Children's books

[bobalooba]

Does anyone else find themselves constantly reading children's books? I just finished re-reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (in preparation for the new movie) and started reading the phantom tollbooth.

Do a lot of loungers do this? It's something I never noticed myself doing but I am always doing it, I don't think there's anything wrong with it I just realized how odd it is that I'm drawn to these books.

 

[Shangas]

The only "chidren's books" I read with any regularity are...

"The Old Curiosity Shop", by Charles Dickens.

The story of Little Nelly Trent and her grandfather is just so heartwarming, tragic and beautiful.

"The Wind in the Willows", by Kenneth Grahame.

Who could forget the classic tale of Ratty, Moley, Badger and Toad? One of my favourite alltime stories. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy this one. Set in 1907 during the Edwardian period, it's a wonderful snapshot of early 20th century English life, told through the eyes of woodland creatures.

"The Secret Garden", by Frances Burnett Hodgson (I think that's how it's spelt).

Another classic children's story, and one which I never grow tired of reading. The story of Mary Craven, Mrs. Medlock, Dickon, Martha, Lord Archibald Craven and young Master Colin Craven is one of my favourite books ever. It's such a sad story, but it's nice in its own way.

 

[Lady Day]

I guess Im taking your use of children's books meaning a younger audience, mainly pictures, with a story thats about 10 pages long. If thats the case, I have well over 250 of those. They are addictive. I have a BFA in children's book illustration, so I like to stay on top of the market. Nicholas Pike is one I day dream about sometimes, very cute story.

Children's novels, sure. I think on Mrs. Frisby and the rats of NYHM often.

LD

 

[pdxvintagette]

I sold used books from 2001 until I finished transitioning to vintage clothing in near the end of 2007. My speciality was vintage and out of print children's books. Through the process of selling, I was introduced to some really wonderful children's books - to best serve one's customers, you really do have to read them, because you get questions like "When I was about eight (early 60's) I read this book about a little witch who gets lost, and meets a nice family, but she doesn't like them at first because everything has to be rotten, is this the right book?"

Good question, because there are no less than THREE very cute out of print children's books with little witches in the title Little Witch by Anna Bennett, The Littlest Witch by Jeanne Massey and The Little Leftover Witch by Florence Laughlin. The title the above question would fit is the last one.

I was introduced to so many fantastic children's books that way, and remembered favorites from my childhood in the process, too. The Virginia Kahl books are some of the best children's rhyming books aside from Seuss and have this lovely meter - they are fun to read aloud. The Sugar Mouse Cake, the very first collaboration between Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham who became famous for the Harry the Dirty Dog books is now one of my all-time favorites - it is a more polished book with a more intricate story, and I find it really charming. And I can't tell you how many copies of the rare Jellybeans for Breakfast I sold over those years - I read it, and it was cute, not really my thing, but I can see why I certain type of girl would have made it her favorite.

For older children, I was really charmed by the 50's science-fiction series about Mr. Bass and the Mushroom Planet - two of them are in reprint, the others are harder to find, but the prices have really come down. Want to raise your little boys on a stead diet of vintage? These books will suit perfectly. The Ghost of Opalina is another one for older kids that is REALLY charming, special and hard to find. The best ones always are, it seems - well, either very rare or very common.

It has long been my opiniion that Where the Wild Things Are is the best and more perfect of the children's picture books of the last century. I know the book quite nearly by heart, and am very disappointed someone thought it had to be enlarged and translated into a film. There's no need - the book has no loose ends, it is... a masterpiece. "That night, Max made mischief of one kind ... and another ... and another ... until his mother called him "Wild Thing!" and Max said "I'll eat you up!" So he was sent to bed without any supper..."

... "And it was still hot."

I LOVE the book.

In all honesty, as deeply as I love vintage clothing, and as much potentional as there is for growth as a business in that field, I would still be in bookselling if the internet market hadn't gotten so hard, so controlled by huge warehouses buying books - rare and otherwise - by trainloads and setting and lowering their prices with computers. If the rough economy hadn't caused people to cut back QUITE so drastically on purchasing things like that $150 book that brought them so much joy checked out from the library 35 years ago. There's a very special feeling to reuniting someone with something specific and treasured from their past, and I really enjoyed and miss that.

 

[Foofoogal]

I dabble with books and have alot of older books including childrens. I am enthralled by the illustrations in them. Some have little masterpieces in them.

I try to get my grandaughters to read them and one just finished reading Annette Funicello book. She is an avid reader as I used to be.

When I was a child I loved the book series by Carolyn Haywood. This was my favorite one.
http://www.amazon.com/Betsy-Mr-Kilpatrick-Carolyn-Haywood/dp/0688310850

 

[Nathan Dodge]

The only children's books I liked as a child were called the Deep Sea Adventure Series. They were blue, 6x8 hardcovers with illustrations and gradually sophisticated text as one went through the volumes. The books chronicled the exploits of a ship called The Sea Watch. There were recurring characters (Bill, Andy, Salty the Parrot) and there was even death in one of the books, when a villain from a previous tale was killed. There was also a reading comprehension quiz in the back, as well as a listing of all the words used in the story. I remember my middle school having the whole series, as up to that time I only had the first volume. I managed to get about twelve of them on ebay some years ago.

 

[bobalooba]

I also just bought the entire "my bookhouse" twelve volume series (out of print) that was in almost perfect condition for 25 dollars at half price books. I was amazed, I've seen each volume go for more than that on amazon.

