"happy birthday to me / that's how it ought to be..."
This week, as some of you may know, featured my birthday. Which, aside from everything else, got me thinking about favorite children’s books. Because when I was a wee one, it was something of a tradition in my family of origin to read Russell and Lillian Hoban’s Birthday for Frances to the birthday kid. We loved the Frances books, among many other wonderful picture books. Which I enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, well into my adulthood.
What are some of your favorite children’s picture books from your early years? Did you have any reading rituals in your household? If so, what were they? Share in comments!
Wait a minute, this is ringing a bell for me. Isn’t there a Frances book involving some jam? I think there is – jam on bread. That book ignited a fire in me for jam – because we only had jelly in my house – that lives to this day. Jam!
Wow! Now I need to track down some Frances books for my kids. The things that slip through the cracks of memory… Thanks, annajcook!
I don’t remember reading picture books as a kid, although I must have, because when we had kids the first books I wanted to get for them were Dr Seuss. He was one in a million.
As a former bookseller, I think that picture books are so much better now than they were when I was growing up (as indicated by the fact that I don’t remember any?), especially for girls. There’s a lot more humor and imagination, and there are wonderful female characters.
I loved Elsa Beskow’s books, Babar, Curious George and Barbapapa. I also loved a book called “Corduroy” and “Cappy the Capybara.”
FRANCES!!! My favorite Frances book was the one with the tea sets. Despite being anti-girly, I immediately and ever after wanted a blue tea set – NOT the pink one.
I also LOVED Corduroy (even bought some for the nieces and nephews when they started reading) and Richard Scarry books. Moreso than Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein.
But my most favoritist children’s book of ALL TIME: Andy and the Lion. I LOVED that book – and wore out our copy. It’s a retelling of Anrocles and the Lion set in the rural US at the turn of the 20th century. I still want to find it – even if my nieces and nephews are too old for it now, I want it for any kids I might have. And just to read it myself.
“People” by Peter Spier. Most amazing book I had as a child. Believe it or not, there are no words, just pictures of people from all over the world, beautifully rendered by the artist. I used to sit and look at it again and again.
http://www.librarything.com/work/6251
The Duchess Bakes a Cake. There are actually a series of Duchess books, but that is a favorite! My mom sent me a copy she found recently. As an adult, I see it as a book with feminist leaning, compared to most fare.
I also love The Little Red Caboose, because there was something new to see in each picture no matter how many times I looked at the pages.
When I had my own kids, me and my husband loved to read them a really old book that must have been printed in the 50′s or 60′s called a Big Ball of String. It was inscribed with the name of my husband’s older cousin’s name.
A few years ago we gave it to her as a present and she laughed and laughed. Books are kinda great that way.
@Ms. M … o.m.g. you know “The Dutchess Bakes a Cake”! As a child, I used to be able to recite her whole list of cake-baking ingredients.
Another one I thought of on the walk home was the Tim to the Lighthouse books, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone (who also did a lovely version of Child’s Christmas in Wales).
S.O.S. call from Hanna, who remembers vividly a book from her childhood that no one has yet been able to track down. Her description of the plot as she remembers it: “It was a book that had three novella-length short stories in it. I remember two of the stories. The one I remember: there was a school with a headmistress who was the villain. Very tall, very beautiful, red sports car. She had some sort of EVIL PLAN. I remember there also being a farm or a cottage with maybe an older couple living in it close to the school. The denouement of the story has something to do with a volcano of butterscotch custard (sticky toffee pudding?) in which there are diamonds. Part of the problem is that they can’t tell what lumps are pudding and what lumps are diamonds. That’s it. I think it was English. There were illustrations, I don’t remember what they looked like. One of the other stories had to do with a hot air balloon. I have this vague memory that the book was bright read. Or yellow?”
Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!
Ooh, books! I have always loved books. I moved past picture books pretty quickly, but here are some I remember:
-The Frances books. I remember the birthday one, the one with the tea sets (my six-year-old cousin actually recently got that one at a yard sale, I was delighted) and one in which they ate soft-boiled eggs. I then tried a soft-boiled egg and it was disgusting.
-The Berenstain Bears books. I had so many of those. Apparently (I don’t remember this part) every time my dad’s parents came to visit they would bring me another one. I did love them.
-Harold and the Purple Crayon. Oh, what a great book.
-The Little Mermaid. I had a beautifully illustrated version of the original Hans Christian Andersen tale, where she turns into a spirit of the air at the end.
As for rituals, every Christmas my dad reads me and my sister The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree. Yeah… still! What can I say, it’s a tradition.
The Frances book with the tea set! I blame that for my tea set collecting ways . . .
I LOVED “Are you My Mommy?” because my dad would get me and brothers together and every animal had a different voice and at the end my mom would come in to tuck us in and say “I’m your mommy!” and we thought that was the way the book needed to end every time.
