::don’t post late at night:: KAY Thompson.
Absolutely and wothout question the best children’s book ever written. For a little kid, it’s a fascinating book.
“What the Wind Told”…a really amazing and slightly unnerving book (I don’t know by who) about a little girl who is sick in bed and asks the wind to tell her about who lives in the apartments across the way…includes the stories of the dog who sits and invents words all day and the apartment where dark goes to stay during the day.
Harry Potter kicks ass. Madeline L’Engle was awesome when I was younger…I had totally forgotten I read the entire series until I read this thread.
ELOISE…I hated this when I was little, but I realize now it was because it was too well written. I wasn’t much older than Eloise, and I couldn’t stand this annoying little trouble-making girl who “simply has to” do all these things she obviously doesn’t. Drove this 7-year old up a wall.
Forgot something else: Anastasia Krupnik by Louis Lowery, I believe.
The adventures of Peter and his brother Fudge (and their little sister Tootsy) I loved, starting with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (who was the author??). Sheila had her own book, with her family goes to Terrytown.
I forgot the author (first name was Bruce, though, I think), but my favorite books from him were Jermey Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher (hell, I must have read that book fifteen times during fifth grade alone) and Jennifer Murdley’s Toad.
Then there was this one book that I loved but cannot remember the author or name, maybe someone can help: It was about this boy who loved little action figures, real tiny ones. Somehow he gets shrunk to the size of his action figures and his brother takes them to school and they have adventures. Does anyone know this? I’d love to read it again. Please!
My mistake. Lois Lowery. Not Louis.
Louis Sacher, I believe, with Sideway Stories from Wayside School and Wayside School is Falling Down. I particulary love the chapter in the latter one about Calvin wanting a tatoo and everyone gives him these cool suggestions. Finally he comes back with a tatoo of a potato. When someone asks for suggestions for tatoos, I always say potato. He also wrote Sixth Grade Secrets, I think it was called, and I loved that one too.
Man, this thread makes me want to A) Go to the basement and pull up all my young adult books and B) Go to the library and browse through the children section!
Summer of My German Soldier and Morning is a Long Time Coming were both written by Bette Greene, and I loved them both. (And absolutely hated, hated, hated, hated Patty’s parents. What nimwads.) Liked Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher too – wasn’t that by Bruce Coville? He’s great. (Thought I’d stick that in just in case anyone was running around with that annoying ‘try to remember’ tickle in the back of their mind.) Both Lois Duncan AND Lois Lowry are terrific, too. I also seem to remember…Marilyn Sachs? Did I get the name right?
Dijon, I really truly thought I’d put the Dark is Rising sequence on there…bleh…senility rules.
John D. Fitzgerald of The Great Brain fame (I loved those books!) also wrote a couple of novels for adults. I haven’t had any luck finding them library-wise and I hope they’re not out of print. Anyone managed to find/read them?
M.E. Kerr wrote several that were rather thought provoking that I liked. And did anyone else read the book When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit? There was a sequel to it, too, the title of which I don’t remember at the moment. I thought a Kerr wrote that but I don’t remember who. Ack…I almost forgot to mention Jane Yolen!
Oh, and anything by or illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg for very young children. Or Eric Carle.
Great book recommendations, everyone. You’re making me want to make another trip to the children’s section of the library and read 'em all over again.
Question. Is anyone able to read Love You Forever by Robert Munsch out loud without getting a serious case of the snivels? (Okay, I bawl. I’ll admit it. :o)
[ul][]Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak, []The Adventures of Frog and Toad, and all the other books about Frog and Toad, by Arnold Lobel, []The Once and Future King, by T.H. White (not really a children’s book, but “The Sword in the Stone” is the first book-within-a-book), []The Stupids, by Harry Allard, and most of the books in that series, Baba Yaga, by Margaret Yatsevitch Phinney.[/ul]There are many more from my childhood and from my readings to my children, but I am too old and groggy to remember them.
I can’t believe no one has mentioned Robin McKinley or Diana Wynne Jones. Fantatic authors, both of them.
The Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher has also been looked over, and was fantastic.
IMHO, Lloyd Alexander’s best work was The Westmark trilogy. I’d go so far as to call it the most accessible work of moral philosophy ever writen. It deals with some very grey issues in a totally accesible way wihtout condescending. Truly a masterpeace.
The Rutabaga Stories by Carl Sandburg are worth a read.
This poem, as well as most others dear to the child in all our hearts, can be found in Donald Hall’s The Oxford Book of Children’s Verse in America.
…and all the ones that are missing because they’re, y’know, British, would be in Iona and Peter Opie’s *The Oxford Book of Children’s Verse.
- Any of the Wayside School books by Louis Sachar
- Mary Poppins - PL Travers
- Manaic Magee - Jerry Spinelli
- The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Doom - Daniel Pinkwater
- The Little Prince
- Any Dr. Seuss book
Two more:
By Ann M. Martin (the Babysitters Club books), Ten Kids, No Pets and Eleven Kids, One Summer. I’ve currently dug up these two and am re-reading them for the millionith time.
This book doesn’t make me cry! It gives me the creeps!! It’s about a woman who has a son, cares for him, loves him - blah, blah, blah, but when the kid grows up and becomes a man, she can’t let go. So, she climbs into his window, picks him up as he’s sleeping, and rocks him. Keep in mind that the guy’s still sleeping, not to mention the fact that he’s sbout 30 at this time and may or may not have his wife sleeping next to him. If this isn’t a little sick and twisted, I don’t know what is. Then the mother gets really old, and she is no longer able to creep in the night and break into her son’s house, so the son, now about 40 or 50, sneaks into his mom’s house and rocks her asleep. I first read this story when I was seventeen, and it scared the crap out of me. Still does, actually
Heh, that may help. I never really picked up the ‘breaking and entering’ part. I took it more as the mother telling the kid that she loved him and would always be there for him until she was no longer able to do so…and then the son gives her the reassurance she gave him.
But then, come to think about it, I never read it after I was grown and after I’d lost my own mother, so maybe that’s why I make an idiot out of myself sniveling. 
Make that “until after I was grown…” etc. Wouldn’t have bothered with the correction except it sounded a bit confusing (and yes, unfortunately, I did proof. Makes one a bit scared to think what I might pull off if I didn’t proof at all, eh?)
I didn’t mean for my reply to sound as though I was trashing one of your favorite books, though it did end up sounding that way. I agree that her intentions were honorable and that she did love her son very much, but the ways in whick she showed it were…well…rather strange.
Oh, no, no, I didn’t take it as a slam at all. Nor is it one of my favorites, actually, primarily because I always snivel like a weenie and get the kids I’m reading to all alarmed. 
(Bridge to Terabithia and Charlotte’s Web do the same thing to me, too.) Anyway, you’ve given me something else to focus on while reading it, so I owe you thanks!
Well, okay. You’re welcome! I had never actually thought of the book as a mother loving a son until I read your post, though, so thanks for that insight. Most people, on the other hand notice this first, and only later do they think her behavior is a little strange.
Yeah, Love You Forever, is perhaps the world’s most make-Gramma-cry book but Robert Munsch’s other books are pure hilarity. My particular favorite is The Paper Bag Princess
I also loved the Mrs Piggle Wiggle books.
And remember when passing around a Judy Blume book was considered risky? I believe a copy of Forever was so worn out in junior high the cover got ripped off.
I read and loved almost all of those!
My additions are:
The Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek by Evelyn Sibley Lampman
Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey
East of the Sun and West of the Moon, an old story, but this one illustrated by Michael Hague
Another Beverly Cleary one: The Mouse and the Motorcycle