 

[Rhian]

I've always thought that the very best children's books are those that can also be enjoyed by adults. Two of my favourite collections are Willard Price's Adventure series and Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series - they both still evoke that wonderful summer holiday feeling in me. I also love Frances Hodgson Burnett's stories, and A Little Princess is probably my favourite, and The Making of a Marchioness (possibly more for adults) is a close second.

 

[Caity Lynn]

I find myself re-reading things I read as a child, or things my mother read to me. I'm a sucker for Raggedy Ann and Andy. Also Anne of Green Gables, and To Kill A Mockingbird (My mother and father read it to me as a bed time story)

I more frequently find myself watching old movies. I actually scoured Ebay to find "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" that I loved as a kid. And was ecstatic to find Willy Wonka and Oliver! (my musical fascination started as a child) in an antique store. I live on Disney movies.

It's normal, or at least, You're as sane as I am [huh]

 

[Nick D]

My mom was a Head Start teacher (that's an early childhood development program), so I grew up with a huge amount of books. Since she owned almost all the books she used in her classes, we'll be getting a lot of them for our boy.

There's several I'm particularly fond of that I had when I was little, like The Rainbow Goblins, Cars and Trucks and Things that Go, The Butter Battle Book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen... I could go on.

For older readers I really liked the The Dark is Rising series and the Narinia books. I was a big reader when I was younger and continue to be, I hope I can raise my son to be as into books.

 

[scottyrocks]

Being a teacher, I have been exposed to a lot of children's books. I would have to say that my favorite of all is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. It's hard for me to get through it without at least a lump in my throat.

 

[Viola]

I still reread Louisa May Alcott books, especially Little Women, occasionally, and Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series and the Emily of New Moon series more often.

I was fond of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and Ken Holt and the Dana Girls, but its very hard to find the last two series compared to the first two, and I don't have any of these now, though I'd pick them up at a used bookstore.

There was a writer of boys' fiction (a distinction which irritated the bejeezus out of me as a little girl) named, I think, John Bellairs, who wrote such deliciously pulpy tales as The House With A Clock In Its Walls, and The Eyes of The Killer Robot, which were set in the '50s with supernatural storylines and illustrations by the late great Edward Gorey, and I flat-out adored those books though they will probably never be hailed as great literature. I want to buy all of them at some point.

I also loved the Vesper Holly books by Lloyd Alexander, who was doing a rather steampunk adventure series involving a teenage girl with green eyes which was endearing to me as a little girl with green eyes irritated by the lack of girl adventure books. Vesper could have beat up Nancy Drew, though she probably wouldn't.

Illustrated books, there's an author by the name of, I think (<---running problem for me, authors' names) Marguerite D'Angelo, who wrote Thee, Hannah! and some other gorgeously illustrated watercolour picture books as well. Thee, Hannah! was about a Quaker girl in Philadelphia before the Civil War and pretty cool to me long after picture books had generally lost my interest.

 

[bobalooba]

It's normal, or at least, You're as sane as I am [huh]

how sane is that exactly?

 

[Caity Lynn]

lol, sane enough to be spending our time on here


and I just went through a box of books, and I had completely forgotten about the Happy Hollisters!

 

[Miss 1929]

Doran's adorable tiny daughter made me read 4 books to her last night, I forgot how much I enjoyed Dr. Seuss!

I do re-read the Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass books every few years, they never get old.

I also adore all the books by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, E. Nesbit, and Louisa May Alcott.

And the Oz books!

 

[Shirin]

Anne of Green Gables

I loved this one too!

I more frequently find myself watching old movies.

Same here, my downstairs TV is pretty much permanently set on TCM and I watch old holiday movies all year long, White Christmas gets played at least 6 times before winter.

I live on Disney movies.

Disney movies are the only ones my son will watch, and I collected quite a few when I was younger so he is enjoying them now just as much as I did (and still do). I like and watch regularly all the animated ones up until Aladdin. I think Aladdin was the last of "the greats" by Disney.

 

[pretty faythe]

On occasion I will find myself headed towards my kids bookshelf, when I have nothing to read and dont feel like going to the thrift store or library. They happen to have my lil collection of Trixie Belden books, so I will reread those, lol sometimes I'll even pick up and Animal Arc book. My 16 year old keeps telling me she has a book for me to read, but keeps forgetting to find it in that abyss they call a room.

 

[RC]

Virginia Lee Burton's, "The Little House" still chokes me up a bit.

 

[pdxvintagette]

Doran's adorable tiny daughter made me read 4 books to her last night, I forgot how much I enjoyed Dr. Seuss!

I do re-read the Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass books every few years, they never get old.

I also adore all the books by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, E. Nesbit, and Louisa May Alcott.

And the Oz books!

Miss 1929, we have very similar tastes in children's lit! I collected the Oz books as a child, and have a great fondness for them. Zilpha Keatley Snyder and E. Nesbit were some other favorites growing up; Below the Root and The Enchanted Castle, respectively and in particular. I had a very wide selection of Snyder titles when I was selling, as many of her best books were/are out of print and good hardcovers can been hard to find.

And Dr. Seuss was, obviously, a genius.

For very young children's books, I adore Marjorie Flack's Angus books (about a little scotty dog) and all of Wanda Ga'g, most notably the famous Millions of Cats - which my poor father had to read millions of times - and The Funny Thing.

 

[Sertsa]

I have a lot of books, including a few children's books. The best have a kind of imaginative brilliance and they never seem to lose their appeal, at least to me. One of the best examples I can think of at the moment is Winnie the Pooh. :

"Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it..."


I couldn't resist.