# Recommend me some children's classics for summer out loud reading. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528 "2006-04-20T21:20:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/41 "2006-04-21T16:04:13Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > For a **six-year-old**? What kind of evil sadist are you? šŸ˜‰ > > Seriously, _Watership Down_ is one of my all-tie favorite books, but many animals are killed over the course of the book, often in fairly gruesome fashions. Thereā€™s a death cult in the book There are prophetic nightmares of genocide in the book. You do NOT want to read this book to a six-year-old; Iā€™d hesitate before giving it to a nine-year-old to read. I agree. I donā€™t know whether Iā€™d classify _Watership Down_ as an adultsā€™ book that kids can enjoy or as a kidsā€™ book that adults can enjoy, but itā€™s definitely not a cute little story about cute little bunny rabbits. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/42 "2006-04-21T16:30:30Z")
Here are my favorites from when I was a kid. I know I am repeating some already suggested, but theyā€™re just that good: **Owls in the Family** , by Farley Mowat **The Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek** , by Evelyn Sibley Lampman and Hubert Buel **Cheaper By the Dozen** (not related to the movie, thank God), by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey **The Prydain Chronicles** , by Lloyd Alexander **The BFG** , by Roald Dahl **All Creatures Great and Small** by James Herriot **Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle** , by Betty MacDonald and Hilary Knight ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/43 "2006-04-21T16:36:04Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > For a **six-year-old**? What kind of evil sadist are you? šŸ˜‰ šŸ™‚ Hey, come on - at least I warned of the potential dangers of the Vermicious Knids! > [@](#): > > Seriously, _Watership Down_ is one of my all-tie favorite books, but many animals are killed over the course of the book, often in fairly gruesome fashions. Thereā€™s a death cult in the book There are prophetic nightmares of genocide in the book. You do NOT want to read this book to a six-year-old; Iā€™d hesitate before giving it to a nine-year-old to read. I suppose I disagree - only because I read this book when I was very young, and just kept reading and re-reading it. Iā€™ll agree that itā€™s got some tough parts. Iā€™ve often read this quote widely attributed to Richard Adams: ā€œI derived early the idea that one must at all costs tell the truth to children, not so much about mere physical pain and fear, but about the really unanswerable thingsā€”what [writer] Thomas Hardy called ā€˜the essential grimness of the human situation.ā€™ā€ But Iā€™ll be honest - as a kid, I didnā€™t enjoy this book for showing me the essential grimness of the human situation. I liked this book because it was a kickass adventure of talking rabbits. Not fluffy boring bunnies, but warriors and prophets, etc. Itā€™s an epic story - and a story that _moves_ - which is very important to an ADHD addled kid reading the book on commercial breaks during Saturday Morning Cartoons while eating Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs. Moreover, what was really important to me as a childā€¦ ā€¦ was that the main characters made it to the end of the book. I didnā€™t really care about the devastation and stuff of the other warrens. That was tangential - it was all about Hazel and Fiver making it. But, if **Shirley** wants to wait till her kids are older, thatā€™s cool. Just stick to something safe like the _Prydain Chronicles_. Kidsā€™ll be having nightmares about the Horned King, and just wait till they meet the three witchesā€¦ _grumble_ _grumble_ ā€¦ Of course, Gurgi is fluffy like a bunny, so I suppose thatā€™s okā€¦ The Doctor ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/44 "2006-04-21T16:41:06Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > I have never read any of the Chronicles of Narnia ( I did see the movie and liked it.) how important is it to start with book one? Iā€™m currently rereading the series. Book 1, _The Magicianā€™s Nephew_, is important in that it introduces the White Witch and explains how she came to rule Narnia. Theyā€™re short, easy reads and Iā€™m enjoying them very much. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/45 "2006-04-21T16:45:04Z")
Iā€™ll also mention the Encyclopedia Brown books, as they contain several ā€œmysteriesā€ and are easy enough for kids to figure out, and there is a mystery ā€œnovelā€ for kids called _The Westinghouse Game_. (Is that it?) ---
**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:** [April 21, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/46 "2006-04-21T16:50:23Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > Oh, have you ever read Eleanor Farjeon? Go get _The little bookroom_ and see what you think! She wrote lots of books and poems; theyā€™re not easy to get now, but your library might have some. Iā€™ve heard of Eleanor Farjeon, probably from the Dope, but she is now on my list of books to check out. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/47 "2006-04-21T16:51:26Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I say, Shirley - youā€™re not a chap, are you?! I be a female. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/48 "2006-04-21T16:58:21Z")
[hijack] Having watched the Narnia movie, I was wondering what in the heck was up with the White Witches dress. It looked like her back had a box strapped to it under the dress. Like maybe she had a scaly back or something. Is this a relevant plot line or just some whim of the costume designer? It was really distracting. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/49 "2006-04-21T16:59:48Z")
