Children's Classic Books discussion

I've been thinking about how to make the book of the month read more directed and interesting for members. So I'm making this thread in hopes that people will post books here that they'd like to read. That way, it takes some of the pressure off when the nominations come up each month. Instead of being on the spot to think of something, you can throw your desired reads into this thread whenever they occur to you. Hopefully it will make it easier and we'll have some more possibilities for the book of the month polls.

So please post books you'd like to read (as they come to you) HERE!

MASTER LIST

My Friend Flicka
The Secret Garden
Stuart Little
Mandy
Junket: The Dog Who Liked Everything "Just So"
Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard
The Little Bookworm; Eleanor Farjeon's Short Stories for Children
The Call of the Wild
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Search for Delicious
From Anna
Daddy-Long-Legs
Dear Enemy
The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet
Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars
Lisa and Lottie
Misty of Chincoteague
Treasure Island
Stig of the Dump
The Book of Dragons
The Island of Horses
Charlotte’s Web
The Adventures of Pinnochio by Carl Collodi
The Cay
Timothy of the Cay
Blue Willow
Tom Brown's School Days
The Silver Chalice
Never Cry Wolf: The Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves
Little Novels of Sicily
Emil and the Detectives
Daddy-Long-Legs
Dear Enemy
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
The Children of Green Knowe
The Borrowers
Ginger Pye

I have been here less than a year so I know some of these you may have already read, but this is what is on my future reading list. My summer is booked however, so I am hoping they don't come up in July or Aug. My Friend Flicka, The Secret Garden, Stuart Little, Mandy, Junket, Pippi Longstocking, The Little Bookroom, Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard and I just started the Cherry Ames series and want to read some of The Hardy Boys. Missed out on all of these as a child except I did read one or two of the Cherry Ames series. Sorry, I forgot The Call of the Wild.

Thank you, Theresa. I'm going to start a master list above. Did I get the right "Junket"? And do you have particular children's books you're going to read during the summer?

I'm going to throw in series reads as we are just finishing up The Dark Is Rising series:

MASTER SERIES LIST

Swallows and Amazons books by Arthur Ransome
Earthsea series by Ursula Le Guin
Moominland books by Tove Jansson
The Five Children and It books (3) by E. Nesbit
The Chronicles of Narnia books by C.S. Lewis
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Cleo wrote: "Thank you, Theresa. I'm going to start a master list above. Did I get the right "Junket"? And do you have particular children's books you're going to read during the summer?"

I do Jane Austen July and just focus on that. As for Aug. and Sept. I am usually really busy with preserving my garden.

Cleo wrote: "Thank you, Theresa. I'm going to start a master list above. Did I get the right "Junket"? And do you have particular children's books you're going to read during the summer?"

Junket by Anne H. White

Cleo wrote: "I'm going to throw in series reads as we are just finishing up The Dark Is Rising series:


MASTER SERIES LIST


Swallows and Amazons books by Arthur Ransome
Earthsea series by Ursula Le Guin
Moo..."

I am finishing up Lord of the Rings now.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt
From Anna by Jean Little

We won't be able to read one of my childhood favourites that I was given back then since it's long out of print (Mr Widdle and the Sea Breeze)

Daddy-Long-Legs is listed as a children's book, NOT y/a and I'd love to read it again! Plus the sequel Dear Enemy by Jean Webster)

If The Hobbit is a children's book then so are those, IMO :)

Although I loved it as a child and still have the books I was given then, as an adult I don't care for the Narnia books, but can always pass (I reread them when my kids were growing up.) For some reason reason, I'm not a CS Lewis fan for adults or children. Many childrens books that I love now are not old enough to be classics here.

My apologies, but I don't have time to check the group shelf.

However, what about
The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet and that series (only had the first one as a child, but they are fun)
Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars and that series (first saw that when my daughter read it)
Lisa and Lottie
Misty of Chincoteague
Treasure Island
Stig of the Dump
The Book of Dragons by E. Nesbit
The Island of Horses
Heidi
Charlotte’s Web
Pinocchio (as in the original full length one)

I'm not sure whether it's considered a classic, but I'm interested in reading The Cay and Timothy of the Cay. I remember some kids reading the first when I was a kid; I didn't know there was a sequel until I was an adult.

