# Best books from your childhood **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 28, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431 "2004-01-28T16:10:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/41 "2004-01-29T12:17:35Z")
One of the best counting books ever printed: \*\*Anno’s [Counting](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0590929550/qid=1075377744//ref=pd_ka_1/102-8323837-5684905?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) book. The concept is so simple, yet so brilliant. Designed by a mathmatician. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/42 "2004-01-29T12:23:18Z")
Second Star to the Right writes: \> I cannot for the life of me think of what this book is called. If someone knows it \> I’ll be forever grateful. At first I thought that you meant _The Secret Garden_ by Frances Hodgson Burnett, but that doesn’t seem to match your description. Perhaps you mean _A Doll in the Garden_ by Mary Downing Hahn. That’s the only thing I get when I Google on “Louisa Perkins” and “garden.” ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/43 "2004-01-29T12:24:21Z")
The [Fairy Houses](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0970810458/102-8323837-5684905?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=I22J5IG1O3XHZ5&colid=327JHLGM8SLFZ) [Why?](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0399233962/102-8323837-5684905?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=I2S1THPT8FTNND&colid=327JHLGM8SLFZ) A little girl saves the world by asking one question. This is simply stupendeous and funny. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/44 "2004-01-29T12:27:08Z")
For younger children, the Brambley Hedge books are wonderful, and have beautiful illustrations. Did anyone else read a series of books of about a girl called Anastasia when they were younger? I read them when I was about ten, but I think they were aimed at the 13+ group. She lived in New York with her lecturer father and artist mother, wore glasses and thought of herself as a bit of an intellectual. I think that’s why I liked her - she reminded me of myself! But I can’t remember anything else about them or what they were called! ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/45 "2004-01-29T12:29:46Z")
[Walter the Farting Dog](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1583940537/qid=1075379319//ref=pd_ka_1/102-8323837-5684905?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/46 "2004-01-29T13:29:39Z")
There are some great books listed, but I can’t believe that no one has mentioned _The Little Engine That Could_, by Watty Piper. I loved it when I was little and my kids did, too. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/47 "2004-01-29T13:33:04Z")
Well, Shirley, since Lilly thinks farting is just about the funniest, most entertaining thing around (besides “boobies,” everybody she draws now has “boobies”), “Walter the Farting Dog” may have to be our next purchase. Thanks for the suggestions - I remember reading quite a few of these myself. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/48 "2004-01-29T14:06:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Lilly thinks farting is just about the funniest, most entertaining thing around (besides "boobies She’s right, you know. Also wanted to recommend all of the Dorrie series by Patricia Coombs. Dorrie is a little witch (which is about all I needed to make me happy as a kid, witches, monsters, ghosts, etc.) But these are great books, and I love the pictures too. ---
**Author:** ![DreadLead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@DreadLead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadLead)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/49 "2004-01-29T14:25:14Z")
A Cricket in Times Square ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/50 "2004-01-29T15:06:04Z")
Charles Dickens- A Christmas Carol Stories & Poems of Edgar Allen Poe Uncle Remus stories Greek Mythology Folk Heroes (John Henry, Mike Finn, Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan) I totally forgot about The Five Chinese Brothers and Bread and Jam for Frances. I also loved Rikki Tikki Tavi & the Curious George books. Second Star- that almost sounds like a movie too, I thought perhaps Tom’s Magic Garden, but it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/51 "2004-01-29T15:12:06Z")
Someone else knows **Dogger**! Oh, I’m so happy! that and **The Velveteen Rabbit** are my two favourite kid’s books! I’ve got to find my copy and read it to Mr. Lissar. **The Paper-Bag Princess** , Robert Munch- he has a lot of great stuff. I’ve read some of the Moomin books, but I should get them all out and reread them. Oh, of course- **Pippi Longstocking**. **The Selfish Giant** and **The Happy Prince** - Oscar Wilde, and my introduction to bittersweet stories- prepared me for a later addiction to LOTR. **Goodnight Moon** and **The Runaway Bunny**. I had a Japanese story with beautiful illustrations, about a little girl whose mother was blind, and they were poor, and some mice led them to a beautiful underground world. I don’t remember the title. I had another Japanese one with even better illustrations called _The Tale Of The Shining Princess_\*. I just realized that **Dogger** is written and illustrated by the writer who did **The Painted Garden** , a children’s novel about an English family who travels to California! I just reread **Dogger** sitting here at the keyboard. Thank you, **Shirley** , for reminding me of it. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/52 "2004-01-29T15:12:56Z")
[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0380708655/qid=1075388990/sr=1-1/ref=sr\_1\_1/103-4498562-8806203?v=glance&s=books](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0380708655/qid=1075388990/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-4498562-8806203?v=glance&s=books) THE DOLL IN THE GARDEN it is ---
