.
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After a phone conversation this morning with my 7 year old nephew, I couldn't believe I'd forgotten the Far Out, Brussle Sprout book. It's full of kids ryhmes and chants. *That* made me remember Mr Archimedes Bath by Pamela Allen. Now *that* would have to have been my all time favourite book in Kindagarten. About a man who has a bath and all his animals get in with him, making the bath over-flow. It makes maths fun, just like Who Sank The Boat?.
But the ultimate, I think, for Australian children anyway, is May Gibbs' Gumnut Babies: Snugglepot & Cuddlepie, what Aussie kid (I'm not sure if they're widely known any where else, so, forgive my ignorance), even today, doesn't know of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie and the scary Banksia Men?
Awww man, now I wished I lived back at my parents' so I could have all these books back within reach.
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Anything done by Jon Scieszka is pretty great. I should look for my Time Warp Trio books. They were pretty fun reads.
Also, Captain Underpants?
Everworld?
Artemis Fowl?
These were my favorite books when I was in those grades one through four. I do not remember what ages those were.
Also, cheating the Choose Your Own Adventure Goosebumps books in the library. I never actually took one out, because for me the books emitted this acrid aura of sick malignant tumors. The things were diseased (I got very scared reading Goosebumps in third grade.) and they belonged on those shelves, but I could still indulge while I was there.
The Dark Is Rising might be one of the great children's fantasy series'. Later on there was His Dark Materials and The House Of The Scorpion, but I had already graduated fourth grade.
I completely agree with The Phantom Tollbooth.
Edit: Also also, anything done by the guy who did Where The Wild Things Are is excellent.
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Anything done by Jon Scieszka is pretty great. I should look for my Time Warp Trio books. They were pretty fun reads.
Math Curse, anyone? No? C'mon!
Concurring with The Phantom Tollbooth and Where the Wild Things Are
Adding: The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt. Also, has anyone ever read books by Gordon Korman? I'm a big fan of Who Is Bugs Potter? and Don't Care High.
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I could read Meanwhile by Jules Feiffer for a very long time, over and over again.
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Boy, by Roald Dahl is one of my all-time favorite children's books. I also love Julie of the Wolves, My Side of the Mountain, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, everything by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The Sparrow's Story at the King's Command is absolutely beautiful. The Elephant's Child is super cute. Fox in Sox and If I Ran the Zoo are my favorite Dr. Seuss books. Geez, I read way too many kid's books; but I can't help it because I love them.
I agree with whoever said Richard Scarry and Owl at Home.
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Sorry for not quoting everything I want to here, but I have a paper to write so I'm sort of pressed for time.
I would like to start by thanking everyone who posted thus far for reminding me of some of the favorite books from my childhood. I LOVE The Phantom Tollbooth, and Island of the Blue Dolphins. Seuss was always a given classic. I also loved Stellaluna, if anyone ever read that.
Also, Artemis Fowl. Love it. That is the only book (The Harry Potter series aside) that I ever kept up with from my early childhood. When The Lost Colony came out last year I was not embarrassed at all to carry it around school reading between classes. True inspiration.
I hate to say it, but my reading level progressed faster than most of my peers, so I missed out on a lot of good childhood books because I started reading older stuff at a younger age. Like, fourth and fifth grade girls probably shouldn't be trying to get through Stephen King novels. That said, I loved Goosebumps, and everything else R.L. Stein put out (Fear Street, I believe the other series was called?).
And The Bailey School Kids were always fun for me, though I don't know if they were ever widely popular...
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Phantom Toll Booth was awesome.
Also, this is one of my faves from childhood:
(http://images.bestwebbuys.com/muze/books/68/9780613034968.jpg)
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(http://www.weymouth.ma.us/CMS200Sample/uploadedimages/redwall.jpg)
I read the hell out of those books from like 4th grade through about 6th, all in all I probably read the first 12 or so.
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Oh, Redwall! I had almost forgotten about those. I think I only ever made it through the first two before something got in the way, and I forgot all about them. I wonder if they'd be worth going back and trying to read through, or if I wouldn't enjoy them as much now...
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Oooh, that Redwall looks interesting... I may just have to check them out at my local book store.
But, they did remind me... The Rats of N.I.M.H series :D I loved those as a kid. Specifically the first two - Mrs. Frisby (Brisby) and the Rats of N.I.H.M and Rasco and the Rats of N.I.H.M. Wasn't quite fussed on the third one though, if I remember correctly.
