Revisiting Children's Books as a grown-up by Amie Denman

My sister who lives in another state came to visit last weekend. It was a wonderful weekend of catching up and renewing the kind of friendship that never runs dry. One of the things we chatted about was her book club. She's an avid reader and belongs to two different book clubs. She told me about their process for choosing books and how reading new things has opened her mind. Here's the fun part, though.

One of her book clubs has decided to read a string of beloved children's books! 

Their first on the list is Charlotte's Web. What a fantastic idea! The very thought of re-reading books I loved as a child takes me back to summer days lying on my bed and tuning out the world. If you belonged to a book club that chose to revisit childhood favorites, what books would you pick? Here are some of mine:



Just thinking about all these books makes we want to get them out and read them all over again! I learned so much about life, love, family, and taking chances from these books and many others. No wonder I became a writer!

Did you love these books, too? Which children's books would you choose for your book club friends to enjoy?

Comments

  1. I loved all of the Little House books, Amie. I'll admit, it's been decades since I've read any of the books you mentioned, but it sounds like a great idea for a book club.

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  2. Oh, I love some of these! I would add the Raggedy Ann and Andy books to the list. Ann and Andy had roles in my Christmas Town novella and I've been kind of itching to read their books again ever since!

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  3. I've read all of those but the Secret Garden. Not sure how I missed it, though.
    I'd reading the Betsy books by Carolyn Haywood. She opened my heart to reading when I was in second grade. I'd read the Ramona books, too. Loved loved loved them. Yup, Little House on the Prairie was awesome. I'm rereading the Grandma's Attic series right now. It's on par with Laura Ingalls.

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  4. Yes yes yes to all of those wonderful books, Amie! I was a teacher-librarian before retiring and loved to buy new books for,kids and especially, recommend old favourites. I re- read Anne of Green Gables for a course a few years ago and loved it all over again. Another favourite was Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit, which posed the question, “what if you could live forever”, would that be a good thing? Plus, “Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret” by Judy Blume. Wow! Talking books is so much fun, isn’t it? Thanks Amie!

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  5. All great books and the covers brought back such good memories. I didn't rad A Wrinkle in Time until my own girls read the book in school. Can't wait to share with the new granddaughter.

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  6. One of my favorite things to do as an educational assistant was read-aloud with the Gr 2/3s. They supported each other through the death of Charlotte. The boys dropped their jaw over Farmer Boy getting donuts for breakfast!?! And they all became enraged over the aunts' abuse in James and the Giant Peach. I feel honored to have helped create lifetime memories. Anne of Green Gables was and is my all-time favorite kids' book.

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  7. Charlotte's Web - yes! A Wrinkle in Time, Old Yeller, The Little House on the Prairie books, White Fang, Millions of Cats... I've got to read Anne of Green Gables again. Thanks for the reminder. I love the idea.

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  8. It was so long ago I just remember that we always had books around. I loved pop-up books like Terry and the Pirates, and a book that had felt kittens inside. I loved the Little Golden Books, too. And my girls loved Babar stories.

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  9. Thanks to Charlotte's Web, my daughter and I still think of all spiders as Charlotte's grandchildren! And webs as works of art. Much as I love that book, I'd have to pick all the "little house" books as all time favorites. Madeleine L'engle is special to me because her memoirs are so honest and her path to great success was rocky and long. So unbelievable to think of her books, especially "Wrinke," as among the top banned books of all time. Thanks so much for this post!

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  10. Because I read with my son, I've gotten to revisit all sorts of books I loved in my childhood, and it was so neat to see him developing his own relationships with those books. We read Charlotte's Web, the Laura Ingals books, The Secret Garden, and we've been discovering some new ones, too. Such good times!

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  11. Oh, so many great memories! I really appreciate this post. When I worked as a children's librarian a few years ago, I ended up taking home a bunch of books one night.... The Jolly Postman, Caps For Sale, Strega Nona and some American Girl classics. It was incredible how the childhood memories flooded back... I felt like I had just read them days ago, not years and years ago. It's so wonderful that books can leave such lasting impressions on us. If I had to pick just one favorite that really stood out, I think it would be "Little Women." But of course, since the 90's, it has always made me think of the Friends episode where Joey thinks it's a horror book. "Now these women... how little are they? Like, scary little?"

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    1. Oh, and the George and Martha series as well! I remembered that adorable hippo couple as soon as I hit "publish" and they are too cute to be forgotten here. Id' also have to add Patricia Reilly Giff's series as well. So many good books out there to inspire a lifetime of love for reading in kids! :)

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  12. I've read most of these books and The Secret Garden was my favorite. I'm reading Anne of Green Gables now. Don't know how I missed it. Oh and Heidi! I loved it, too. And the Black Stallion.

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