**Author:** ![acrossthesea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@acrossthesea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acrossthesea)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/53 "2004-01-29T15:15:41Z")
> [@Obsidian Flutterby](#): > > All of the Ramona books, How To Eat Fried Worms, The Girl With the Silver Eyes, The Girl With The Silver Eyes!!! I LOVED this book! I liked the Ramona books a lot too…also I read the Babysitters Club (although I found them offensively outdated on multiple levels), Sweet valley Twins (and later, Sweet Valley High…these books irriated me somehow but I read them anyway pretty religiously), The Anastasia books, The Changeling (hard to describe this book. It was eerie and wonderful). Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, the various Wizard of Oz books. I read so many books as a kid I don’t know the names of most of them. I was also a big fan of this weird series of “disaster romance novels”…they mixed true to life historical disasters, like the Titanic or the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, with some sappy romance story. I read them when I was like 9 or so and didn’t care about the romance part, but I liked learning about random tragic events in history. I don’t remember what I read when I started reading. I had some Sesame Street books, Amelia Bedelia, Dr. Seuss…I do remember one about a tiger and two other animals who see how many apples they can put on their heads. Apparently when I was 4 I told my parents “I can read now” and proceeded to read them the whole book almost perfectly. They were amazed…until they realized they had read the book to us in preschool and I had only memorized it. I love kids books. ---
**Author:** ![NE\_Texan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e99b99/32.png) [@NE\_Texan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NE_Texan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/54 "2004-01-29T15:53:56Z")
The Phantom Tollbooth was my favorite for years and years. It’s one of the few books that I felt I HAD to find a copy of for my own son. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/55 "2004-01-29T16:49:20Z")
I missed a lot of classic “children’s” books as a kid, so made up for it in college (when I SHOULD have been reading textbooks), and ever since. **A Wrinkle in Time** , Madeleine L’Engle, and the sequels (skip A Wind in the Door if you must to get to **A Swiftly Tilting Planet** – I’m re-reading it right now, and it’s beautifully written. **The Wicked Enchantment** , Berney-Isbert. All but impossible to find now – the only copy I know of in existence was “lifted” from a library (that was deemed unappreciative of the “splinter of the true cross” it was entrusted with). _(Mel, if you’re reading this, I think you should find another copy somehow and return one)_ The **Narnia** books. No need to elaborate. **Pooh**. Ditto. **Otis Spofford**. 🙂 Lloyd Alexander’s **Prydain** books. The **Animorph** series – less classy than my others, but fun sci-fi with likable, quirky teens learning to be (and think like) animals. I’ve read all of them, and the last two are worth getting to (or skipping to, if you like). I’m reading classics to my son every night before bed: **Kidnapped** **Journey to the Center of the Earth** **Huck Finn** **Treasure Island** **Sherlock Holmes** and oddly enough, he loves: **Boy** and **Going Solo** , Raoul Dahl’s auto-biographies. Thanks, everyone, for recommendations for our next books… ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/56 "2004-01-29T16:59:56Z")
**Lissa** Dogger is my all time favorite children’s book. Everyone I have given it too has literally come back to say how much they loved it. I’ve never had such excellent feedback on any other thing or book I’ve given in the past. **Brambley Hedge** books are a great recommendation. I have most of the series and just love looking at the pictures. My favorite young adult book is [Never Miss A Sunset](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1555134734/qid=1075395443/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8323837-5684905?v=glance&s=books) . Great for girls 10 and up who like Little House On the Praire and want more in the same theme. Young girl, oldest girl in her large family, has to stay home for another year to help mama who is having _another_ baby. I adored this book growing up. It is part of a series ( which I never knew about). ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/57 "2004-01-29T17:14:11Z")
[Snipp, Snapp & Snurr](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0807574961/qid=1075396018/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8323837-5684905?v=glance&s=books) and [Ricka, Flicka & Dicka](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0807525006/qid=1075396078/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8323837-5684905?v=glance&s=books) are lovely moralistic butnot overbearingstories that take you back to a time before TV commericals and cartoon characters with flaring nostrils and poopy underpants prevailed. Written in the 40’s, I think, it is stories about triplet boys ( snipp, snapp,snurr ) and triplet girls ( Ricka, Flicka and Dicka) and their responsibilities they have in life or how an act of kindness repays them tenfold. Or how they decide to work together to buy mother a present for her birthday. There are probably 7 books per girl and boy set. I’ve borrowed all mine from the library and my kids adore these books. I can’t speak enough about these and which I had the cash for the entire set of all of them. **Walter the Farting Dog** is a must in every home with a canine. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/58 "2004-01-29T17:50:25Z")
