(I’m sending this to everyone today because discussions are a lot more fun with more people.)
This is my childhood copy of Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, written in 1964. I’ve kept it all these years (well, my mom kept it for awhile — thank you, Mom, for maintaining my childhood library until I was old enough to care again) because I was so obsessed with it.
I fervently wished I could crawl inside it and become Harriet herself — even though Harriet has a rough time of it, and it’s only as an adult that I see the breadth and depth of her personal and social struggles. For at least a year, during 3rd grade, I carried around my own notebook and spied on as many neighbors as possible. (It was not unusual for me to have a notebook — I’ve been writing since I was four years old, when my grandparents got me a green, yellow, and white Little Tykes desk and as such, changed the course of my life forever — but the keen interest in the lives of others was inspired purely by Harriet.)
This book remains my favorite of all time — not just my favorite children’s book, but my favorite book ever. When I reread it, which I do once in awhile, I always find something new — its meaning morphs over time, as does how precious it is to me.
Would I be a different person had I never met Harriet? I don’t know. Possibly. I do know that I’d be a different reader, because her story left its mark on my reading life — it set the bar in many ways and created an echo of sorts, reverberating across the years into other books that I’ve loved for similar structural, narrative, and character reasons. (I am thinking of Why Did I Ever by Mary Robison, Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl, The Little Friend by Donna Tartt — all titles that absolutely possessed me when I read them and which remain on a special shelf in my library, if not my “favorite” books then certainly ones that took the top of my head off, the highest compliment I can give a book, the literary equivalent of the 🤯 emoji.)
More than anything, though, Harriet embodied the sort of girl — and eventually the sort of woman — that captivates me, that offers a model for my own independence and empowerment (as if, growing up in a family of women who embodied those traits on the daily, I need/ed any more examples), and I will love her forever for it.
I feel so lucky that I met her in childhood, that Harriet the Spy came into my life at nine years old and modified me and my life.
What about you?
What books from childhood have stuck with you?
I’d love to hear your answer/s to this question.
(Thanks to Darcy for this idea and for prompting me to revisit my most beloved book because of it.)
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, by Julie Andrews Edwards (published under her married name, it's the same Julie Andrews of "Mary Poppins").
This book remains in my top three books of all time, read for the first time in third grade. It was the first book to ever blow my mind, and change the way I looked at the world. Imagination, observation, creativity, critical thinking, and hard work -- all wrapped up in a magical land that I still envision through eight-year-old eyes when I re-read the book.
My 4th grade teacher read this aloud to my class. His daughter had passed away the year before and he was unable to get through parts of the book without crying. I remember nothing of the story, only how much it affected him and thus, us. I do have a copy I picked up at a library sale and hope to read to my kids in a few years. I love how you describe your experience of it, Angie. I can *feel* how much you still cherish it.
We were very hard on him — a naughty class with zero perspective or understanding of what he was going through on any level. We didn’t know any better — and yet he read aloud to us like the gift it was. I often wish I could find him and thank him.
Also strongly influenced by Harriet, to the point that I am scared to get a copy for my now-8-year-old because what if she doesn't also love it and how will I handle the disappointment. Around the same age, I was also mesmerized by Diana Wynne Jones (especially WITCH WEEK) and Zilpha Keatley Synder (especially THE VELVET ROOM and AND CONDORS DANCED) and still think about so many of those characters and details often.
I definitely have weird pre-emptive dread over how I will handle it if my kid doesn't love my favorite childhood books (The Phantom Tollbooth, I'm looking at you!!).
In my experience: don't say a word. The moment my mom was like, "I LOVED Little Women! You will ADORE it!" I decided never to pick it up (and never have, lol). Keep quiet about Harriet and maybe there's a chance 😉
(Witch Week only came to my attention last year, even though I am a fan of Diana Wynne Jones. I haven't read it but am on board with all things witches, so will get to it eventually.)
Great advice! I have ruined her chances of liking other books with my enthusiasm (RIP Little Princess, Secret Garden, Alice in Wonderland...) so I really do just need to buy a copy and leave it lying around without comment.
(I've been SUPER careful about this phenomenon. And I've also found that even if they reject something, if I just sit down, open the book, and start reading without any preamble or explanation, the great stories suck them in, they forget they initially refused, and they beg me to continue. Might be worth a try with the ones you mentioned...)
Sadly we've moved past the willing-to-be-read-to stage with my 8 year old (though we do a LOT of side-by-side reading, which I maybe love even more?). But I will absolutely try that approach with my 4 yo, who is also just more willing to take a suggestion (at least right now).
Oh, that made my heart squeeze just a little bit. (Curious: did she explicitly say she no longer wanted you to read to her? I am interested in how this happens for some people, and for others not at all.)
4yo seems to be a magical sweet spot for reading aloud that, I have to admit, I did not anticipate.
It was a few years ago when her ability to read chapter books took off -- started with her letting me read a chapter, but then she would grab the book and finish it herself (and making rules that she couldn't do that felt weird). Then she got increasingly picky about what she would let me read, and also sometimes explicitly rejected it, and I realized I was trying to force something that didn't work anymore. We switched to side by side reading and it's just a better fit for our personalities. She will sometimes linger and listen when I'm reading to the younger one, and that's nice but I'm completely fine with the transition. We still share the reading experience, but I think she wanted more control over her part in it. She also doesn't like when her teachers do read-alouds in school -- she's often reading ahead of them, or just getting itchy. I kind of get it -- my dad still talks about how he never got to finish the Little House books because by the time we were halfway through the series I wanted to just read them on my own. Will be interesting to see how it goes with the second kid, who craves connection in such different ways.
I didn't read much during my childhood, so I don't have any to share. But I'm keeping my eyes peeled on people's comments to maybe find some titles for myself to read as a fully grown adult! Harriet sounds like a good place to start...
HARRIET FOREVER, Nick. I don't know what it would be like to read it for the first time as an adult. Even though I've reread it many times, including as a grownup, there's always a little bit of my childhood experience attached, which affects things. I think it's worth a shot, for sure (and it's also worth saying: it's never too late to read books you didn't read as a child!)
Even as a young kid, I remember having a deep appreciation for the subversiveness of The Paperbag Princess. I continue to be drawn to stories with strong, female protagonists, and Elizabeth was the first model I really had for that.
I love this question and I'm eager to see others responses!
Same, same, same. That book was so ahead of its time and I have really relished reading it to my daughters. (The ending, where she calls him a bum, never fails to make me laugh.)
The possibility of enjoying them less now is my biggest fear about going back and rereading many of my childhood books -- I want to keep them wonderful, in my mind.
I don't know any of the books you mentioned! Will remedy that immediately.
This may be a super obvious choice, but I loved "The Little House on the Prairie" books. Harriet of course, Matilda, and the witty/silly stuff like "The Phantom Tollbooth" and "A barrel of laughs and a vale of tears". Not gonna lie, pretty much every book on my Substack!
I love this, Olivia -- "pretty much every book on my Substack." (I've always wondered this!)
I was a huge fan of Matilda too -- it was the first book where I recognized myself as a reader. And I don't think I've come across a character as amazing as Miss Trunchbull since.
Oh gosh, Harriet, she definitely changed my world. She and her world captured me-- still do with every re-read. The illustrations, too, are half the thing. I could see so much in those line drawings.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle published in 1962! Favorite childhood book! ⭐️ The nuns put it on our summer reading list in 1964 when I was in fourth grade and we all did book reports on it and the other nine book we were assigned to read over the summer. The runner up on my most favorite childhood book list: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgkin Burnett published in 1911. And for the bronze: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. I took “Anne” as my confirmation name, not for St. Anne, but for Anne of Green Gables, and made sure to spell it with the ‘e’ ! The nuns never knew 😂 Great thread 🧵 topic, Sarah, I’m enjoying reading all the responses.
"The nuns never knew." I love it, Jolene! 😂 And I loved The Secret Garden and Anne of Green Gables, too -- the former felt like a world to get lost in and set me off on a "garden novel" kick (my favorite of that niche genre was Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards, who has been mentioned in this thread already, and rightfully so). I didn't get to A Wrinkle in Time until I was a late teenager and I think my window for it had closed, which has always made me a little sad (though I've read a few of L'Engle's books for adults, namely her journals, and love her writing).
yes, yes yes! I re-read all of the Anne books every few years. There is a lot to be said for the fiesty heroine as a theme. So satisfying. When Colin gets well, in Secret Garden, I figured I had the secret to life right there.
IN THE YEAR OF THE BOAR AND JACKIE ROBINSON by Bette Bao Lord. When my wonderful third grade teacher read this aloud to our class, I felt so comforted hearing the story about Shirley, who had come to Brooklyn from China and didn’t speak English. At the time, I had only recently come to Canada from Iran as a refugee and although my third grade class (like Shirley’s!) had kids from all over the world, I had never heard a story in English about someone just like me. I felt immediately less ashamed of struggling with English and feeling like an outsider. I still find myself wishing I could find my teacher, Mrs. Toby Brotman, and tell her how much she helped me. I look forward to rereading this book with my kids in a few years.
If anyone ever doubts the power of "mirror and windows," this right here says it all. What an amazing experience, Sara (and I'm so glad your teacher was able to do that for you).
“Garden novel kick” 😂 I’m going to definitively check out Mandy and add to my list of gifts for nieces and nephews! It’s so true that the time/moment passes for certain childhood/young adult reads. Love this thread, thank you, Sarah!
Harriet will always be one of my favorite! A lot of favs are mentioned already, but some other ones that have stuck with me for years are WALK TWO MOONS by Sharon Creech (to this day I can't really tell you much about it but I can tell you how it made me *feel* and that I absolutely adored it) and NATE THE GREAT, who had a dog sidekick as a detective and I loved that there was a detective who could take his BFF everywhere.
Love these! And you can't go wrong with Nate the Great. Those books weren't on my radar as a kid but my oldest enjoys them on audio, and overhearing them, I find them funny.
Olga da Polga! Loved it so much, I re-read many many times. Also The Magic Pudding because it was nuts and re-read many times to get my head around the rhymes.
I'm probably older than most of your readers, but I grew up on a farm in Wyoming and loved horse books and the Little House on the Prairie books. My favorite books were from the Misty of Chincoteague series. I ordered many horse stories from the Scholastic book orders (yes, we had book orders way back in the 70s!) and saved about ten of my favorites in a cardboard box so my own children could read them. I kept track of that box through high school, my college years away, and several moves until I had children of my own in my young 30s. I pulled the box out when my oldest was three--it was too early, but I was so excited for when they would actually be able to appreciate these gems--only to notice, for the first time, that every character was white and blond (at least they were girls) and the diversity they faced was child's play compared to that of most modern children. Plus, there were so many amazing children's books out by then that I knew my girls would choose their own favorites and for good reason.
I was never a horse enthusiast, but I know how beloved the Misty book have been to many. Good for you for recognizing that maybe they hadn't aged well... so often people hang onto books out of childhood nostalgia, either insisting that they're great despite their antiquated perspectives (and some certainly fit this bill, though it's worth talking about how to handle them if reading them aloud to children now) or refusing to acknowledge there's anything problematic about them.
What were some of your girls' favorites, when they had a chance to choose for themselves?
Anne of Green Gables was a favorite - given to me by my favorite great-aunt and her "lifelong friend and travel companion", read aloud to my sister and I by my dad before bedtimes when we were young, and the old PBS miniseries was for some reason annual Christmas viewing for our family. It spoke to me about the friction between being yourself and wanting to belong, the fierceness of close friendships, and that there is a place for imagination. I wrote my college application essay about my love of Anne and the shorthand from the book(s) - a Jonah day, a kindred spirit - has been an avenue to find other people who have held that book close.
I love so many of these! My reading tastes today have direct lines to my childhood reading. The Giver was the first book that I went and checked out to finish reading before my sixth grade teacher finished reading it to us (and started me down the dystopian reading hole). Bridge to Terebethia was the first book that made me cry. Ender's Game was the book that made me question everything I thought I liked in reading (never turned my nose up at science fiction again!). And my love of romance novels began with the Alanna series (Tamora Pierce). Thanks for this wonderful question.
So many favorites mentioned here. Definitely Misty of Chincoteague (thank you horse girl neighbor!), the Redwall series, and Anne of Green Gables. I'm sure there are others that should come to mind, but I read so much as a kid that it's kind of hard to remember them all.
I’ve been curious about Redwall for awhile. I know they’re absolutely beloved by kids, and I’ve also heard some caregivers complain about reading them aloud (actually what they’ve said is they mentally checked out through those books because they were so boring). The mystery deepens!
I've not returned to the Redwall series yet as an adult, however, they were a beloved read-aloud series in my family as a kid. I'm hoping they stand the test of time!
Harriet the Spy! It was my mom’s favourite and mine. I am a keen observer of people, I think because Harriet taught me to notice everything. I am a political scientist and when I pull out my recorder and notebook, I think fondly of the book.
Have you read any of the Kate Klise/Sarah Klise books? Trial by Journal, Regarding the Fountain, etc. are written in silly letters, emails, etc. and they really appealed to my nosiness, I suppose 😉 I had SUCH a blast reading and re-reading those books, and my mom enjoyed them with me.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg also had a big impact on me, and when I read it to my kids recently, we finished it in less than a day 😅
Matilda by Roald Dahl and the D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. I've only kept about 15 books after a recent move, and those two made it. They are well-loved and the spine of Greek Myths is lovingly cracked. I remember being 10 and devouring each myth, believing I, too, could be part of the stories. I love this thread.
May We Sleep Here Tonight by Tan Koide because my mom resurrected it into our adulthood by always placing a copy on our pillow when we came home to visit them, plus it's such sweet story and beautiful book. Also, I still love my old Richard Scarry books because there was SO MUCH TO SEE and I am glad they have modernized them. Last one, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, because I remember being so engrossed and reading it so quickly which meant a lot because reading has always been hard for me :)
You have told me this before about May We Sleep Here Tonight — it’s such a cute book and huge kudos to your mom for such an amazing and lovely idea (which I hope to steal someday)!
Which reminds me they arrive back in Wisconsin tonight and I should find my copy and put it out for them! Thanks for sparking this memory at a perfect time. ✨
I had to look up Lowly Worm, but duh - of course!. :) Do your kiddos read the old versions, or do they have newer copies. I am very curious if the kids of today would question the original versions that are so SO gendered when it comes to occupations and domestic activities.
Vanessa, we have newer versions. There is one story in particular that has stuck with me, which is about Pig Will and Pig Won't. One day Pig Will leaves with his dad to help with some project and Pig Won't doesn't (because he "won't" help with anything). While he is home with his mom, she ignores him, shuts her office door, and writes her book. It makes me laugh every time.
I thought Fitzhugh lived on East 85th, but the house that inspired 'Harriet' was at 558 East 87th Street...? (Why I know this unbelievably obscure fact is beyond me.)
I can remember a grade school teacher reading a book to the class. The only book I remember was Island of the Blue Dolphins. I loved that book and re-read it several times during my childhood. I know I read other books like Ramona and Clifford the Big Red Dog but I don't remember many more than that, and I wish I did. I think this is why I enjoy reading middle grade books now. I wish some of these had been around when I was a kid. They weren't so I'm enjoying them now. :)
I love this thread (obviously) and so many of these are books I treasure and fondly recall reading. The books that have stuck with me most from childhood seem to be those that are also sad or even tragic - Bridge to Terabithia, Where the Red Fern Grows, and the Anne of Green Gables series (I can vividly recall when Anne's first baby dies and then re-read it after I had my own children and understanding Anne's grief as we personally experienced something similar). There are many books mentioned below that I've never read and I'm thankful to have more books to add to my list.
When I finished Where the Red Fern Grows, I remember hiding on the top bunk in my bedroom and sobbing, which was the first time a book made me cry.
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, by Julie Andrews Edwards (published under her married name, it's the same Julie Andrews of "Mary Poppins").
This book remains in my top three books of all time, read for the first time in third grade. It was the first book to ever blow my mind, and change the way I looked at the world. Imagination, observation, creativity, critical thinking, and hard work -- all wrapped up in a magical land that I still envision through eight-year-old eyes when I re-read the book.
Yes!! I have my original copy of this. Tattered hard-cover. Neck and neck with Harriet, for me.
My 4th grade teacher read this aloud to my class. His daughter had passed away the year before and he was unable to get through parts of the book without crying. I remember nothing of the story, only how much it affected him and thus, us. I do have a copy I picked up at a library sale and hope to read to my kids in a few years. I love how you describe your experience of it, Angie. I can *feel* how much you still cherish it.
I have been thinking about this for days, now, Sarah. Thank you for sharing this image, of what surely was a wonderful man with a broken heart.
We were very hard on him — a naughty class with zero perspective or understanding of what he was going through on any level. We didn’t know any better — and yet he read aloud to us like the gift it was. I often wish I could find him and thank him.
Love that one! Gah, I need to read this to my kids.
I don't know this one, but Mandy, by the same author, is on my list of favorites. Will look for this!
Also strongly influenced by Harriet, to the point that I am scared to get a copy for my now-8-year-old because what if she doesn't also love it and how will I handle the disappointment. Around the same age, I was also mesmerized by Diana Wynne Jones (especially WITCH WEEK) and Zilpha Keatley Synder (especially THE VELVET ROOM and AND CONDORS DANCED) and still think about so many of those characters and details often.
I definitely have weird pre-emptive dread over how I will handle it if my kid doesn't love my favorite childhood books (The Phantom Tollbooth, I'm looking at you!!).
In my experience: don't say a word. The moment my mom was like, "I LOVED Little Women! You will ADORE it!" I decided never to pick it up (and never have, lol). Keep quiet about Harriet and maybe there's a chance 😉
(Witch Week only came to my attention last year, even though I am a fan of Diana Wynne Jones. I haven't read it but am on board with all things witches, so will get to it eventually.)
Great advice! I have ruined her chances of liking other books with my enthusiasm (RIP Little Princess, Secret Garden, Alice in Wonderland...) so I really do just need to buy a copy and leave it lying around without comment.
🤞🤞🤞🤞
(I've been SUPER careful about this phenomenon. And I've also found that even if they reject something, if I just sit down, open the book, and start reading without any preamble or explanation, the great stories suck them in, they forget they initially refused, and they beg me to continue. Might be worth a try with the ones you mentioned...)
Sadly we've moved past the willing-to-be-read-to stage with my 8 year old (though we do a LOT of side-by-side reading, which I maybe love even more?). But I will absolutely try that approach with my 4 yo, who is also just more willing to take a suggestion (at least right now).
Oh, that made my heart squeeze just a little bit. (Curious: did she explicitly say she no longer wanted you to read to her? I am interested in how this happens for some people, and for others not at all.)
4yo seems to be a magical sweet spot for reading aloud that, I have to admit, I did not anticipate.
It was a few years ago when her ability to read chapter books took off -- started with her letting me read a chapter, but then she would grab the book and finish it herself (and making rules that she couldn't do that felt weird). Then she got increasingly picky about what she would let me read, and also sometimes explicitly rejected it, and I realized I was trying to force something that didn't work anymore. We switched to side by side reading and it's just a better fit for our personalities. She will sometimes linger and listen when I'm reading to the younger one, and that's nice but I'm completely fine with the transition. We still share the reading experience, but I think she wanted more control over her part in it. She also doesn't like when her teachers do read-alouds in school -- she's often reading ahead of them, or just getting itchy. I kind of get it -- my dad still talks about how he never got to finish the Little House books because by the time we were halfway through the series I wanted to just read them on my own. Will be interesting to see how it goes with the second kid, who craves connection in such different ways.
I wish I had copies of The Three Investigators series, they were fun. And, back in the day, Choose Your Own Adventures books were the thing.
I don't know The Three Investigators -- am looking them up right now!
OMG CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE! Thank you for the reminder! Gosh I loved them so much. So so so much. Nostalgia!
I echo this - Choose Your Own Adventure were so fun!
I didn't read much during my childhood, so I don't have any to share. But I'm keeping my eyes peeled on people's comments to maybe find some titles for myself to read as a fully grown adult! Harriet sounds like a good place to start...
HARRIET FOREVER, Nick. I don't know what it would be like to read it for the first time as an adult. Even though I've reread it many times, including as a grownup, there's always a little bit of my childhood experience attached, which affects things. I think it's worth a shot, for sure (and it's also worth saying: it's never too late to read books you didn't read as a child!)
I wanted to stick this in here somewhere: https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-tragic-misfit-behind-harriet-the-spy.
I read it in december, alerted by a friend, and it was so interesting!
Yes! It’s on my TBR list!
Even as a young kid, I remember having a deep appreciation for the subversiveness of The Paperbag Princess. I continue to be drawn to stories with strong, female protagonists, and Elizabeth was the first model I really had for that.
I love this question and I'm eager to see others responses!
OBSESSED WITH THAT BOOK!
Same, same, same. That book was so ahead of its time and I have really relished reading it to my daughters. (The ending, where she calls him a bum, never fails to make me laugh.)
Shadow the Sheepdog, The Stepford Mice Series, Adventures by Willard Price.
I think I'd enjoy them less if I went back to them. I suspect the last of those were racist, though I didn't know it at the time.
The possibility of enjoying them less now is my biggest fear about going back and rereading many of my childhood books -- I want to keep them wonderful, in my mind.
I don't know any of the books you mentioned! Will remedy that immediately.
This may be a super obvious choice, but I loved "The Little House on the Prairie" books. Harriet of course, Matilda, and the witty/silly stuff like "The Phantom Tollbooth" and "A barrel of laughs and a vale of tears". Not gonna lie, pretty much every book on my Substack!
I love this, Olivia -- "pretty much every book on my Substack." (I've always wondered this!)
I was a huge fan of Matilda too -- it was the first book where I recognized myself as a reader. And I don't think I've come across a character as amazing as Miss Trunchbull since.
Oh gosh, Harriet, she definitely changed my world. She and her world captured me-- still do with every re-read. The illustrations, too, are half the thing. I could see so much in those line drawings.
Agreed!
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle published in 1962! Favorite childhood book! ⭐️ The nuns put it on our summer reading list in 1964 when I was in fourth grade and we all did book reports on it and the other nine book we were assigned to read over the summer. The runner up on my most favorite childhood book list: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgkin Burnett published in 1911. And for the bronze: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. I took “Anne” as my confirmation name, not for St. Anne, but for Anne of Green Gables, and made sure to spell it with the ‘e’ ! The nuns never knew 😂 Great thread 🧵 topic, Sarah, I’m enjoying reading all the responses.
"The nuns never knew." I love it, Jolene! 😂 And I loved The Secret Garden and Anne of Green Gables, too -- the former felt like a world to get lost in and set me off on a "garden novel" kick (my favorite of that niche genre was Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards, who has been mentioned in this thread already, and rightfully so). I didn't get to A Wrinkle in Time until I was a late teenager and I think my window for it had closed, which has always made me a little sad (though I've read a few of L'Engle's books for adults, namely her journals, and love her writing).
yes, yes yes! I re-read all of the Anne books every few years. There is a lot to be said for the fiesty heroine as a theme. So satisfying. When Colin gets well, in Secret Garden, I figured I had the secret to life right there.
IN THE YEAR OF THE BOAR AND JACKIE ROBINSON by Bette Bao Lord. When my wonderful third grade teacher read this aloud to our class, I felt so comforted hearing the story about Shirley, who had come to Brooklyn from China and didn’t speak English. At the time, I had only recently come to Canada from Iran as a refugee and although my third grade class (like Shirley’s!) had kids from all over the world, I had never heard a story in English about someone just like me. I felt immediately less ashamed of struggling with English and feeling like an outsider. I still find myself wishing I could find my teacher, Mrs. Toby Brotman, and tell her how much she helped me. I look forward to rereading this book with my kids in a few years.
If anyone ever doubts the power of "mirror and windows," this right here says it all. What an amazing experience, Sara (and I'm so glad your teacher was able to do that for you).
“Garden novel kick” 😂 I’m going to definitively check out Mandy and add to my list of gifts for nieces and nephews! It’s so true that the time/moment passes for certain childhood/young adult reads. Love this thread, thank you, Sarah!
Harriet will always be one of my favorite! A lot of favs are mentioned already, but some other ones that have stuck with me for years are WALK TWO MOONS by Sharon Creech (to this day I can't really tell you much about it but I can tell you how it made me *feel* and that I absolutely adored it) and NATE THE GREAT, who had a dog sidekick as a detective and I loved that there was a detective who could take his BFF everywhere.
Love these! And you can't go wrong with Nate the Great. Those books weren't on my radar as a kid but my oldest enjoys them on audio, and overhearing them, I find them funny.
Olga da Polga! Loved it so much, I re-read many many times. Also The Magic Pudding because it was nuts and re-read many times to get my head around the rhymes.
You know, I've heard of Olga ga Polga but know next to nothing about the series -- she's a guinea pig? Hamster?
So many but I remember The Wish Tree by John Ciardi - black and white illustrations - beautiful. Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree always moves me.
So interesting that they are both books about trees...
I'm probably older than most of your readers, but I grew up on a farm in Wyoming and loved horse books and the Little House on the Prairie books. My favorite books were from the Misty of Chincoteague series. I ordered many horse stories from the Scholastic book orders (yes, we had book orders way back in the 70s!) and saved about ten of my favorites in a cardboard box so my own children could read them. I kept track of that box through high school, my college years away, and several moves until I had children of my own in my young 30s. I pulled the box out when my oldest was three--it was too early, but I was so excited for when they would actually be able to appreciate these gems--only to notice, for the first time, that every character was white and blond (at least they were girls) and the diversity they faced was child's play compared to that of most modern children. Plus, there were so many amazing children's books out by then that I knew my girls would choose their own favorites and for good reason.
I was never a horse enthusiast, but I know how beloved the Misty book have been to many. Good for you for recognizing that maybe they hadn't aged well... so often people hang onto books out of childhood nostalgia, either insisting that they're great despite their antiquated perspectives (and some certainly fit this bill, though it's worth talking about how to handle them if reading them aloud to children now) or refusing to acknowledge there's anything problematic about them.
What were some of your girls' favorites, when they had a chance to choose for themselves?
Caddie Woodlawn. I almost named my child Caddie Woodlawn. Haha.
"Caddie Woodlawn Steele" has a certain ring, I must admit 😉
A guinea pig! Have you read The Magic Pudding?
Anne of Green Gables was a favorite - given to me by my favorite great-aunt and her "lifelong friend and travel companion", read aloud to my sister and I by my dad before bedtimes when we were young, and the old PBS miniseries was for some reason annual Christmas viewing for our family. It spoke to me about the friction between being yourself and wanting to belong, the fierceness of close friendships, and that there is a place for imagination. I wrote my college application essay about my love of Anne and the shorthand from the book(s) - a Jonah day, a kindred spirit - has been an avenue to find other people who have held that book close.
This is just lovely, Liz.
I love so many of these! My reading tastes today have direct lines to my childhood reading. The Giver was the first book that I went and checked out to finish reading before my sixth grade teacher finished reading it to us (and started me down the dystopian reading hole). Bridge to Terebethia was the first book that made me cry. Ender's Game was the book that made me question everything I thought I liked in reading (never turned my nose up at science fiction again!). And my love of romance novels began with the Alanna series (Tamora Pierce). Thanks for this wonderful question.
Thanks for this wonderful answer, Kyle! (Ender’s Game helped me open up to sci-fi, too.)
What a delightful conversation Sarah!
I just wrote a piece about the YA book that has stayed with me for 20 years: https://courtneycook.substack.com/p/058-against-the-strong-female-lead
Before that: I read a LOT of Nancy Drew when I was a kid.
So many favorites mentioned here. Definitely Misty of Chincoteague (thank you horse girl neighbor!), the Redwall series, and Anne of Green Gables. I'm sure there are others that should come to mind, but I read so much as a kid that it's kind of hard to remember them all.
I’ve been curious about Redwall for awhile. I know they’re absolutely beloved by kids, and I’ve also heard some caregivers complain about reading them aloud (actually what they’ve said is they mentally checked out through those books because they were so boring). The mystery deepens!
I've not returned to the Redwall series yet as an adult, however, they were a beloved read-aloud series in my family as a kid. I'm hoping they stand the test of time!
Harriet the Spy! It was my mom’s favourite and mine. I am a keen observer of people, I think because Harriet taught me to notice everything. I am a political scientist and when I pull out my recorder and notebook, I think fondly of the book.
I love this!