Hey, Anna! I found it! After all that — I seriously do not remember this title at all, even a tiny bit: http://amzn.to/headmistress
My favorite book as a child was Pitschi by Hans Fischer. I think I loved it mostly because of the art. http://www.spoon-tamago.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/pitschi.jpg
Ferdinand the Bull is the first book that comes to mind for me. I liked the red cover with the white flowers all over it.
My mom would often read to/with us. We’d sit together and have ice cream bars (I really like those strawberry Good Humor ones as a result) and read Amelia Bedelia or the Oz books.
Reading is generally frowned upon in my family. But I loved the Amelia Bedelia books, as well as the Bernstein Bears, and the Stupids. I also had a Care Bear Fairy Tale book (which was just a book of classic fairy tales they slapped a Care Bear on the cover of) all my brothers wrote messages in and gave to me when I was in the hospital (for a minor procedure but all my bros writing that they loved me made me think I was dieing).
Dr. Suess’s The Lorax is still one of my favorite books. I’m considering getting a tattoo that says “Unless.”
A subject near & dear to my heart. We had a huge collection of “square” books growing up – inexpensive paperback children’s stories. Some of them made such an impression on me that I can remember nearly every page even though I haven’t looked at them in probably 10-15 years.
Many of them I’ve never seen anywhere else and are probably long out of print. “Walk, Rabbit, Walk;” “Busy City;” “The Mystery at No. 7 Rue Petit;” a series of books about kids and their animals “The Little Lamb,” “The Little Kitten” etc (those are still around I think). I seriously think we will need to color-copy them if/when my brother and I each have kids, so that we both get the books.
I was just talking about this with some friends, actually, regarding the existence of storytelling apps for phones/iPads. I think that such things are better than nothing if otherwise a child wouldn’t get any stories, but they can’t possibly match reading a book to a child and adding things like “where’s the puppy? What color is the ball? How many monkeys?”
That is where all the fun is!
There is a wonderful mostly-kids’ bookstore in Denver with an amazing selection that is staffed by nice ladies who always know the answer to questions about that book you half-remember. I fantasize about worming my way into their employ.
A few Contemporary favorites: “The Library Lion,” the Bats series (Bats at the Library, Bats at the Beach), “Where is the Green Sheep?”
Children’s books: I have opinions!
I love Francis too, and reading the books again with my niece and nephew has been fantastic.
My favorite? Eloise! That fold-out page where they show her running up and down the elevators in the Plaza was *so* my favorite. I also now make maps professionally. Hee!
Whenever a friend has a baby, I buy the new tiny human my childhood favourites:
1. Mr Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotow. Animal and girl brainstorm the best present to get for the girl’s mother, while taking a long walk. They discuss her tastes and eventually decide on a beautiful basket of fruit. Soft, calm illustrations by Maurice Sendak.
2. If you’re afraid of the dark, remember the night rainbow by Cooper Edens. Magical realism for toddlers.
3. Each peach, pear, plum by Janet and Allen Ahlberg. Lots of traditional nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters strung together in a funny, rhyming narrative, which my older cousin memorised as a child and would sometimes wow me by reciting.
I have so many books I remember reading as a child, and reading to my brothers and sisters, and random others at primary school.
* Mr Archimedes Bath (you could see Mr Archimedes bottom in the pictures)
* Each peach, pear, plum
* the very hungry caterpillar
* possum magic
* Animalia
* Cuddlepot and Snugglepie
* Never smile at a crocodile
* lots of the little golden books
There was this one book that I can’t remember the name of but I absolutely loved. It was about a rabbit who lost a tooth. I borrowed it religiously each week from the school library. I remember at the end of year 1 the librarian gave it me – and bought another copy for the school library.
There were so many…
I’m told I had “The Cat In The Hat” memorized by the time I was four. Incidentally, I didn’t learn to read until I was five. Yeah, my parents were dedicated;)
@Brennan I didn’t learn to read until I was six … if I’d been in school at the time, this probably would have been a cause for concern. As it was, I just took off one day and never looked back! I wish people wouldn’t stress out so much about the age at which children learn to read. The point is to make sure they enjoy/value books and stories!
@Plum-pie So glad someone else knows “Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present”! It was a favorite of mine growing up, and few people know it.
I was scrolling down & saw the Favorite Picture Books headline and clicked it before I got to the image, simultaneously thinking, “Frances!”
I loved “Bread and Jam” for Frances as a kid. The fight over food, the descriptions of food and the way Albert and Frances set the table on their desktops with napkins and small salt & pepper shakers and a vase of violets was charming even to me as a young ruffian. This is the book that mentions soft boiled eggs.
As an adult reading Frances books, they are all excellently wordy and humorous. In “A Birthday for Frances” our heroine does not want to give up the gumballs and Chompo bar she bought for her sister Gloria’s birthday present.