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There were more N.I.M.H. books? I only read the first. I watched like three straight to video cartoons of it though.
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LoL, yeah there were, written by the Original Author's daughter. I was in grade 3 when our teacher started reading us the series. I moved away before we could finish the third book, and couldn't find them at my new school library, so eventually gave up *g*. Have just ordered a new copy of Mrs Brisby and the Rats of N.I.M.H through the local book store, and have them currently looking for the second one, Rasco and the Rats of N.I.M.H for me.
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I hope there's nothing wrong with fourth and fifth grade girls reading Stephen King. I ate his stuff up at that age, having gotten addicted to horror novels in third grade when I read the Exorcist.
Stellaluna is great. Which reminds me that The Trumpet of the Swan is, too.
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I read Stephen King at that age. My teachers thought I was a bit weird when I brought out Pet Semetary during reading time in class.
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I loved Stellaluna. I've never read The Trumpet of the Swan... I'll have to look into that.
Yeah, that's actually when I started reading R.L. Stein... when I started reading Stephen King, that is. My teachers thought that if I was going to read horror, I should probably read more age-appropriate 'horror'. It didn't work, but at least I got exposed to another author I ended up liking. ^_^
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God I was hoping someone would post Redwall. "Martin the Warrior", "Mossflower", and "Legend of Luke" make up one of the best trilogies ever, period. Go read them.
Phantom Tollbooth is another good one, but the one I vividly remember: The Polar Express.
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Any of the Faraway tree series. Especially when your older brother reads Moonfaces name with a heavy greek accent.
Also Stephen King was also a favourite at a young age. Anything that gave you goosebumps.
When I was much younger I was a fan of The Big Orange Splot, though always thought purple would have been a better colour.
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I loved:
A Wrinkle in Time, the whole series really
The Secret Garden
Bridge to Tarabithia
The Redwall Series
The Chronicles of Narnia (until I realized that C.S. Lewis had tricked me and that it was really just a lot of propaganda hidden behind talking animals and magic. I felt lied to.)
Dr. Seuss books of all sorts
Where the Wild Things Are
Shel Silverstein poems
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
The Abhorsen trilogy
bunches more but I can't think of them...
A YA novel that I am looking forward to is Little Brother by Corey Doctorow. Curse Neil Gaiman for having it already and taunting me with good things to say about it. I have to wait until April 29 like all people that aren't ridiculously awesome writers.
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I remember reading Go, Dog, Go! and all the Dr. Suess books. That taught me how to read.
Then I jumped into Sherlock Holmes Short Stories, Mark Twain. I got into Gosebumps in 2nd grade, just to see what the hype was about.
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Oh God, yes. Anything by Kit Pearson is a good read.
I loved anything by R. Dahl too. James and the Giant Peach... Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Hmm Freckle Juice was good. I really liked the Anne of Green Gables series. The Secret Garden and A Little Princess were awesome too, the latter being such a tear jerker in the middle.
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Frog and Toad.
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The Phantom Tollbooth
I have unending love for that book. So many life lessons in the same place. Also anything Dahl, specifically Matilda, and some of the Janet Taylor Lisle books, specifically Forest and the Lampfish of Twill. And I will never forget A Cricket in Time Square and The Girl Who Owned A City.
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Frog and Toad! I forgot about Frog and Toad. Those claymation videos they made for those were pretty righteous, too.
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I really like the Tiffany Aching books in the Discworld series(yes I admit I am a Pratchettfag), Wee Free Men, Hatful of Sky and Wintersmith. They're in the pre-production stages of making Wee Free Men into a movie, supposadly with either Terry Gilliam or Sam Raimi as the director, I would prefer the former seeing as Raimi's better films seem to be behind him and he's become too mainstream.
Although if he were to do the Discworld movies that would increase the chances of Bruce Campbell playing Sam Vimes... Not that he's in any Tiffany Aching books(yet).
Also anything by Rhold Dhall(am i getting his name right? it's been a while) is perfect for kids of any age, if not to read then to have read to them.
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James and the giant peach, the wolfes in the wall and Coraline. Coraline is beeing made into a film :D
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I'm still very much addicted to The Four Seasons of Brambly Hedge.