Do you need a guaranteed smile today? Just think back to your favorite children’s books. There is something about remembering the utter delight of being a child diving into a favorite picture book that never fails to lighten my heart. Even at the ripe old age of 51 (Yikes! How did I get to be so old?), I can still vividly recall some of the picture books I fell in love with as a child.
Not many little girls like spiders, and I was no exception. Still don’t particularly care for them. But I loved this book. It’s not religious in nature, but it taught me that I don’t always see the whole picture, and that God often has bigger plans in mind than what effects just me. It is slightly reminiscent of Charlotte’s Web, though this spider’s name is Helen and it takes place at a zoo instead of a farm. It wouldn’t surprise me if the author was influenced by E.B. White’s story. Charlotte’s Web was published in 1952. Be Nice to Spiders was published in 1967.
I adored all of Richard Scarry’s books when I was a kid. His animal characters were adorable, and he had the best sense of humor. Lowly Worm was my absolute favorite. You can see him on the cover helping Hilda Hippo into her chair. Scarry created an entire community (Busytown, USA), and the characters appeared in many of his books, making them feel like instant friends. You can get an idea about his humor in the names of some of his characters. The three little pigs who served as firefighters named Sparky, Smokey, and Snozzle. Able Baker Charlie, the mouse who runs the local bakery. Pig Will and Pig Won’t who live up to their names. Miss Honey, a bear teacher who is a sweet as her name. Of all the Richard Scarry books I read, and there were MANY, his Please and Thank You book was my favorite. The book was filled with characters being kind to each other. Yet it never came across as a book about manners as I read it. To me, it was just a fun jaunt through Busytown, seeing what catastrophes happened and how the friends help each other get through.
As I started getting a little older, I fell in love with Frog and Toad. The stories were a little longer and the pictures were fewer. This particular book had four stories in one, each covering a different season. I’m not sure what charmed me about these stories so well, but I do remember how Toad was always grumpy and Frog was always so patient with his friend. I think the compassion and friendship inherit in their relationship really tugged on my heart. That and the crazy mishaps that poor Toad constantly seemed to encounter.
As a child of the Sesame Street era, I couldn’t conclude this post without paying homage to the funniest book of my childhood. This book was a work of literary genius! Written by Jon Stone, who was the first head writer for Sesame Street, this book never failed to send me into fits of giggles. Grover notices the title and begins to freak out about the monster. He does everything in his power to keep the reader from turning pages, not wanting to reach the end of the book. He begs, he pleads, he even builds a brick wall, but as you can imagine, the reader somehow manages to keep turning pages. It is such a fun book, and a great way to instill a love of page turning into young readers.
I made sure my kids had access to all these favorites of mine, but I don’t think they latched onto them as strongly as I did. That’s OK, though. They have they own favorites, many of whom still sit on my shelf at home waiting for grandkids to share them.
What are some of your favorite books from childhood?
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I loved Richard Scarry books too! My favorite was The Great Steamboat Mystery. My love of mysteries started at a young age! 😊
So fun! I fighting the sudden urge to go buy all the Richard Scarry books I can find for future grandchildren who do not yet exist. 🙂
Great post, Karen! I loved the Nancy Drew mysteries (and any mysteries written for middle-grade kids) and also Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books. Read the entire series the summer I was 11 or 12.
I taught story hour at our public library for the decade that our kids were little so it would be hard for me to name my favorite picture book. There are a ton of good ones and I discover new ones every time I’m with my grandkids!
The Little House books are part of the reason I write historical romance, Deb. 🙂 I remember finding such wonderful new books for my kids when they were little. I’m sure there will be a new generation of delightful stories for my grandchildren’s age as well. 🙂 May the thrill of discovery begin!
Sesame Street and Richard Scarry books were fixtures of my childhood!
Another thing we have in common, Becky! 🙂
I also loved the Richard Scarry books. although those were purchased for my youngest sister – not me! The best one was a Big Book of WORDS. I loved all the details. “The Three Bears,” however, was my first favorite. My mom read me that one so often that by age 3 I was able to recite it word-for-word and “read” the story to the middle sister. Mom was impressed.
Love that, Janice. Favorite books just become part of us, don’t they?
Ah, Karen, you mentioned age. These are the books of my children’s childhood, especially the last two. I enrolled them in the “I Can Read” book club, and they devoured all of the Frog and Toad books. The Monster at the end of this Book was such a fun book, which I later shared with my granddaughter. No matter how many times we read this book, all of them held their hands down on the next to last page and then screamed when they turned the page.
I grew up with the Dick and Jane books in school and loved the fact that I could read them so quickly. I was a fan of The Bobbsey Twins books. Another one I loved was All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor. One of our huge former department stores, Miller and Rhoads, occasionally held authors’ teas in their tea room. My teacher chose me to go to the one where this author spoke, and my mother bought me her book, which she autographed.
Thanks for helping me recall such pleasant memories!
So fun, Betty! I’ll never forget the first book I ever bought. A neighbor was having a garage sale and there were some Dick and Jane books. I was probably 4 at the time, but I begged my mom for a quarter and was so proud to come home with that book! 🙂
My earliest childhood book that I recall is 365 Bedtime Stories (one for each night of the year). My mom read it to me. I still have the book, and it is falling to pieces. Ready to crumble to dust, I’m afraid. Copyright page says 1944. But from when I was reading myself in grade school, I’ve saved a number of favorites (the paperbacks are also in a sad state, but the two hardcovers aren’t so bad): Golden Cloud, Palomino of Sunset Hill; Hobby Horse Hill; Old Bones, the Wonder Horse; National Velvet; Irish Red; Champion Dog, Prince Tom, and Disney’s Bambi. There is a theme here. Anything with horses and dogs, plus a good Disney deer as well.
Wonderful, Robin! I was horse mad as a young girl, too. Read all the Black Stallion books. 🙂
Champion Dog Prince Tom!! I loved that book, and I don’t know anyone else who read it; so to see you mention it is great!
I read that “365 Bedtime Stories” too! It was my mom’s. Cardboard cover? Cheap wartime paper? So quaint!
I enjoyed this post, yes my childhood favorites are not the same as my two grown children ,but we are all avid readers now after being exposed to so many books as kids. And after reading this post I have more book ideas to read to my grandson for our 1000 stories before kindergarten challenge.
What a fantastic post, Karen. Books were a constant companion to me growing up. My parents would read to my sister and myself at night, selections from Richard Scarry, and Bible Stories for Children.
As I grew older, Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Pippi Longstocking kept me reading long after “goodnights” were shared with my parents.
The library was a treasure store of adventure, and a highly anticipated place to visit.
We read to our children when they were younger as well, taking a cue from my own parents. Library visits were frequent as the trips to the bookstore were too.
Thank you for bringing back warm memories with your post.