[hijack] Having watched the Narnia movie, I was wondering what in the heck was up with the White Witches dress. It looked like her back had a box strapped to it under the dress. Like maybe she had a scaly back or something. Is this a relevant plot line or just some whim of the costume designer? It was really distracting. **Manx** thanks for the link. It looks good. The Diane Wynne Jones books look good too. My kids are going to have to stay 8 and 6 for a long time. Or Iā€™m going to need a time turner for this summer! ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/50 "2006-04-21T17:05:13Z")
Not to spoil it too much, you DO get the backstory on the White Witch by reading all the books. Scales and a ridge donā€™t come into the picture, but she was a lot more, um, willowy in the movie than I pictured her in my mindā€™s eye from the books. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/51 "2006-04-21T17:16:42Z")
> [@Doctor Who](#): > > Iā€™ll agree that itā€™s got some tough parts. Iā€™ve often read this quote widely attributed to Richard Adams: ā€œI derived early the idea that one must at all costs tell the truth to children, not so much about mere physical pain and fear, but about the really unanswerable thingsā€”what [writer] Thomas Hardy called ā€˜the essential grimness of the human situation.ā€™ā€ > > ā€¦ > > But, if **Shirley** wants to wait till her kids are older, thatā€™s cool. Just stick to something safe like the _Prydain Chronicles_. Kidsā€™ll be having nightmares about the Horned King, and just wait till they meet the three witchesā€¦ _grumble_ _grumble_ ā€¦ Of course, Gurgi is fluffy like a bunny, so I suppose thatā€™s okā€¦ > > The Doctor Well, different kids have different tolerances. I just think the book has some nightmarish scenes that could really bother kids in a way that, for example, the Black Cauldronā€™s black cauldron wouldnā€™t. Especially if the kids in question are the type of kids who hate it when animals die in books. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/52 "2006-04-21T17:26:19Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > Well, different kids have different tolerances. I just think the book has some nightmarish scenes that could really bother kids in a way that, for example, the Black Cauldronā€™s black cauldron wouldnā€™t. Especially if the kids in question are the type of kids who hate it when animals die in books. > > Daniel Thatā€™s it! Weā€™re taking this to Great Debates. GD thread. Just kidding. (dead link). šŸ˜ƒ The Doctor ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/53 "2006-04-22T20:34:19Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] Iā€™ll also mention the Encyclopedia Brown books, as they contain several ā€œmysteriesā€ and are easy enough for kids to figure out, and there is a mystery ā€œnovelā€ for kids called _The Westinghouse Game_. (Is that it?) [/QUOTE] Itā€™s called _The Westing Game_. I remember it quite fondly as the first book where I didnā€™t see through the twists to the eventul resolution (I was an _extremely advanced_ reader for my age) and being justā€¦ stunned when all was revealed. In a good way I mean. I also enjoyed Encyclopdedia Brown in a different way. Being a tomboy and a know-it-all I could relate to Encyclopedia AND Sally. LOL. My teacher read us a book in class called _The Fabulous Mr. Fox_ that kept us all quite spellbound in 2nd grade. Though its one of my favorite books, _All Creatures Great & Small_ is perhaps slightly too old (lots of medical stuff, dying animals, boozing it up with Tristan at the pub, hapless courtship of Helen, etc.) plus it is soooo long. It would take you all summer. Donā€™t worry, most of these books will still be enjoyable for quite a few years (many into adulthood). ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/54 "2006-04-23T05:32:11Z")
[QUOTE=Hello Again] Though its one of my favorite books, _All Creatures Great & Small_ is perhaps slightly too old (lots of medical stuff, dying animals, boozing it up with Tristan at the pub, hapless courtship of Helen, etc.) plus it is soooo long. It would take you all summer. [/QUOTE] _All Creatures Great and Small_ etc are two books in one, up to _Every Living Thing_. The first in the series is called _If Only They Could Talk_ and is a more managable size. ---
**Author:** ![manx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@manx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manx)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/55 "2006-04-23T05:35:46Z")
Actually, a quick amazon search suggests these editions are no longer in print, but also turned up a [kids collection](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312085125/sr=8-4/qid=1145770170/ref=pd_bbs_4/103-0981692-3640648?%5Fencoding=UTF8), which would be very short but all kinds of nice animal fun. ---