“A Bargain for Frances” features a fraught relationship between Frances and BFF Thelma, who always gets the best of her. Frances’ mother reminds her, Watch out, when you played boomerang with Thelma, who came home with lumps on her head? Too funny. This story features the porcelain vs. plastic tea set debate. Let us just say that Frances has exquisite taste.
“Bedtime for Frances” has all the stall tactics of a typical 5 year old who doesn’t want to go to bed or stay in bed. Parents at their wits’ end, threatening a spank, Frances skeedaddles and no harm is done.
Little sister Gloria is introduced in “A Baby Sister for Frances.”
My personal favorite is “Best Friends for Frances,” all about inclusion. Albert asks, What good is an outing without boys? Frances answers, It’s as good as a baseball game without girls and maybe a whole lot better! This book also features a lot of food and kids love the long list of items in the picnic hamper.
I also loved Peter Rabbit stories when I was a kid, The illustrations, like Frances illustrations were old fashioned and nice. I like watercolors and pencil drawings.
Dr. Seuss has so many excellent books, “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” is great because there are so many different creatures and silly situations, it’s little short poems rather than a long story poem.
I had a Wonderful World of Disney book about bears when I was super little and remember loving the picture of his swollen nose after getting bee stung, trying to hide in a pond with only his nose sticking out. Can’t recall the name of this one tho.
I already commented, but remembered two more:
the Madeline books, especially the one where they get Genevieve the dog, I love the illustrations and the story!
We had a collection of all the Beatrix Potter stories and I LOVED it. Again, the story and the illustrations, but my favorite was The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle!
“I Am a Bunny” by Ole Risom, illustrated by Richard Scarry — all about the beauties of nature, and also, of watching – so inherent to a child’s experience
“Frederick” by Leo Lionni – the Romantic poet mouse
I am absolutely in love with a new children’s book author/artist:
David Weisner
His books are stunning and absolutely incredible in their imagination and creativity. Perfect for storytelling, and since the gloriously complex images have no words, you get to hear a child tell the story in his/her own words.
Flotsam
Art and Max
Hurricane
Free Fall
I loved the Berenstein Bears books and, oddly, a book about playground safety (I requested that one so many times that my mom begged me to choose another book, any book). But I think really, I liked any book, so long as I got to sit on a parent’s lap in the old recliner, snuggled in the crook of their arm and gently rocking.
Thank you for asking this question–I’ve been having a rough week, mood-wise, and reading these answers and writing my own have made my day a little better.
I do not remember the Frances books from childhood AT ALL but my mother SWEARS we read them all, my daughter adores them, particularly “Bedtime for Frances”, but I love the birthday one. My dad read the night before christmas every christmas eve, and picture books at every bedtime. We had “read aloud” from chapter books with my mom every afternoon. We were major readers. Sadly, most of the time no one can remember the titles of the fabulous books we read until some one stumbles on a copy at a bookstore and brings it home for my daughter. So far we’ve got: the moonbear books (not sure what else to call them, one has the little bear asking the moon what it wants for it’s birthday, I think the author name is Asche), The Velveteen Rabbit, a bunch of Shel Silverstein and Jane Yolen, both Horton books, the Frances books, and an illustrated collection of Greek Myths.
Where the Wild Things Are is one of my all time favs. I love Max’s one-piece pj suit and crown combo.
As I got older, my Dad (the much quieter of the parenting team) took on reading to me every night from the Little House on the Prairie series. Long after I could read them perfectly myself and was WAY too big to sit on the poor guy’s lap….we read the whole series (maybe 10 books!) twice.
Love you, Dad.
I had forgotten all about Frances until just now. And gogobotty’s review of them made me smile as I remembered each one. I’m thinking of running out to get them for kidlet right now… Thanks for this!
Oh! Another Francis lover here! I practically look for small children to buy these books for. The pictures, the childhood situations that all kids can relate to, the sing-songy text. LOVE.
Another fave was “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” If Harold wants to go to the zoo, he just draws himself a zoo with his purple crayon!
Reading and bedtime stories are THE fondest memory from my early childhood. One cool thing my Dad did: told me “made up” stories, with a character whose name was remarkably similar to my own, e.g., “PetiteXL-Ann”, and who was just a little bit older than I was, and got to experience things just a bit before I did. When I was struggling to learn to ride a bike, “PetiteXL-Ann” had ju-uussst learned how, too, and I learned about all her struggles and then how she finally did it. My Dad is awesome.
I read my 2 year old Ferdinand and Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present today at nap time. The VERY BEST part of having a kid is getting to re-discover all the amazing children’s books I had as a kid – my mother saved boxes and boxes of them and I just threw them all on shelves so my son pulls a new one down every day and I think “Oh! I loved this book!!”
A couple of my favorites not mentioned: Harold and the Purple Crayon and and of the Maurice Sendak books (he actually illustrated Mr. Rabbit) like Where the Wild Things Are or Open House for Butterflies.
The Mystery at Number 7 Rue Petit! Squee!
That is all.