Reading kids' books

[Kybele]

so most of today was spent clearing and cleaning the oldest's room and all her books reminded me of the other thread pointless made about harry potter, because of course they were all there in multiple editions including the first one from an aunt in the US. she had kept a lot of her baby books, ones I used to read aloud to her and her sister as well, the blue fairy book, the artemis fowl series, lemony snicket and other older ones like treasure island, black beauty and little women.

Although I read the 'his dark materials' trilogy to them even though they were both independent readers at that point, I never read Pullman's other books aloud to them. Maybe I should read them myself. It was interesting seeing how she developed as a reader from things like roald dahl and the Brontes and Dickens but all the time having modern writers as well.

It was like seeing an archaeology of her life that room.

[chipbutty]

what a lovely perspective you show us

I wish my sons were more prolific readers. the youngest is the only one who ever showed interest and even now he will happily read/react online and can use the written/spoken word most effectively, but he simply refuses to read books. I really think the way a computer feeds their brains with so much information so fast makes reading too slow and boring a process for many kids today. I mildly envy you your daughter's 'archeology. My sons have stacks and stacks of computer games instead.

I wonder how our own lives/personalities would be seen by others going down that same route - our bookshelves.

[satindesire]

My mom and dad were super poor when I was little, so there was nothing to do BUT read, which I did, voraciously. All of the traditional children's books I must have read a hundred times. I still love books and I still read a LOT, although I admit my tastes have changed to include a wider variety of genres. Here were my favorite children's books

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
Where the Wild Things Are
The Chronicles of Narnia (all of them)
the Wrinkle in Time series
Winnie the Poo series

[ksmybuttons]

I read most of the books the son reads. When he read Farenheit 411, his dad and I both read it at the same time so we could discuss it. A family book club.

He gave up on the Charlie Bone series...I read them all.
I've had the Madeleine L'Engle books. He never read them.
I read Anne McCaffery, he refuses.

I like kids books.
I like adult books.

I like to read.


A couple of summers ago, as a rite of passage, he sold his childhood toys at a garage sale. We took the books to a used book store where he got mucho money. He kept his favs (toys and books) which we will box up for him to being his acquirement of "too much stuff" when he reaches college age. At that point he can re-shuffle and decide what to sell and what to keep.

I remember re-reading so many children's books when I was his age. Sometime secretly, sometimes not.

[HB1965]

Originally Posted by satindesire

Where the Wild Things Are
The Chronicles of Narnia (all of them)
the Wrinkle in Time series
Winnie the Poo series

Some of my favorites.


I would add the Little House books
The Anne of Green Gables series
Books by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Chronicles of Prydain
The Wizard of Oz series

[Kybele]

ha! funny though, seeing it all, and I just feel sad.

it's nice all the dust gremlins have gone though. I kept finding stuff like little pearls everywhere (my mum taught her to string and knot pearls so she was making rahter lovely necklaces for a while). lots of horsey stuff of course and the crisp packets! so many crisp packets!

Finding the condoms of course brought the archaeology up to present day.

[planetqueen]

One of the loveliest things about going on holiday with my 15 year old son, who can drop the achingly cool act when away from all his mates, is that we both take lots of books and lay about reading. Chatting about the books over dinner.

I recently re-read the secret garden. I hadn't read it since I was a girl and it was wonderful.

[satindesire]

Originally Posted by planetqueen

One of the loveliest things about going on holiday with my 15 year old son, who can drop the achingly cool act when away from all his mates, is that we both take lots of books and lay about reading. Chatting about the books over dinner.

I recently re-read the secret garden. I hadn't read it since I was a girl and it was wonderful.

I didn't read that book til I was 17, and loved it!

[Kybele]

Originally Posted by planetqueen

One of the loveliest things about going on holiday with my 15 year old son, who can drop the achingly cool act when away from all his mates, is that we both take lots of books and lay about reading. Chatting about the books over dinner.

I recently re-read the secret garden. I hadn't read it since I was a girl and it was wonderful.

