Personal Childhood Favorites: Chapter Books

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic
Author: Betty MacDonald
Illustrator: Hilary Knight
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 5-11 years

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is a little old lady with a hump on her back, which she claims is full of magic. She lives in an upside-down house and always smells of sugar cookies. Her deceased husband was a pirate who buried his treasure in her backyard. Although she has no children of her own, she loves them dearly and has wonderful cures for all their bad habits.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle first appeared on bookshelves in 1947. Ever since then children have enjoyed reading about how this endearing character cured one child of his selfishness and another of her disrespectful attitude. Readers have been delighted by her cures for children who don’t want to take baths or who never want to go to bed. However unusual the problem, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle always seems to have the perfect solution.

I loved the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books as a child and this one is my particular favorite. I have vivid memories of reading the stories aloud to my younger siblings. My brother would laugh heartily every time Jody Jones (in “The Never-Want-to-Go-to-Schooler”) would say, “I’b dot a dubby.” My sisters would huddle in suspense as I read to them about the children hunting for treasure in Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s dark attic in the “Waddle-I-Doers.” If this sounds interesting, I would suggest beginning with the original Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, in which she is first introduced. Don’t forget to also check out Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm (with illustrations by Maurice Sendak), and Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.

The Boxcar Children
Author: Gertrude Chandler Warner

Illustrator: L. Kate Deal

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Level: 6-10 years

Four orphans – Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny – are determined to stay together even if it means living on their own. They discover an old boxcar hidden away in the woods and decide to make it their home. They experience many adventures and endure a few hardships, but when they meet a kindly old man they face the biggest surprise of all.

I remember checking this book out from the school library many times. I enjoyed it because I admired these children who were so self-sufficient and inventive but who, at the same time, recognized their fundamental desire to have someone love and care for them. I have to admit that, although I read the original Boxcar Children many times, I never read any of the other books in the series.

 
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Author: C.S. Lewis
Illustrator: Pauline Baynes
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: 9+ years

Thanks to Hollywood, most young people today are familiar with this title. If you have never read the book, however, you have missed out on an outstanding literary experience. C.S. Lewis spins a wonderful tale of fantasy in which four children - Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy - step into a magical wardrobe and find themselves in the land of Narnia where animals talk and the evil White Witch rules.

This book holds a special place in my heart because my first memory of it is when my father read it aloud to us. Do not underestimate the importance of reading aloud to your children. Like sharing a good meal together, or enjoying the beauty of nature, taking pleasure in good literature is a wonderful bonding experience. Even as your children grow older and are able to read for themselves, don’t hesitate to continue reading aloud to them. From my own childhood experience and my years as an elementary school teacher, I know the influence of a good book read out loud.

Personal Childhood Favorites: Picture Books #2

Here are some more of my favorite picture books from my childhood:

Thy Friend, Obadiah
Author and Illustrator: Brinton Turkle
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 4-8 years

Obadiah is a young Quaker boy living on Nantucket Island, and he has a friend. To the amusement of his family, a seagull has been following Obadiah everywhere he goes. Obadiah, however, is not amused; he is annoyed. But when the seagull disappears for several days, Obadiah begins to miss him. When the seagull reappears and is injured, Obadiah helps him and realizes the importance of friendship.

Thy Friend Obadiah is a Caldecott Honor Book. It is a heart-warming tale of friendship and a boy learning to respect God's creatures. If you enjoy this story, there are three other books about Obadiah that you may want to explore: Rachel and Obadiah, The Adventures of Obadiah, and Obadiah the Bold.

Ira Sleeps Over
Author and Illustrator: Bernard Waber
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 4-8 years

Ira has been invited to his friend's house for his very first sleepover. He is very excited, but he faces a dilemma - should he take his teddy bear or not? Will Reggie laugh at him for having a teddy bear named Tah Tah? You may be surprised by what helps Ira finally make up his mind.

Ira Sleeps Over is a great read-aloud book. It encourages children by helping them to realize that everyone has fears and that the need for comfort and reassurance is not shameful.

A word of warning for parents: During the sleepover, Reggie begins to tell a ghost story which may be a bit frightening for younger children. I skip this part when reading this book to our young children. They ask about it, but I have just told them that they can read this part when they get a little older.

Strega Nona
Author and Illustrator: Tomie de Paola
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 4-8 years

Strega Nona ("Grandma Witch") is spoken of in whispers, yet everyone goes to see her for their various ailments, for Strega Nona has a magic touch. When Big Anthony goes to work for her, Strega Nona warns him never to touch her pasta pot. Unfortunately, Big Anthony has a reputation for being a poor listener. He discovers one day that her pasta pot is magical, and he listens to Strega Nona sing to make it start cooking. Unfortunately, in his excitement, he doesn't pay attention to how to tell the pot to stop (blow it three kisses).

When Strega Nona announces a few days later that she is going to visit a friend in the next town, Big Anthony seizes this opportunity to impress the townspeople. He invites everyone over for pasta. However, when all have eaten their fill and Big Anthony sings to the pot so that it will stop cooking pasta, he forgets to blow the three kisses, and the pasta keeps coming out of the pot so that it eventually threatens to strangle the whole town. How will Big Anthony get out of this mess?

