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DerynifanK

March 17, 2024, 03:48:44 PM
Happy St Patrick's Day. Enjoy the one day of the year when the whole world is Irish.

Children's Books

Started by Elkhound, August 03, 2012, 08:26:27 AM

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Elkhound

The mention of "Justin Morgan Had a Horse" and the children's literature sequence in the Olympics Opening has moved me to ask this.

Sometimes when I get 'down', I will go and read some of the children's books I read when I was younger.  Most recently, I re-read some of the Melendy family books by Elizabeth Enright.  Anyone here know them?  They are VERY different from KK, of course.

lenni

Quote from: Elkhound on August 03, 2012, 08:26:27 AM
Sometimes when I get 'down', I will go and read some of the children's books I read when I was younger.  Most recently, I re-read some of the Melendy family books by Elizabeth Enright.  Anyone here know them?  They are VERY different from KK, of course.

I do the same thing and also LOVE the Melendy books (among others) by Elizabeth Enright! I was first introduced to them in the late 1960's or early 1970's. YAY for good memories! Unfortunately, my copies are in storage and they are not available electronically. :-(

Kathleen/Lenni

Elkhound

Don't you have a public library in your town?

cynicalmedic

The Phantom Tollbooth is a favorite of mine - I have always loved the story of Milo, who had nothing to do, and Tock the watchdog.  ;D
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It's not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?
David Gilmour/Richard Wright/Nick Mason

Alkari

Kim has always been my favourite - along with the Swallows and Amazons books.   

Jerusha

#5
Although I'm sure I read children's books, the ones I remember most were The Saint, Charlie Chan, and Reginald Fortune.  Not exactly children's books, but I was an odd child.   ;D
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

Elkhound

Quote from: cynicalmedic on August 05, 2012, 11:26:44 AM
The Phantom Tollbooth is a favorite of mine - I have always loved the story of Milo, who had nothing to do, and Tock the watchdog.  ;D

In some ways, "Phantom Tollbooth" is a modern "Alice in Wonderland."

cynicalmedic

I was lucky - my parents gave me free reign in my reading choices, with certain limitations. They did take Andersonville away from me - both thought it too intense for a nine year old.

I used to save my allowance for the school book fairs, and my grandfather would match what I had saved. It was always a joyous day when the order arrived, because I would closet myself in my room with the new pile. ;D
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It's not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?
David Gilmour/Richard Wright/Nick Mason

Evie

Looking back, I think a lot (though not all) of my favorite children's books would fit at least loosely into what I would consider to be science fiction and/or fantasy genre selections in my later years.  There were the Narnia and Hobbit/LOTR books, the Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander, and the Borrowers series by Mary Norton (that last series ought to be no surprise to anyone who knows my love of miniatures!), as well as The Phantom Tollbooth and probably scores of others that aren't coming to mind at the moment.  Even as far back as first or second grade, I remember a series about adventures on a Mushroom Planet, although that was so long ago, I don't recall the author or specific titles anymore.  Childhood favorites that didn't fall in that genre would include Shane, Black Beauty (the original, unabridged version), Johnny Tremain, Swiss Family Robinson (never mind some datedness and the utter impossibility of all of those animal species turning up on the same island, so maybe it's a form of speculative fiction after all?), and pretty much anything by Dr. Seuss.  And also Go Dogs, Go!  I wanted to have a party up in a tree too, with or without a fancy party hat.   ;) 
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Jerusha

Mr. Bass's Planetoid would be one of the mushroom planet books, IIRC.  I guess I wasn't the only person who read those.   :D
From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night...good Lord deliver us!

