What was your favourite book as a kid?

[toubab]

Oh, when I first started reading for pleasure I would check to see if the book had illustrations, and I wouldn't read it if it didn't. Fortunately, Robinson Crusoe and The Swiss Family Robinsoe were illustrated.

 

[pointless]

as a little kid? did i ever tell you how lucky you are? by dr. seuss. that was easy.

Be grateful you’re not in the forest in France
Where the average young person just hasn’t a chance
To escape from the perilous pants eating plants
But your pants are safe, you’re a fortunate guy
You ought to be shouting how lucky am I

 

[passionatewife]

Where the Wild Things Are
Amelia Bedelia

 

[snugglestruggle]

I mostly read comic books and when I hit my early teens started reading about warships since I was big into building model ships.

 

[CandiCame]

I had an assload of books as a kid. The first "favorite" I remember was "The Lorax" by Dr Seuss, because Geisel makes every kid's list. I read a LOT of books that I re-read as an adult because I realized that they were supposed to mean things. I LOVED animal farm as a kid and had no idea that it was an allegory for cold war era Russia. Legit thought it was about animals on a farm. Idk there were a lot I liked and didn't get. Narnia; had no idea it was steeped in Christian symbolism, absolutely loved it. Loved the Oz series; did not know L Frank Baum wanted me dead.

 

[toubab]

Sometimes the strangest things happen. It could be pure coincidence, but I'm beginning to doubt it.

I almost posted something about the third "real" book I read as a child. It was The Oregon Trail by Francis Parker. I decided against mentioning it, and went to check HuffPo instead. I clicked on a story about the Bachelorette finale, and was reading the comments when I saw this:

"Whenever I read "Software Sales Executive" I just imagine Nick selling people copies of "Oregon Trail." #TheBachelorette"

Honest to God, I hadn't thought about that book or read or heard anything about it in decades. Just seems an odd coincidence.

I sometimes wonder if this is a dream. I know, that's a weird thought.

 

[lovetoread]

I started reading very early and found Judy Blume.

Are you there God, its me Margaret got me through my first period.

 

[CandiCame]

I started reading very early and found Judy Blume.

Are you there God, its me Margaret got me through my first period.

Judy Blume did the Mouse and the Motorcycle, right? That was pretty cool.

 

[Sean]

As I was saying to LTR, walk in to the adukt fiction section of a US and UK bookshop and you would be hard pushed to tell the difference, walk into the kids section and they're entirely different.

 

[Learnsmith]

Dump Days by Jerry Spinelli. Companion piece to Maniac Magee. Very good.

 

[BoyNextDoor]

I read lots of sci-fi. Any of a myriad Asimov or Clarke stories rank near the top. iRobot, Songs of Distant Earth, The Foundation series, 2001 ...

Loved The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. Re-read them as an adult. Still interesting and gripping twenty years later.

 

[toubab]

I read lots of sci-fi. Any of a myriad Asimov or Clarke stories rank near the top. iRobot, Songs of Distant Earth, The Foundation series, 2001 ...

Loved The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. Re-read them as an adult. Still interesting and gripping twenty years later.

After I got over my need for illustrations, I read every science fiction book in the school library. Every single one.

 

[lovetoread]

Judy Blume did the Mouse and the Motorcycle, right? That was pretty cool.

I may be not remembering correctly, but that was Beverly Cleary wasn't it?

 

[Wrong Element]

I used to love books about anatomy and how the human body worked (yeah, yeah, make all your "playing doctor" jokes). Some of them were geared to younger readers -- though not as young as me; I could read before I started school -- but some of them were more textbook-y things that my mother had around the house because she was a nurse.


I pretty much read the entire encyclopedia from cover to cover also. Yes, I was a strange boy.

 

[Wrong Element]

I may be not remembering correctly, but that was Beverly Cleary wasn't it?

It was indeed. She did at least one more mouse-related book too.

 

[doctor_insanus]

Tom Sawyer
A gift from my grandmother, and the first book I distinctly remember owning. It was lost in a move a few years ago, but I think it ended up being donated to the local library. I miss it greatly, but at least it's in a good place.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
I have vivid memories of a particular edition of this from my kindergarten days, and I was lucky enough to find it on Amazon a couple of years back.

War of the Worlds
Dracula
Treasure Island

 

[toubab]

I used to love books about anatomy and how the human body worked (yeah, yeah, make all your "playing doctor" jokes). Some of them were geared to younger readers -- though not as young as me; I could read before I started school -- but some of them were more textbook-y things that my mother had around the house because she was a nurse.


I pretty much read the entire encyclopedia from cover to cover also. Yes, I was a strange boy.

Before I could really read, there was only one book in the house, as far as I recall. It was my mother's old school dictionary. Had a green cover, I remember. I went through the entire thing and looked at the illustrations and put a check mark in pencil beside the things I wanted when I got older, or the things I liked. An illustration of a rhinoceros, for example.

 

[doctor_insanus]

Oh, and Charlie Brown's Super Book of Questions & Answers kicked ass.

 

[Que]

Encyclopedia Brown's books.

Also The Three Investigators and The Hardy boys. The small Library in Maine and a winter at 62 degrees inside meant I curled up in bed with book after book till I nearly ran them out titles.

I even worked my way through the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, and The Happy Hollisters.

I read every book in the juvenile mystery section and 3/4 of the sci-fi section.

It was indeed. She did at least one more mouse-related book too.

Runaway Ralph.

The better of the two.

 

[DarkPleasures]

have you re-read it as an adult?

did it inspire creative childhood games? did it disappoint when your grown-up you read it? was it even a children's book or an adult's?

As a young kid I'd say my favorite book was a tie between Where the Wild Things Are and The Giving Tree. I have reread both as an adult as I've read them to my younger cousins (our age difference would make them seem as nieces and a nephew instead) and was not disappointed. In fact, I probably could list all of Shel Silverstein's books as a "favorite".

As a somewhat older child I really got into R. L. Stein's Fear Street and Christopher Pike's novels.

In both chapters of my life, the books I loved inspired my own story writing. ("General" fiction and Sci-Fi when quite young, horror as a tween into teen years, and erotic horror as an older teen.)

 

[Skiddles2014]

Anything about dinosaurs.

 

[DarkPleasures]

I started reading very early and found Judy Blume.

Are you there God, its me Margaret got me through my first period.

Sadly I received mine before discovering the book. Ona side note, I also read the boys' coming of age tale Then Again Maybe I Won't.

 

[Killswitch]

Homer messes with the donut making machine and the whole town gets filled with donuts.



I read quite a few hardy boys as well.


http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348994806l/766917.jpg

 

[Dream59]

As I was saying to LTR, walk in to the adukt fiction section of a US and UK bookshop and you would be hard pushed to tell the difference, walk into the kids section and they're entirely different.

I have found this to be very true. In talking with people from the UK and just reading this thread it amazes at the differences in kids books. I would not be surprised if UK kids, on the whole, read more involved books at an early age with it evening out by middle school.

 

[Dream59]

Butters I am not sure. I have heard of Black Beauty but have never read it so I would not be able to answer your question.