Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery - Ah, Anne! I just adore her. Being adopted, loving to read, and having a big imagination, I really identified with her when I was a kid. I have very fond memories of my dad reading the series to me at bedtime and I re-read them many times on my own. It's time for another go-round, actually. To this day I fully believe in the concept of kindred spirits and I love the name Cordelia.
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster - Hilarious, unique and clever. Milo's quest to find the Princesses Rhyme and Reason is unforgettable, as are all the characters he meets along the way, especially brave, faithful Tock (the watchdog (who actually goes tick) and the ridiculous Humbug. (I still come out of the side of King Azaz, the words are more important than numbers.) A wonderful tribute to the importance of knowledge.
Gordon Korman's early books - particularly the Bruno and Boots series, No Coins, Please and, my favourite, I Want to go Home! Hilariously funny, period. I read them over and over myself, I bought them at the school's Scholastic booksale, I read them to my mom, I pretended to have an older brother named Bruno who went to boarding school in Ontario...
Heidi by Johanna Spyri - My mom had an old, old copy of the book and it was another bedtime read with my dad. The story completely captured my imagination. I'd draw pictures of the mountain covered in wildflowers with Peter and his goats. I'd hide behind our sofa eating bread and cheese and pretend I was living in the cabin with Grandfather. Dad's school did a stage version of it and I saw the movie with Shirley Temple, too - I couldn't get enough of Heidi.
A picture book of Cinderella - I have no idea who illustrated/adapted it, but oh, boy - do I remember how much I loved the illustration of Cinderella's dress - I thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world.
The Old Joke Book by Janet and Allan Ahlberg - I checked this one out of my local library so many times!! I still have a soft spot for the Ahlbergs because of it. I loved its comic-book style and corny jokes. I guess it was my first introduction to British humour, which would become a life-long love.
11 comments:
I love Anne of Green Gables! Can't believe I left that one off of my list. Oh well, there are so many good childhood books. :)
There were so many books to mention that I didn't include Heidi on my list, but I did love that story. I have an interesting version on DVD. It is from 1968 and stars Maximilian Schell. There are some differences from the book version, but I LOVE the scenery and the whole tone of the movie.
I just got around to reading Anne of Green Gables last year. Can't believe I never read it as a kid.
I think I Want to Go Home is Korman's funniest book ever.
We do have some in common - I forgot to put Heidi and its sequel on my list, but I loved those books too.
the Ahlbergs - we have a children's book called Peep-O by them. It's adorable, set in the 1950s England.
Heidi is one memorable book. I loved to watch the series too.
Childhood Memories
Is it bad that I've never read an Anne book? I loved your post!
I completely forgot about The Phantom Tollbooth. I'll have to go dig that one up - it's been too long since I spent some quality time with Milo.
Oh! The Phantom Tollbooth! I forgot about that one completely when I wrote my post. :( And I too loved those joke books - I tried them all out on my sister over and over and over and over ... LOL
Em - It was definitely hard to narrow it down! :)
Terri - That does sound like an interesting version, I may have to hunt it up. I'm glad you finally got around to Anne! :)
Raidergirl - I agree, it's hilariously funny and I love it to this day. I think I had the American version of Peep-o, I think it was called Peek-a-boo.
Gautami - There's really something about Heidi that just stays with you.
Stephanie - Thanks! It's not bad if they don't interest you. I do know a few people who aren't fans of Anne (heathens!!) :)
Mary and Heather - Yup, it's a great one. I should dig out my copy and have another go.
I'm amazed at how many people mention Gordon Korman. I live in New Zealand and he is/was an obscure author here (most of our books came from the UK rather than the US). I only found him by chance because my brother got one of his books through the school book clubs.
Kerry - I was surprised, too. I knew fellow Canadians would know about him, but I can't believe he was making an impact all those years ago in other places, too! And he's still going strong, it's amazing.
I came to The Phantom Tollbooth a little late (okay, I read it last year), but I loved it, too! Definitely very clever.
Post a Comment