I love that book. and funnily enough I found my old copy of 'just so' stories which I was looking for the other day because dcl was going on about it.

she has whittled toys down, all that remain in her room are the rag doll I made her 15 years ago which is now sporting dreads and seems to have a fractured cervical vertibrae, the dog with one ear and a squirrel. her huggy bear she has had since birth is with her as is the lump, a brown thing which may be a dog. she bought it in a jumble sale because she thought no one else would love it because it was so hideous and it would end up on the dump.

I found hundreds of self-portraits too. interesting to see her talent developing from pre-teen to adult.

[planetqueen]

Originally Posted by Kybele

I love that book. and funnily enough I found my old copy of 'just so' stories which I was looking for the other day because dcl was going on about it.

she has whittled toys down, all that remain in her room are the rag doll I made her 15 years ago which is now sporting dreads and seems to have a fractured cervical vertibrae, the dog with one ear and a squirrel. her huggy bear she has had since birth is with her as is the lump, a brown thing which may be a dog. she bought it in a jumble sale because she thought no one else would love it because it was so hideous and it would end up on the dump.

I found hundreds of self-portraits too. interesting to see her talent developing from pre-teen to adult.

It is wonderful to see them grow - but emotional at the same time.

Spent this evening reading Shakespeare with my son. Discussing emotional language in such a grown up way - and then he spent the rest of the eveing texting his mates. He is in the middle of that transition. I am excited to see him grow but miss the child. Makes my heart a bit sad sometimes.

[Kybele]

Originally Posted by planetqueen

It is wonderful to see them grow - but emotional at the same time.

Spent this evening reading Shakespeare with my son. Discussing emotional language in such a grown up way - and then he spent the rest of the eveing texting his mates. He is in the middle of that transition. I am excited to see him grow but miss the child. Makes my heart a bit sad sometimes.

it is sad.

my youngest just seemed to go straight from cute little one to grumpy teen. But maybe I just missed a lot because of work and study.

[Holy Devil]

I don't read Harry Potter books. They're too childish.

[jomar]

I can wait to excavate my son's room. It makes me nervous.

Cleaned out most of daughters for college a few years ago. She still drops by for food and laundry service. Bless her.

Oh. Books...daughter ranges from Harry Potter (good stuff, WD!) to Kundera, Shakespeare, Kerouac, Joseph Campbell and on and on to folks I have no idea, which is fitting for an English major.

[Angeline]

When I move this summer, I'm thinking of asking my son for his kid books because I know he doesn't care about them anymore and I love them. He has all the Harry Potter books, the Wrinkle in Time series (maybe some other L'Engle, I forget), lots of classics like Treasure Island, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Swiss Family Robinson. I'd read those off and on for the rest of my life. I'm definitely looking forward to grandchildren I can read them to someday.

[Wings27]

My kids are still young (5 and 7) and definitely feeling out their literary tastes but I can see them developing. I used to read Dr. Seuss to my daughter when she was a baby, but my son HATED them. He still can't stand them actually. I think it's the rhyming.

My son's favorites:
Cowboys of the Wild West by Russell Freedman
Tree in the Trail by Holling C. Holling
Anything John Deere. (I hope you can feel my pain with this one).

My daughter's favorites:
Anne of Green Gables
The entire Narnia series, yes.
Fancy Nancy-any and all things to do with Fancy Nancy

We also read the Harry Potter books aloud along with the Eloise series.The Little House series stays in rotation as well.

I grew up reading anything and everything I could get my hands on and looking at these books through their eyes is amazing. Perspectives I hadn't thought of, humor that hadn't struck me before. Words are power and reading to children-with them and for them truly shows me that.

[KRCummings]

When I was a yungin' I read all the Little House books and the Narnia series and Nancy Drew and of course those awful VC Andrews books and Sweet Valley High. Yes, I read those. I remember liking them a lot but haven't seen one in ages. I wonder how bad they really are.

[glynndah]

Originally Posted by KRCummings

When I was a yungin' I read all the Little House books and the Narnia series and Nancy Drew and of course those awful VC Andrews books and Sweet Valley High. Yes, I read those. I remember liking them a lot but haven't seen one in ages. I wonder how bad they really are.

Sweet Valley High? Every bit as bad as you think they are.

My son stashed his books up in the attic "so my kids can read them some day". I remember the ones he liked the best. They're still the favorites of the kids I work with.