Tomie de Paola has always been one of my favorite author/illustrators and Strega Nona is probably one of his most popular books. It has a great lesson. In the end, Big Anthony learns that he must take responsibility for his actions.

The Snowy Day
Author and Illustrator: Ezra Jack Keats
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 2-6 years

Peter wakes up to discover that snow has fallen during the night, so he goes outside to play in it. He makes tracks, snowmen, and angels. He slides down hills of snow and tries to take home a pocketful to save for the next day. On the morrow, when he sees that it is still snowing, he goes outside to do it all over again.

This sweet, simple story won Mr. Keats a Caldecott Medal for his unique illustrations. It captures a young boy's wonder and excitement over a snowy day.

Harry and the Terrible Whatzit
Author and Illustrator: Dick Gackenbach
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 5-9 years

Harry is afraid of the cellar: It is dark, damp, smelly, and there is something terrible down there. When his mother goes down and doesn't return, Harry decides he will have to save her. He encounters the terrible Whatzit and bravely confronts his fears in order to find his mother.

Even as a child, I understood that this was a story about needing to face into one's fears in order to be able to conquer them. Every time I read it I was so proud of Harry for standing up to the Whatzit. This book empowers children to do the same in their own lives.


Other personal favorites, that I will not take the time to review here, include:
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson

If you have never read these, you may want to check them out. Happy reading!

Personal Childhood Favorites: Picture Books #1

Books have always been an important part of my life. I have many happy memories of childhood that are associated with books. I hope to inspire the same love of reading and appreciation of good literature in my own children. The following were my personal favorites as a child. These are the books that I returned to time and again until the pages became soft they were so worn. I hope that you and your children will enjoy them as much as I did, and still do.

The Story of Ferdinand
Author: Munro Leaf
Illustrator: Robert Lawson
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 4-8 years

Unlike all the other bulls, whose dream it is to be chosen for the bullfights in Madrid, Ferdinand just likes to sit quietly and smell the flowers. One day, due to some unlucky circumstances, and much to his surprise, Ferdinand finds himself in a cart headed to Madrid. Everyone is scared of such a large, powerful-looking bull. What will happen to Ferdinand when he meets the Matador?

I think I enjoyed this book for two reasons. First, as a young child, Spain seemed so exotic and I was intrigued. Second, as an introvert, I was able to identify with a character (even though he was a bull) who preferred to sit quietly apart and just observe the world.

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
Author: Charlotte Zolotow
Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 4-8 years

A little girl is searching for a gift for her mother's birthday and she asks Mr. Rabbit for help. After much discussion, they are finally able to produce the perfect gift.

Some adults (like my husband) may find this story too repetitive to be enjoyable. I have always found the rhythm of the book to be rather soothing. The illustrations are absolutely wonderful!

The Velveteen Rabbit
Author: Margery Williams Bianco
Illustrator: various
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 5-9 years

More than anything, the Velveteen Rabbit wants to be real. The wise Skin Horse tells him, “Real isn’t how you are made. It’s a thing that happens when a child loves you.” The Velveteen Rabbit learns from experience that the process does not always look nice and that sometimes it even hurts. Ultimately, however, none of that matters because the love of a boy makes him real and beautiful.

This heart-warming tale has been a favorite since its publication in 1922. As a child, I particularly enjoyed listening to The Velveteen Rabbit on CD narrated by Meryl Streep with musical accompaniment by George Winston.

The Big Orange Splot
Author and Illustrator: Daniel Manus Pinkwater
Genre: Picture Book
Age Level: 4-8 years

Mr. Plumbean and his neighbors live on a “neat street” where all the houses look the same, and they like it that way. One day, a seagull drops a can of bright orange paint on his house. The neighbors are surprised when, instead of painting his house to look like theirs, Mr. Plumbean redesigns it to reflect his dreams. What will the neighbors do now?

As a child, I think what I liked most about this story was its humor and hyperbole. I also admired a character that was willing to defy the status quo.

Gems From the Past #3

Miss Hickory
Author: Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
Illustrator: Ruth Gannett
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: 10+ years

Miss Hickory is made from a hickory nut glued onto an apple-wood twig, but she’s not a doll; she is real. When her owner, Ann, leaves for Boston with her Great-granny Brown, Miss Hickory is faced with the prospect of having to survive a harsh New Hampshire winter all by herself. However, despite her hard-headedness, Miss Hickory receives help from many animal friends including Crow, Squirrel, and Mr. T. Willard Brown, the barn cat. As the narrative follows the slow changing of the seasons, we also observe gradual changes in Miss Hickory’s character.

In 1947, this children’s book won the Newberry Medal. If your child is an animal- or nature-lover, Miss Hickory would be an especially good choice. The language is very poetic and the lithographs add to the charm. This book would be a wonderful tool for teaching imagery. A note of warning: There is a surprise twist toward the end that may be a bit alarming for younger readers.