My Favorite Children's Books, by Lisa

 How to choose a favorite children’s book? I have so many favorites. I love books, and I love children’s  books. I was a voracious reader as a child, and still loved reading as an adult, only to be slowed by graduate school over the last few years. I finished last June and am now getting back to reading for pleasure since I bought myself a Kindle. I could go on for days about great books for kids of all ages. I never imagined I would memorize Goodnight Moon until my daughter had to hear it every night. And don’t we all know The Night Before Christmas by heart? I love the book Santa Mouse, too, at Christmas time. And then for Halloween there’s Old Black Witch, which is out of print, but such fun and the pancake recipe on the back really works. Then there is Caddie Woodlawn, a kind of Little House on the Prairie tale, which my beloved 4^th grade teacher, Mrs. Ley, read aloud to our class when I brought it in. I mention this more because it’s a memory of being comforted by her at the time my parents divorced than because I liked the book. I also love pop-up books, they go well with my love of paper and paper crafts of all kinds (some of you know my handmade cards and origami creations, maybe I’ll write about those some time). There are so many beautiful pop-up books, check out anything by Matthew Reinhart or Robert Sabuda. Robert Sabuda has a web page where you can print simple pop-ups to color and assemble yourself, they make cute greeting cards. There is even a set of pop-up Christmas cards by Robert Sabuda, called Christmas Alphabet Cards—unique, and you can get them on Amazon.  Some of my all time favorite kids books that I have given as gifts include:

The Tale of Despereaux, which was made into a movie but I highly recommend the book (it’s a chapter book)

Island of the Blue Dolphins (I’ve even re-read this as an adult, more than once)

How to Eat Fried Worms (lol, need I say more?)

And a special favorite, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. It’s about a girl, Claudia, and her brother, Jamie, who decide to run away from home and hide out at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to teach their parents a lesson. They become involved in trying to solve a mystery at the museum. You’ll just have to read it to find out what happens!

Then there’s The Monster Bed, which may be out of print, which is unfortunate. As a child, I was afraid of lots of things, including the dark and whatever or whomever might be lurking under my bed. This story is of a young monster named Dennis, who doesn’t want to go to bed for fear that there is a human under his bed. You’re laughing already, aren’t you? Uh, huh, some of you know the fear I’m talking about. Reminds of when I was little and had to have my closet doors closed at night for fear there was a monster in the closet. My grandparents came to visit and I woke to hear the monster breathing loudly. I lay in bed, playing possum in hopes the monster would not notice me. Only later when the loud breathing stopped did I realize it was my grandfather’s snoring. No one in our family snored and I had never heard snoring before. I still use a night light, in case you’re wondering.

One last book—Waking Beauty, introduced to me by Jo when I was visiting her last year. It’s a funny twist on the fairy tale we grew up with. That reminds me of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales…get thyself to the library! And por favor, tell us your favorite children’s book!