Rosemarie, I just love The Phantom Tollbooth!

Karin, I added all yours but I left out Heidi because we just recently read it. I have Miss Pickerell Goes to the Arctic and remember her books well from school but I'm uncertain how easy they are to get. I've had quite a few people tell me how good The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet is but I've never read it. Pinnochio is an amazing book, both a children's and adult book.

Thanks, Marianne. I think I own one of these books but I've never read it.

I'm going to add a few of my own:

Blue Willow by Doris Gates
Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes
The Silver Chalice by Thomas B. Costain
Never Cry Wolf: The Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves by Farley Mowat
Little Novels of Sicily by Giovanni Verga
Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner


Good for a start. More to come!

Cleo wrote: "I'm going to add a few of my own:

Blue Willow by Doris Gates
Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes
The Silver Chalice ..."

I didn't realize that that Never Cry Wolf was a children's book. Farley Mowatt did write some for children such as Owls in the Family (I had no idea until a couple of years ago that my dad and one of his friends also raised owlets, but only for the summer and then had to let them go--my dad was born and raised in Saskatchewan.) Also The Curse of the Viking Grave was for children.

Karin wrote: "I didn't realize that Never Cry Wolf was a children's book...."

I'm trying to not make all our choices too simple, as this group is aimed at homeschoolers. I'm often choosing from a homeschooling book list that has major classics on it (Dickens, Tolstoy, etc.) so while I haven't included any of those books yet, I think Never Cry Wolf: The Amazing True Story of Life Among Arctic Wolves is certainly accessible for children 13 and up. The Silver Chalice is aimed at older "children" as well and clocks in at around 800 pages. That would be a two month read certainly.

I loved Owls in the Family! It was lots of fun!

Cleo wrote: "Karin wrote: "I didn't realize that Never Cry Wolf was a children's book...."

I'm trying to not make all our choices too simple, as this group is aimed at homeschoolers. I'm often choosing from a ..."

Okay, then could you add Daddy-Long-Legs which I'd say is for children and teens both. If it's not on a homeschooling list, it ought to be. Plus the sequel, so even the double book that has both Daddy-Long-Legs / Dear Enemy--they are for the same age groups as the Anne of Green Gables books.

I'd love to read those again and think they are under read gems.

Karin wrote: "Okay, then could you add Daddy-Long-Legs which I'd say is for children and teens both. ..."

Absolutely! Added .....

Is Daddy-Long-Legs the one with the age gap romance?

I would also propose adding:

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
The Children of Green Knowe
The Borrowers
Ginger Pye

Thanks, Christine! I've added those.

Michael, if you're around and you want to add some books, I'd love to hear your choices. I'm going to add some myself in the next month or so that aren't as well-known so don't be concerned about feeling that you have to pick common titles.

Christine PNW wrote: "Is Daddy-Long-Legs the one with the age gap romance?

I would also propose adding:

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
The Children of Green Knowe
[book:The Borrowers|348573..."

The Borrowers is a series, correct?

Christine PNW wrote: "Is Daddy-Long-Legs the one with the age gap romance?

I would also propose adding:

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
The Children of Green Knowe
[book:The Borrowers|348573..."

It is, and it's really funny if you read the illustrated version, with drawings by the author/narrator.

Christine PNW wrote: "Is Daddy-Long-Legs the one with the age gap romance?

I would also propose adding:

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
The Children of Green Knowe
[book:The Borrowers|348573..."

Rosemary is right and yet it's also primarily letters the main character writes about her adventures in university to a man who is sponsoring her there and quite funny--definitely for the same age ranges as many of the Anne of Green Gables books.

As Rosemarie says, you want the drawings, so avoid the very cheapest editions out there. They help make the book :)

I wouldn't mind reading The Borrowers but I can't this month. If you are talking Autumn or winter I would.

I'll add The Borrowers to the books we'll vote on for September.

It's on our shelf, but I don't see a discussion of it. Has this group read and discussed Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle?