Cool kids' books resources

[bunnyjadwiga]

Booksense's summer picks:
http://www.booksense.com/bspicks/kidspicks/sum05index.jsp

Summer Reading recommended by Hornbook editors:
http://www.hbook.com/booklists/summer.asp

Summertime favorites, listed by the National Endowment for the Humanities:
http://www.neh.gov/projects/summertimefavorites.html

International Digital Children's Literature (online books!)
http://www.icdlbooks.org/

Burlington Public Library kid's books lists:
http://www.bpl.on.ca/kids/books/lists/listsmain.htm

Seattle PI suggested summer books:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/books/178766_kidsbooks21.html

So, what are your favorite kids' books?

Some of mine would be:
1) Winnie the Pooh
2) Charmed Life (Diana Wynne Jones)
3) Skating Shoes (Noel Streatfeld)
4) The Magician's Nephew (C.S. Lewis)
5) A Bear Called Paddington
6) Cricket in Times Square
7) The House with a Clock in its walls
8) The Little House series...

Comments

[tattycat.livejournal.com]

1. Barbapapa series
2. Caddie Woodlawn
3. The Dark is Rising series
4. Redwall series
5. Tale of Despereaux
6. Garth Nix's Sabriel trilogy
7. Sorcery and Cecilia

[tattycat.livejournal.com]

Eek! How could I forget:

1. Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series
2. Mercedes Lackey (Arrows trilogy)
3. The Sunfire historical romances (YA)
4. Nancy Drew

ooh...

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

Just bought a copy of Time Cat for one of my nieces (it's in the car somewhere, *sigh* but Prydain is one of my favorite series too.
Then there's Trixie Belden... I even read Bobbsey Twins and Happy Holisters as a kid, and I still pick up all the Boxcar Children books.

[marag.livejournal.com]

Sorcery and Cecelia is one of my favorite books of all time. I just gave it to my niece :)

[tattycat.livejournal.com]

Have you read The Grand Tour yet (sequel)? It's supposed to be out in paperback here in a while.

[marag.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I borrowed it from someone and it was a lot of fun :) I was so excited just to have a sequel after rereading the original so many times.

Sequel

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

It's not as good as the original but it's quite good. And of course there are Wrede's books set in the same universe. Its a toss up between Mairelion the Magician and Magician's Ward.
Have you read Elizabeth Marie Pope's _Perilous Gard_ and _Sherwood Ring_ ?

oooh...

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

I forgot Dark is Rising and didn't put in Sorcery and Cecilia or the other DWJ's (like Howl's Moving Castle) or Robin McKinley because I was thinking kid's books.
Caddie Woodlawn is great too.

blast, another one!

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

Garth Nix-- I'm not as big on the Sabriel books but The Keys series (Mister Monday, etc.) are great.

Professor Diggin's Dragons

Four Story Mistake, And Then there were Five and other books by that author. YUM!

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

I'd add Tamora Pierce to the list (YA fantasy, mostly female protagonists). She was a guest at Darkover last year and is coming back this year.

Tamora

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

Yes. I only left her out because she's YA. I love almost all her books. She's coming back to Darkover? HURRAY!
I'm re-reading SQUIRE now. :) There's an analogy in that series for me that I'm not sure I'm ready to re-face. :)

[marag.livejournal.com]

Diana Wynne Jones! The Shoes books! Paddington! Bellairs' House with a Clock!

I think I love you :) Seriously, those are all favorite kids books of mine. (Although my fave Diana Wynne Jones is The Magicians of Caprona, followed by Dark Lord of Derkholm.)

I also love books by EL Konigsburg and about a million other authors I can't think of because my daughter is shrieking like a banshee on my lap.

Konigsburg

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

My fave EL Konigsburg is _A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver_

By the way, in re sproglet, my mom brought me up on AA Milne poetry and a book of poetry called Silver Pennies.

Of course there are the picture books like _Frederick_ and the Richard Scarry books and all the old Scholastic hardbacks... *sigh* *sigh*

Re: Konigsburg

[marag.livejournal.com]

Eleanor of Aquitaine *rocks*! Love that book as well. I almost got my copy autographed at the National Book Festival, but I arrived too late for the book signing :(

Re: your other comment, yes, I've read The Perilous Gard, but not the other. Hmm, I wonder where my copy has gotten to, because I haven't read that book in many years.

I also adore Mairelon the Magician and Magician's Ward. As kids, my sister and I were big fans of Wrede's other series, which includes The Seven Towers and The Harp of Imach Thyssel. I always felt, though, like I was missing parts of the story. Since I think the books were out-of-print, I don't know if we just didn't find all of them, or if she never finished the series, or if it was just me.

Wrede

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

Oh, and who could forget the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.

But yeah, I admit to wanting to be the female mage from Seven Towers.

Re: Wrede

[marag.livejournal.com]

I want to put a sign up over our front door like the one Morwen has: None Of This Nonsense, Please.

I adored Talking to Dragons as a kid, and didn't know there were other books until a few years ago. I rushed out and bought the other three, naturally. ::happy sigh:: I always thought those books would make fabulous animated movies.

Re: Wrede

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

Yes. I would like that sign too. Maybe in my office. :)

Speaking of movies, you heard that the guy who did _Spirited Away_ did an anime of Diana Wynne Jones' _Howl's Moving Castle_? I'm really hoping it's going to come out in a theatre where I can get to see it! (Ok, yes, I've probably told EVERYONE in the world about this. but... oooh.... :) )

Re: Wrede

[marag.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I've heard of the movie. I've got two friends who are huge fans and they've been sending info. It sounds really good, I think.

[kfitzwarin.livejournal.com]

Lloyd Alexander (anything by him)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
31 Brothers & Sisters (great coming-of-age & gender story set in tribal Africa)
Lucky Mrs. Ticklefeather and her Puffin Paul
Phillip the Flower Eating Phoenix
EL Konigsburg (especially From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler)
Philip Pullman - His Dark Materials
C.S. Lewis - Narnia books
Susan Cooper (anything by)
The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew
All of a Kind Family (the whole series)
The Boxcar Children
Swallows & Amazons

(Hm. I sense a Half.com shopping trip coming, or at least a big library run!)

I wouldn't say the Arrows stories (by Lackey) were "kids books".

Five little peppers?

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

Cool! I love the older books like that (Pollyanna, in my opinion, beats Anne of Green Gables hands down)... do you have the followups for Five Little Peppers?

And new titles I haven't read yet! Yay!

And of course I realize that I've forgotten Edward Eager...

What ages?

[kandy-elizabet.livejournal.com]

Some (very much with the "some" part)

For very young: Ok, I'm dredging from when I was very young, so titles might not be accurate...)

*Jenny's Birthday (about a cat named Jenny with pet friends bringing her gifts for her birthday...I think there was another one about the same cat)
*Babar
*Make Way for Ducklings

later years: (I'm not sure when these would be right for... I read them all "way too early" according to the librarian at school and the local library)
* Little House (yup)
* Anne of Green Gables series
* The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (and the other Narnias)
* Nancy Drew (but that's more young adult, isn't it?)
* Aesop (particularly a nicely illustrated one; I had a great one as a kid)

Now, there's another picture book that if I can ever find someone to help me figure out the title of, I would happily search out for any friends with kids. It was done with photographs, a doll and teddy bears; the doll was lost and the teddy bears took her in. I remember we checked it out about every other library trip (those were weekly as I grew up -- says a lot about me doesn't it)

Re: What ages?

[kfitzwarin.livejournal.com]

Is that Jenny the little black cat?

Re: What ages?

[kandy-elizabet.livejournal.com]

Yes! That's it... I remember now. Ok, I was, what, 3? 4? so we're talking 40 years ago and more... I can close my eyes and see one of the pictures of the little cat looking out a window.

Re: What ages?

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

Yes! Jenny was adorable. There's another one about her and the firehouse cats, and at least one more book.

Oh... what about Dodie Smith's actual book of _A Hundred and One Dalmations?_

Re: What ages?

[kandy-elizabet.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, we could go on for ages. Yes the actual book is wonderful. I still find myself occasionally listening for the barking time.

Oh, and how could I forget the Little Peppers (as I saw on someone else's list) and Bobsey Twins, and Mrs. Pigglewiggle (I think that was the name) ...and ... and...

Re: What ages?

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

*squeals* Mrs. PiggleWiggle! Oh yes! I always adored those books.

[galinalady.livejournal.com]

1) Winnie the Pooh (we have that one for Sarah)
2) Babar the elephant (I remember this one vividly from my childhood)
3) The Little house series
4) Bear Snores On (Sarah loves this one)
5) Goodnight Moon (Sarah's top favorite book... we are about to get it in a hard copy paper pages. She is wearing out the boardbook)
6) Where the wild things are
7) The napping House

Sarah being 3 years old makes my favorite book selections a bit on the younger side.

Tub people?

[bunnyjadwiga.livejournal.com]

When I was studying Children's Lit we read a lot of kids books because we had to review them. I remember in particular the Tub People. There are so many gorgeous books out there.

Re: Tub people?

[galinalady.livejournal.com]

I will have to look into that one :)