It's no surprise that this is the largest category of books I'm recommending. It's what I like to read. I'm a classic sort of person, I suppose, for better or worse.
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame--I have never read this one, but we got a copy from the MiL's friend (thanks, Mary!) and one of my boys has already read it twice. It's about as classic as it gets, and a very gentle sort of story with lots of friendships. It is, however, an old children's book, originally published in 1908, and is a perfect example of the ways in which children's fiction has changed. The sentences are long, with lots of punctuation, so only a quite proficient reader won't get lost in them. Also, the vocabulary is extraordinary, and I would venture to guess that modern adult readers wouldn't know what some of the words mean. So, it is a wonderful book to read aloud with a child who is not yet a very good reader, or a good book for a good young reader who is not yet brainwashed by Captain Underpants.
Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight--Another animal book. This one has been read a few times by the other boy, who is a big fan of dog stories. There are other Lassie books, I think inspired by the popular television series, but this is the original, and the only one written by this author. If you have children sensitive to animals' distress, this one might have some disturbing parts to it, because of course attitudes to animals were very different when this book was written in 1940. Also, it has some vernacular speech in it, so it's probably best for stronger readers.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl--What kid wouldn't want to visit Willy Wonka's chocolate factory? I'm not a huge fan of all of Roald Dahl's stories, but this is a great one. And, of course, there's also the fun of getting to watch the movie after reading the book. But ONLY the one with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. I cannot countenance Johnny Depp as the creepiest Willy Wonka ever. (I've never actually seen that one--I couldn't get past how strange Willy Wonka looked in the ads for it when it came out.)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor--This is a hard book for kids, I will not lie. It doesn't shy away from describing how difficult life in the segregated deep south was for black people for generations. But there is no denying the truth of it, and this book is very powerfully written. It also has great female characters in it: Cassie, Mama, and Big Ma are all what would now be termed "strong women." And in the tradition of "strong women" of the past, their strength is all directed to keeping their families and communities safe and thriving.
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan--I recently re-read this book, which I remembered liking as a child. It's written in such simple language that I think it would qualify as a beginning reader's chapter book, but the simple language (and happy ending) does not mean it's a shallow story with shallow characters. It's told from a child's point of view, and I think does a good job representing how children grapple with some pretty heavy things (death, resentment, fear).
Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright--I found this book in our school library when I was cataloging everything. I had never heard of this author before, but I loved the book. Remember when I said that I think fantasy is such a popular genre now because it allows for safe children's stories with adventure? Well, this book (published in 1942) has very real children who had adventures simply because children at that time were still given the unsupervised time to have adventures of their own. The adventures in this book start when the family moves from New York City to the country. This is the second of what is referred to as "The Melendy Quartet," (the family's name is Melendy), and there were new editions of all four of the books published in 2008.
The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit--Another book about children who move to the country, but this one has a bit of a darker side, as the children have to move because their father is taken away. The children have all sorts of adventures in their new home, but there is the sadness and mystery of what happened to their father. It does have a happy ending, though.
Okay, I'll stop here. Do you have any more to add to this additional list of classic elementary fiction?
9 comments:
From the mixed up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. By E L Konigsburg and The cricket in Times Square. My teacher is an alien and the rest in the series by Bruce Coville might not quite be classics yet, but very fun.
Yes to Cricket in Times Square--and its sequel, Harry Cat's Pet Puppy. The illustrations by Garth Williams are my favorite.
Joan Aiken's Mortimer and Arabel series are wonderful--all about a little English girl and her pet raven. Very goofy, very very British (I think the books made me an Anglophile at an early age), and very comforting.
Don't forget Elizabeth Enright's non-Melendy books, Thimble Summer, Gone-Away Lake, and Return to Gone-Away. I love all her books. I'd also include Edward Eager's books, especially Half Magic. The cat who can half talk is pretty funny.
Nice to see Bruce Coville's name--
Correction on Lassie Come Home--Eric Knight.
I wonder if people still read Norton's Borrower series.
My children read the Borrower series. And Swallows and Amazons. Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, and Happy Hollisters are all favorites for mysteries for my children (I know-- they are written in a formulaic way, but the kids do love them.). Little Britches.
I'm so glad to see you recommending reading aloud to kids even when they can read themselves! Less proficient readers can enjoy more exciting books through reading aloud. One of the pleasures of teaching elementary school was choosing read-aloud books for my classes.
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls and the Hannah's Brave Year Series by Rhoda Wooldridge. Books I loved as a child!
I loved the Boxcar Children and can second The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
I emailed a list a couple months ago when you originally inquired about books, but I fear I forgot one. Do not miss "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls. His much more well-known work is "Where the Red Fern Grows"; both are fantastic for young readers, but for sheer clean-good-fun hilarity, "Summer of the Monkeys" wins (also, I found "Where the Red Fern Grows" very sad and scary, and I don't enjoy sad scary books). It's an entertaining read-aloud book with heart. I can still remember my third-grade teacher having to stop reading to laugh as she read it to my class after lunch ... and that would've been a good solid 35+ years ago.
--Karen.'s sister
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