Childhood Books I Still Read

I have been going through my book collection recently and noticed that several of the books I have hung onto (and re-read) are children’s books. These days Neil Gaiman is touted as a great children’s writer with such instant classics as Coraline and The Graveyard Book under his belt. So, too, is J.K. Rowling after the success of her Harry Potter Series. Given the test of time, though, I do wonder how well-loved those books will be in 20, 30 or even 50 years from now.

The following is my own personal (and incomplete) list of children’s books that I have hung onto all these years and STILL read…

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl: No matter what your opinion of either movie happens to be, I’m sure anyone who’s ever ready this book will agree with me that BOTH films miss the mark entirely. If you haven’t yet read it, drop everything that you’re doing now and read it immediately.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle: Actually, the whole series is on my list – but it started with A Wrinkle in Time. I was 8 when I first read it, awed by the picture of kids riding a rainbow-winged creature on the cover. I had never before read a book that dealt with such deep and complex ideas – especially with children as the main characters. While I can’t say that this book was the spark behind my fascination with astronomy (I’ve always been a bit of a stargazer) it DID help solidify that interest as more than just a passing fancy.

Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel: Those that know me through my online persona, theFrog (or Froggie), won’t be surprised to find that this is by far, my abolute favorite children’s book of all time. I’ve even gone so far as making it a point that every child I know gets a copy of all the Frog and Toad books because I truly believe that EVERY kid would find these books enjoyable. Even adult kids would find these silly little stories thoroughly enjoyable.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak: “…and it was still warm.” That famous last line is etched into my memory for all time. This is another one that I find myself buying multiple copies in order to give as gifts to new parents. I’m hoping the movie currently in production won’t butcher it too badly.

Various fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen: There isn’t just one story by him that I read and loved as a child – there were many. My mother had a large tome of his collected works that, for some reason, absolutely fascinated me as a kid. I was proud of myself for being able to read such a long book – especially because the writing was so small and there were hardly any pictures (just an illustration before each story). Though Disney has done its damnedest to prettify these tales, I still find myself prefering Hans’ version – especially The Little Mermaid. Give these a read, they’re beautiful classics  – despite being a little dark at times.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame: Yes, another one with a toad featured prominently in the cast of characters. Reading this story now, I’m surprised at some of the adult themes throughout the book (nothing r-rated, but definitely over the heads of most children). I’m also surprised that I actually read the whole book at the age of 9. It may have helped that I watched the Disney cartoon before I read the book, but I can’t say for sure.

I’m going to leave the list at that for now… there are dozens more I could add, but these are the ones that I’ve re-read recently and that inspired this post. If you haven’t read some of these, give it a go. They’re great books no matter your age. If you have read them, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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