Kiddy Lit
Nicholas Kristof has a good column in today's NYTimes on 'The Best Kids' Books Ever.' Yes, it includes the Harry Potter books, but also some other unexpected ones. Freddy the Pig makes the list. Take a look.
Does anyone out there have any suggestions? Carmen?
Labels: libraries, literature
posted by Clemens @ 12:04 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
I can't believe he didn't mention Pinocchio, but the list does seem averse to foreign literature.
Way to make us look aware of the world there, Kristof...
Hmm. Pinocchio. Sounds Italian. Who did the translation?
But Ann of Green Gables is foreign! It's Canadian. I forget who did the translation.
Carmen and I also came up with a bunch: "Charlotte's Web", "Wrinkle in Time," and Carmen had a few more, and more, and more.
Carmen checked Kristof's blog - the one where he said people could send their own suggestions: it had 1,700 comments and rising!
I'm with Carmen; Wrinkle in Time is one of my all-time favorites. Charlotte's Web and everything else by EB White are treasures (Trumpet of the Swan anyone?) -- but Charlotte's Web is on the list!
For toddlers, can you go wrong with Mo Willems? For starting readers, I love Ursula Le Guinn's Catwings books. And then there's Jack and Annie and the Magic Treehouse: Merlin, Camelot and Vikings. Gotta love it.
All girls should read Misty of Chincoteage. And lots of other Marguerite Henry. And then graduate to Robin McKinley. The Blue Sword is my favorite, but the Hero and the Crown was the Newbury Winner.
Holes, anyone? How about Neil Gaimon (Coraline, The Day I Swapped my Dad for Two Goldfish, The Graveyard Book...) My hubby loves the Limony Snicket books, and for Ireland -- Artemis Fowl!
I mean really, why read grown-up books at all? Though I must admit, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was pretty darn fun.
I was going to make some "smart-alecky" remark about a college professor being a big fan of children’s books, but after reading Marie's comment I thought it best to leave well enough alone.
Hey - most of these Carmen read! Recently.
And besides, when I was a kid at the Purcellville Library I only read things like the 6 vol. photographic history of WWII, The Rommel Papers, Outline of History, and A Study of History (abridged ed). So now I am making up for a lost childhood.
(Personally, I blame it on my brothers)
(one of whom introduced me to Lord of the Rings)
Dear Mr. Clemens: In spite of your kind invitation to name my favorite children's books, I have delayed commenting because a topic so important requires some thought.
I decided on the following criteria: the books must be considered either children's or young adult books; I could have read them either as a child or as an adult; the books must have been read more than once; and I must still be able to look forward to re-reading them in the future.
These strict criteria eliminate such books as:
Gene Stratton Porter's "Girl of the Limberlost" which I adored when I was going through my Elfine-Starkadder-period, or Barrie's "The Little Minister", much adored in my Scottish-period. I would not consider re-reading these books, now. It also eliminates books like Pulman's Golden Compass Trilogy because they have not been reread.
My final list,subject to revision, is this:
Wind in the Willows, Charlotte's Web, Wrinkle in Time, The Secret Garden, A Little Princess,Phantom Tollbooth, the Alice books, Half-Magic, anything by Alcott, Anne of Green gables, The Dark is Rising series, Harry Potter, Terry Pratchett's Wee-Free Men books, the Sherlock Holmes stories, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
It pains me to leave out some favorite authors like Richard Peck, Joan Aiken, Jonathan Stroud, Neil Gaiman, Nancy Farmer, Ursula Le Guin, and Diana Wynne Jones merely because I've not reread their books: so little time, so many books.
Anyway, I hope this answers your question.
I remain faithfully yours,
Carmen Y. y C. de J.
Canada isn't foreign; it's just weird.
Also, I'll note that an Italian newspaper ran a similar list, and it did have a few English-language books. Amazingly (to me) Pinocchio wasn't on it. [Shakes head in helpless despair.]
See. Even that Italians wouldn't put it on their list.
And thanks Carmen for that full report on the subject. I am going off to read some Freddy the Pig stories.
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