**Author:** ![Dervish\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Dervish\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervish_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/56 "2006-04-23T09:19:30Z")
Well, this book bears no resemblance to Harry Potter except that one of the characters is named Muggles. However, [The Gammage Cup](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/015202493X/qid=1145783244/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/103-8421478-8210244?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) by Carol Kendall was one of my favorites as a child. The first review has a pretty good summary. [_Moomins._](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374423075/qid=1145783631/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/103-8421478-8210244?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) No childhood is complete without them, although Iā€™d stick to the first three (Finn Family Moomintroll, Comet In Moominvalley and Moominsummer Madness). _The Neverending Story_ is definitely a classic but it may be too obscure for the six-year-old. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/57 "2006-04-23T12:34:27Z")
When I was in elementary school, I spent the night at a friendā€™s house. I woke up before everyone else, and I found a book laying on the stairs. I sat there on the stairs in the early morning hours, devouring this book. I was taught to read before kindergarten, so I read very fast. I fell in love with this book, and every time I visited my friend I would reread it. Then, we moved away, I grew up, and my dearly-loved book was lost in the mists of memories. I could remember bits and pieces, but not the title and certainly not the author. Then, a chance e-mail converstion with my sister about the book (she remembered the title!), a search on Amazone, and [Voila!](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0595092969/sr=1-1/qid=1145795144/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-0608078-1833763?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=books) Itā€™s a fairytale love story for children, and who can forget _Buttteerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!_. **Shadow Castle, by Marian Cockrell** ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/58 "2006-04-23T16:31:32Z")
For kids aged 11 and older, hereā€™s a classic that has the added advantage to shut up spoilt kids for good; \*The Black Brothers \*, by Lisa Tzetzner. The story is about 13-year-old Giorgio from the Swiss/Italian Alps, who is sold around 1880 to a chimney sweep in the city by a desperately poor father. Giorgio forms a secret society with other kid-chimney sweeps in the city and comes out stronger. From kids aged nine and older, I recommend the most wonderful series of Swedish writer Tove Janssonā€™s [Moomintroll](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1883211107/qid=1145809496/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/002-9086593-8432843?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) Dreamy, happy, funny and just plain wonderful. Set in a sort of fantasy version of a Swedish summer island. I donā€™t know if itā€™s the best book to read out loud, but it is a wonderful childrens read. Even younger kids will pick up something from it. I third _The Yearling._ It is a deeply moving book that will bring tears to your kids eyes, but in a healty ā€œDo-you-remember-when-Bambiā€™s-mother-got-shotā€-way. IIRC, it was made into a movie with Gregory Peck. ---
**Author:** ![bookbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bookbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bookbabe)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/59 "2006-04-23T18:24:27Z")
Hereā€™s a few more books ā€“ Homer Price by Robert McCloskey. Itā€™s a about a boy living in a small town and his life. Itā€™s a good book to read aloud as there are six separate adventures including when he and his pet skunk capture four bandits. Ralph the Mouse Series by Beverly Cleary. How can you go wrong with a motorcycle riding mouse? Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. I really wanted to go and live with Pippi Longstocking after reading this book when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528/60 "2006-04-24T16:04:43Z")
[QUOTE=manx] _All Creatures Great and Small_ etc are two books in one, up to _Every Living Thing_. The first in the series is called _If Only They Could Talk_ and is a more managable size. [/QUOTE] They have never to my knowledge been sold this way in the US. In fact, it was Herriotā€™s daughter Rosie (the real daughter of the real guy I mean, those are not their real names) who thought up the title for the US edition and subsequent volumes, at the prompting of Herriotā€™s US publisher (St. Martinā€™s Press). The original first volume was ā€œIf Only They Could Talkā€ followed by ā€œIt Shouldnā€™t Happen to A Vet,ā€ but you canā€™t get them that way in the US, except through import or rarebook dealers. The tale is told towards the end of this article: [http://www.jamesherriot.org/a1.php](http://www.jamesherriot.org/a1.php) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-childrens-classics-for-summer-out-loud-reading/353528.md?page=4)