Have you read any of the Kate Klise/Sarah Klise books? Trial by Journal, Regarding the Fountain, etc. are written in silly letters, emails, etc. and they really appealed to my nosiness, I suppose 😉 I had SUCH a blast reading and re-reading those books, and my mom enjoyed them with me.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg also had a big impact on me, and when I read it to my kids recently, we finished it in less than a day 😅
Love this question, Sarah.
I haven’t! Will have to look into them.
From the Mixed-Up Files… had a big impact on me, too. I can’t wait to reread it with my kids.
Bridge to Terabithia, for a variety of unexpected reasons, has stayed with me.
It’s a beautiful book.
Emily of New Moon, forever and ever.
Yes!
Matilda by Roald Dahl and the D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. I've only kept about 15 books after a recent move, and those two made it. They are well-loved and the spine of Greek Myths is lovingly cracked. I remember being 10 and devouring each myth, believing I, too, could be part of the stories. I love this thread.
I love this answer 💛💛💛
May We Sleep Here Tonight by Tan Koide because my mom resurrected it into our adulthood by always placing a copy on our pillow when we came home to visit them, plus it's such sweet story and beautiful book. Also, I still love my old Richard Scarry books because there was SO MUCH TO SEE and I am glad they have modernized them. Last one, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, because I remember being so engrossed and reading it so quickly which meant a lot because reading has always been hard for me :)
You have told me this before about May We Sleep Here Tonight — it’s such a cute book and huge kudos to your mom for such an amazing and lovely idea (which I hope to steal someday)!
Which reminds me they arrive back in Wisconsin tonight and I should find my copy and put it out for them! Thanks for sparking this memory at a perfect time. ✨
This feels like love as a verb, right here.
Vanessa, this is so sweet about your mom. I love anecdotes about her. I'm requesting this book now!
I love Richard Scarry's books and illustrations. My kids are oddly obsessed with Lowly Worm.
I had to look up Lowly Worm, but duh - of course!. :) Do your kiddos read the old versions, or do they have newer copies. I am very curious if the kids of today would question the original versions that are so SO gendered when it comes to occupations and domestic activities.
Vanessa, we have newer versions. There is one story in particular that has stuck with me, which is about Pig Will and Pig Won't. One day Pig Will leaves with his dad to help with some project and Pig Won't doesn't (because he "won't" help with anything). While he is home with his mom, she ignores him, shuts her office door, and writes her book. It makes me laugh every time.
So maybe the newer versions are less gendered?
If I'm not mistaken, Harriet the Spy was written in a house on 86th Street, right across from Carl Schurz Park!
I thought Fitzhugh lived on East 85th, but the house that inspired 'Harriet' was at 558 East 87th Street...? (Why I know this unbelievably obscure fact is beyond me.)
The internet provides: https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/tag/louise-fitzhugh-85th-street/
The back of the house faces East 86th, so technically we're both right! 😉
I will also tell you that I saw that alley there in an episode of Law and Order not too long ago!
It must be weird to recognize real places on fictional TV!
I try not question the talents I've been given. But it's really only works with Law and Order, so it's a pretty narrowly-tailored talent.
😂
I can remember a grade school teacher reading a book to the class. The only book I remember was Island of the Blue Dolphins. I loved that book and re-read it several times during my childhood. I know I read other books like Ramona and Clifford the Big Red Dog but I don't remember many more than that, and I wish I did. I think this is why I enjoy reading middle grade books now. I wish some of these had been around when I was a kid. They weren't so I'm enjoying them now. :)
I love this thread (obviously) and so many of these are books I treasure and fondly recall reading. The books that have stuck with me most from childhood seem to be those that are also sad or even tragic - Bridge to Terabithia, Where the Red Fern Grows, and the Anne of Green Gables series (I can vividly recall when Anne's first baby dies and then re-read it after I had my own children and understanding Anne's grief as we personally experienced something similar). There are many books mentioned below that I've never read and I'm thankful to have more books to add to my list.
When I finished Where the Red Fern Grows, I remember hiding on the top bunk in my bedroom and sobbing, which was the first time a book made me cry.
I re-read the Little House series in its entirety during early Covid, which I thought helped to offer perspective on how bad things were (because let's be honest - life in the Little House books is tough - if you haven't read this piece it might make you laugh: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/excerpts-from-laura-ingalls-wilders-the-long-fucking-winter).
I hadn't seen that 😂