 -- Old English Litany

cynicalmedic

I liked John Bellairs mysteries, too, and Scott O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins and Julie of the Wolves. My husband jokes that I will read anything, but finds it amusing I run screaming from the romance genre. It may be post traumatic stress from the one Barbara Cartland novel I read in junior high school. :P
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It's not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?
David Gilmour/Richard Wright/Nick Mason

Alkari

#11
Quote from: Evie on August 07, 2012, 12:56:36 PM
Looking back, I think a lot (though not all) of my favorite children's books would fit at least loosely into what I would consider to be science fiction and/or fantasy genre selections in my later years.  There were the Narnia and Hobbit/LOTR books, the Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander, and the Borrowers series by Mary Norton (that last series ought to be no surprise to anyone who knows my love of miniatures!), as well as The Phantom Tollbooth and probably scores of others that aren't coming to mind at the moment.  Even as far back as first or second grade, I remember a series about adventures on a Mushroom Planet, although that was so long ago, I don't recall the author or specific titles anymore.  Childhood favorites that didn't fall in that genre would include Shane, Black Beauty (the original, unabridged version), Johnny Tremain, Swiss Family Robinson (never mind some datedness and the utter impossibility of all of those animal species turning up on the same island, so maybe it's a form of speculative fiction after all?), and pretty much anything by Dr. Seuss.  And also Go Dogs, Go!  I wanted to have a party up in a tree too, with or without a fancy party hat.   ;)  

Oooh - Johnny Tremain and Swiss Family Robinson! forgot about those.  And Coral Island of course.   I didn't read The Hobbit until I was about 12, and found it - of all places! - on the bookshelf in the school hospital!  I read it, succumbed to Tolkien at once, and my darling grandmother gave me the LOTR hardcover set for next Christmas.  I can still remember the joy of opening that present, and my father and brother waiting avidly in the queue to read them  :)    My father had a big collection of CS Forester, so I grew up with all the Hornblower books, which I still love.   He also had lots of Conan Doyle, including his historical novels.  I loved The White Company and Sir Nigel .  

Like cynicalmedic, my parents just gave us free rein when it came to reading - they were keen readers themselves, the house had an ever-growing book collection and a constant battle to find more bookshelf space, and as kids, we joined the local library as soon as we could read.  I remember that when we moved to a larger house in my teens, my parents insisted that the builders put in plenty of bookshelf space.  Dad measured the total length of our existing shelves, trebled it, and said that was the minimum our family could live with - I think we filled it within 2 years!

ETA:  
QuoteI run screaming from the romance genre. It may be post traumatic stress from the one Barbara Cartland novel I read in junior high school.
Oh YES!!  I could just take the very occasional Regency novel by Georgette Heyer, but like you, I think I only ever managed one Barbara Cartland.   I was never one for romance or 'girly' books and I absolutely loathed Pollyanna!  I can't tell you what I wanted to do to such a nauseating child  :D    Afraid I went through Zane Grey westerns, Biggles, Tarzan, sci fi, thrillers, detective fiction, plus lots of non-fiction.  


lenni

Quote from: Evie on August 07, 2012, 12:56:36 PM
<snip>  Even as far back as first or second grade, I remember a series about adventures on a Mushroom Planet, although that was so long ago, I don't recall the author or specific titles anymore.<snip>

How about Eleanor Cameron's The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet? http://www.amazon.com/Wonderful-Flight-Mushroom-Planet/dp/B000BVIUEQ/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344479528&sr=1-5

Mr. Bass's Planetoid is the third in the series.

I enjoyed this series as well.

Kathleen/Lenni

lenni

Quote from: Elkhound on August 04, 2012, 10:45:00 PM
Don't you have a public library in your town?

I do have a public library in my town. However, I am not in my town! Of course, I'm sure that the locals (where I currently am) have a public library as well. It just never occurred to me this time 'round. Thanks for the reminder.

Kathleen/Lenni

Elkhound

Quote from: Alkari on August 07, 2012, 08:35:41 PM
ETA:  
QuoteI run screaming from the romance genre. It may be post traumatic stress from the one Barbara Cartland novel I read in junior high school.
Oh YES!!  I could just take the very occasional Regency novel by Georgette Heyer, but like you, I think I only ever managed one Barbara Cartland.   I was never one for romance or 'girly' books and I absolutely loathed Pollyanna!  I can't tell you what I wanted to do to such a nauseating child  :D    Afraid I went through Zane Grey westerns, Biggles, Tarzan, sci fi, thrillers, detective fiction, plus lots of non-fiction.

Looking at the covers and the blurbs for most Romance novels, I would categorize them as 'women's softcore porn.'  What women's hardcore would look like, I don't want to know.  I was a Classics major; having read Euripides, I know what happens to men who spy on women's mysteries.