Childhood books provide some of the most precious memories we
have. Nothing makes a person smile like the memory of reading
or being read a book that made them laugh, cry or somehow touched
them. Our vistors share some of their favorites. When you see the title
underlined you can click on it for more information on a current copy. Some
books were out of print and I couldn't locate the book.
"How to Ooze"
I was in the second grade and summer was coming. In this book it
showed all sorts of ways a child could find to move around with
little or no effort. The boy in the book built things like a big
land raft with a sail from a sheet and the like. Sometimes the
oozing was just crawling around on his stomach. It really pricked
my imagination and I spent all summer trying out all the ways to
ooze. I can still see the cover of the book in my mind
after 35 years.
Cynthia Jardon
"Honey Bunch" by Helen Thorndyke
The real name of the little girl nicknamed Honey Bunch was Gertrude, which was my mother's name. When I read it, I pictured my mom as a little girl and it tickled me.
Susan Zuckerman
"Heidi"
It made me smile, made me laugh, made me cry, made
me want to BE her! My childhood fantasy therefore was to BE Heidi. I named
my daughter the english equivalent: Heather.
The fantasy continued into adulthood (along with my teenage fantasy to live
in the Library of Congress). At one point in my life (age 39) we moved out
to the boonies and I achieved my childhood fantasy: I raised chickens and
goats, lived on a hill (overlooking a lake) in a Pine & Fir Forest where it
snowed in the winter and the wind blew and sang through the trees. I milked
goats, made my own bread, goats' milk cheese, lived with a crabby
grandfather (my now deceased husband), and smiled a lot, laughed at those
lovely nutty goats and cried a bit too. For eight years. And then I moved
on to adulthood and went home to mother. But that's another story...
Kathi
Birchbark Books
Bloomquist Gallery
"The Runaway Pancake" by Peter Christen Asbjornsen
This book made me smile because my mother used to make for me the BEST pancakes...and to imagine they were rolling down the hill...!! What a bunch of trouble I could make!!!
Denise
"Cheaper By the Dozen" by Frank Kenneth Galbraith
I loved to make believe that I was part of their large family and lived in the same time period,1920's. It is a story about the economist,Frank Kenneth Galbraith and his 12 children. It was funny to me to see how people lived back them, especially this family.I had read this book so
many times that the hardback cover finally fell off!
Denise Montgomery
"Where The Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
The true story was written by the author who lived in Cornell, Wisconsin when I was living there as a child. This in itself made it a special book to me.
The story to this day makes me feel warm, but at the same time makes me sad. The warm part is the relationship the boy had with his dogs and the sad part is when the one dog passes away.
This book will be in my mind for the rest of my life. I recommend it to everyone to read and enjoy.
Lynn Yard
"Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak
My Favorite part was when the "Wild Things roared their terrible roars and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws"
My mom would alway roar really loud with us a children and then tickle us with her "terrible claws"
Stacy Rash
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
I loved this story and still do very much, and now so do my kids. I remember every year they played the movie on tv. It made me feel good for charlie and his grandpa when he found the golden ticket, and then chose to take his grandpa. The mother worked hard and the whole family stuck together, its warm spirit and good human nature made me feel special and taught me values of honesty and unconditional love.
Mariam Sayles