[The Wicked Enchantment](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0152964231/qid=1075396516/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8323837-5684905?v=glance&s=books) . Sounds interesting! Other kids books I have in my must read pile that I’d like to bring to your attention: Pirate/Adventure Themes: \*\*Swallows & Amazons \*\* by Arthur [Ransom](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/087923573X/qid=1075396745/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-8323837-5684905) unchaperoned kids, two boats. Pirates, islands, treasure ARRRRH Matey. mid 1880’s. the fun they have. At least that’s the gist of it from a brief overview of it. YMMV. \*\*[The Dark Frigate](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0613013263/qid=1075396793/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8323837-5684905?v=glance&s=books) By Charles Boardman Hawes Strong Princessess themes: [Two Princessess of Bamarre](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/006440966X/qid=1075396961/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-8323837-5684905) by Gail Carson Levine [Just Ella](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0689831285/qid=1075397022/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-8323837-5684905) Margeret Haddix. Cinderella after the ball, in the castle and realizing it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. [Prisoner of Zenda](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/014043755X/qid=1075397387/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-8323837-5684905) War & Holocaust themes: I didn’t realize just how many holocaust story books I have until I did a quick scan. [Lord of the Nutcracker Men](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0440418127/qid=1075397228/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8323837-5684905?v=glance&s=books) by Iain Lawrence. Boy thinks he controls the battles his father is fighting in ( WW1) with his tin soldiers. [The Devil’s Arithmatic](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140345353/qid=1075397343/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-8323837-5684905) Holocaust theme. [Briar Rose](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0765342308/qid=1075397444/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-8323837-5684905) Holocaust & time travel Theme. What a combination. [The Night Crossing](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679870407/qid=1075397531/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-8323837-5684905) Escaping those wacky Nazi’s in 1938 from Austria. [Number the Stars](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0440227534/qid=1075397601/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-8323837-5684905) 1943. Copenhagen. Ellen pretends to not be jewish to fit in with a family that takes her in. [Snow Treasure](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0590425374/qid=1075397743/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-8323837-5684905) Norweigen children thwarting those fun loving Kraut’s. I’ve often wondered what books German kids have about WWII. anyone? Miscellany Stash: [Wolf Story](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0208021914/qid=1075398033/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-8323837-5684905?v=glance&s=books) Father has to tell the same story about a rooster to his 5 year old every night and everywhere they go. I have the audio in this and it is funny. [Lost In Time](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0805065717/102-8323837-5684905?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=I30G6WALTBPY26&colid=327JHLGM8SLFZ) a kid keeps traveling back in time to a variety of periods and must learn to cope. This was recommend in either Stone Soup, Cricket or Smithsonian Kids magazine. Looked interesting. [The Westing Game](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140386645/qid=1075398377/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-8323837-5684905) by Ellen Raskin I shall stop now. ---
**Author:** ![Catsmeow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Catsmeow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catsmeow)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/59 "2004-01-29T19:27:02Z")
One of the best books I read as a child was [Winter of Enchantment by Victoria Walker](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0672513692/qid=1075404040/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-8726291-5624711?v=glance&s=books) . I also enjoyed: Beauty by Robin McKinley (so much that I’ve had to buy multiple copies of it!) Chronicles of Narnia (in the correct order of course) Any of Beverly Cleary’s books Any Judy Blume books (although as a 14 year old I checked out [Wifey](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671693816/qid=1075404264/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/104-8726291-5624711) and gained QUITE an education before Mom took it away! _G_) There was another book I read…shoot, can’t remember the name. It was about a boy who happed across an old man on a porch and the old man had the kid come into his back yard and mark it off in square foot blocks and then each day the kid would go back over to the old man’s house and sit in a block and observe the world either on a Macro or a Micro basis. Anyone have a clue as to the title??? ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431/60 "2004-01-29T19:38:17Z")
For the learning-to-read age, I loved Little Bear. It inspired me to try to dig my own hole to China. Those are the only books I remember owning at that age. We went to the library a lot. Later on I liked: Ballet Shoes, Dancing Shoes, and Theater Shoes (all by Noel Streatfield) The Tall Book of Make-Believe Anne of Green Gables Nancy Drew The Bobbsey Twins A Little Princess The Secret Garden Chronicles of Narnia Chronicles of Prydain The Little House books [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-books-from-your-childhood/226431.md?page=4)