Posted on 07/05/2009 5:12:41 AM PDT by reaganaut1
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A mountain of research points to a central lesson: Pry your kids away from the keyboard and the television this summer, and get them reading. Let me help by offering my list of the Best Children’s Books — Ever!
So here they are, in ascending order of difficulty, and I can vouch that these are also great to read aloud.
1. “Charlotte’s Web.” The story of the spider who saves her friend, the pig, is the kindest representation of an arthropod in literary history.
2. The Hardy Boys series. Yes, I hear the snickers. But I devoured them myself and have known so many kids for whom these were the books that got them excited about reading. The first in the series is weak, but “House on the Cliff” is a good opener. [...]
3. “Wind in the Willows.” [...]
4. The Freddy the Pig series. Published between 1927 and 1958, these 26 books are funny, beautifully written gems. [...]
5. The Alex Rider series. These are modern British spy thrillers [...]
6. The Harry Potter series. [...]
7. “Gentle Ben.” [...]
8. “Anne of Green Gables.” At a time when young ladies were supposed to be demure and decorative, Anne emerged to become one of the strongest and most memorable girls in literature.
9. “The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be.” [...]
10. “Little Lord Fauntleroy.” [...]
11. “On to Oregon.” [...]
12. “The Prince and the Pauper.” [...]
13. “Lad, a Dog” [...]
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Nothing from the NY Times thats for sure
My daughters love the “Little House on the Prairie” series.
For Catholic familes, the Windeatt saints series from TAN (tanbooks.com) is good reading.
Treasure Island........I was a pirate (and a damn good pirate, I might add) for months after reading this.
AAARRRRRRGH..........
For girls: The Little House series of books.
Boys and girls: The Wizard of Oz series of books. ( My kids loved them.)
I would add the Nancy Drew series - very much like the Hardy Boys, but more for girls. I read and enjoyed both as a child, and my grandchildren like both. The youngest, a girl, loves Nancy Drew - and has several computer games related to her.
My son’s favorite book when he was a pre-teen was Where the Red Fern Grows. He must have read it a half dozen times, and I can still remember hearing him sniffing and trying to hide his tears when he’d read through the parts where the dogs die.
As an early teen he liked King Solomon’s Mine...and read it quite often.
As to the list, Grahame’s writings (Wind in the Willows) are fun to listen to but difficult to read, you have to come up for air every once in awhile, LOL. The man doesn’t write in sentences, he writes in paragraphs.
Nancy Drew series. Especially the audio books. They’re read by Laura Linny who I believe is a big liberal, but a good reader for those books.
Animal Farm
1984
Brave New World
On the Beach
Starship Troopers
I Robot
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
I also loved Trixie Belden - it was a small series compared to Nancy Drew, but I bet I read each of them about 5 times. Don’t even know if they still publish it.
Hands down, bar none, have your male children read the Chip Hilton series by Clair Bee. Unfortunately, it is not written for girls, as few female characters appear.
The combination of academic and athletic accomplishment, combined with life lessons, sportsmanship, strong friendships and moral clarity make this the perfect series for teaching boys how to become men.
“Thidwick, The Kind Hearted Moose” by Dr Seuss.
I read those, too. I also read Cherry Ames, Tom Swift, Tom Quest, and Beverly Gray. (I still read a lot of books.)
Richard Haliburton’s Book of Marvels I and II
The Flamingo Feather by Kirk Monroe
Wow..... are you ever well read!
I also devoured the Weekly Reader books that came out in the '50s and 60's. They were all high quality fun. I wonder if they still publish books like that now?
I'm sure not having a television in my "formative years" was a big plus in instilling a love of reading.
The Call of the Wild and anything else by Jack London.
I can’t believe it.....left off my two very best favorites.....
Paddle to the Sea and A Tree in the Trail both by Holling C Holling
Paddle to the Sea is an American Classic and excellent tale
The Hobbit
The one series that turned me on to the path of a devout reader was the Great Brain series by John Dennis Fitzgerald.
I notice on Amazon Trixie is still published, which is cool. I still have my original Trixie and Nancy Drew.
“Captains Courageous” by Kipling for pre-teens.
Hugh Lofting Bump :)
And also a vote in proxy from my daughter, for Johnny Tremain. It was her favorite from her “younger days” ; P, and at the ripe old age of 21, I believe it just might STILL be in her top 3 today.
Tatt
OH! And a I cannot believe I almost forgot : o “The Lord of the Rings”, trilogy - “You shall not pass!” Fills me up EVERY time....
The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley.
The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White.
Call of the Wild
The Phantom Tollbooth
A Wrinkle In Time
Nancy Drew series
All the Albert Payson Terhune dog books.
My Friend Flicka and Thunderhead.
The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart (not a kids’ book, but written about a boy and in such clear language that teens and preteens can read it)
Kidnapped
The Man in the Iron Mask
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
The Count of Monte Cristo (Tom Sawyer’s favorite)
Tom Sawyer his own self
Sherlock Holmes stories (I devoured these as a kid)
Absolutely, great books.
C.S Lewis-The Chronicles of Narnia
and Prince Caspian
True adventure.
I never said I read those.
Where's Detriot?
Is that Ebonics for "that riot"?
......I never said I read those......
Well, it’s never too late.
First off, Hitch Hiker’s Guide. Then Starship Troopers.
Sound scary? Don’t Panic
The Bible.
Robinson Crusoe.
Pilgrim’s Progress.
Where the Red Fern Grows.
The Hobbit.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Any biographies of great Americans or accurate histories of the US.
Any list without the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe was written by a liberal.
The Wizard of Oz books are great.
The Hobbit.
And I remember bawling as a 6th grader reading, “Where the Red Fern Grows”. *sniffle*. Charlotte’s Web on the other hand did nothing for me.
But I love dogs, so there you go.
Any/all of the books written by Sam Campbell, in the 40s and 50s. They are about living with and raising animals in the wild, but the vocabulary of children back then was so advanced, you’ll either have to read these to your younger (older elem) children, or older kids read them to themselves. EXCELLENT.
Once your kids experience Campbell’s books, they will be hooked, although I must say, a diet of video games and other electronics can ruin any of our children’s appetites for greater pursuits and entertainment.
many people would disagree but the Harry Potter books are what finally got my son to start reading. he did not like to read until those books grabbed his attention and refused to let go. he now reads a variety of books. until HP he would not touch them.
I loved Trixie Belden, too. I read about 3 Nancy Drew’s, but I owned all of the Trixie Belden, books.
I had mine in a storeroom that flooded, so they are just a memory.
Harry Potter, we all know who wrote those and what they’re about,
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, a series of fun and enjoyable books from and up to strong-willed princesses volunteering to work for dragons to eight-feet-tall blue floating donkeys. (that will be explained in time.) I enjoy them even at my age.
The Knights of the Silver Dragon by various authors. Again, fun books about three unlikely friends, Kellach, Driscoll, two brothers who are the sons of the chief of the police type people there, teaming up with Moira, daughter of the most disreputable but friendly thief in Curston, a bit of a thief herself.
I have some good memories about when I was really young with The Winnie of Pooh, although I don’t read them anymore. They teach basic morals as well as helping you learn reading and some tidbit information. Great for kids just learning to read or who like stories at night.
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