Monica--should have mentioned, my mom and aunt went to CHS--but they lived in 'the extension', back in the 30's when Twp didn't have their own high school.

My apologies, OP, for engaging in a private conversation on your VERY interesting (and near and dear to my heart) thread.

Growing up in the 40's and 50's there were so many 'favorite' books for me. Our home was filled with books. Many of them had been my parent's books when they were young. I loved the "Maida's Little..." series books and of course The Bobsey Twins, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew. As an adolesent I loved Phyllis A Whitney books. "Step to the Music" (a civil war era setting) is one I especially remember. All those books were still in my Mom's house in the bookcases when it was auctioned off 2 years ago. I heard that they were put in a garbage dumpster and hauled off. It hurt my heart.

In elementary school all of my favorites were about animals or adventure. Big Red, Old Yeller, Bristle Face, My Side of the Mountain. Later on in high school I can only remember one book that I liked and it was A Separate Peace. I honestly don't recall reading much more than school textbooks and self-help books until I discovered reading for pleasure in my mid-30s. Now I have at least two books going on at any given time.

Jodi-

anne of green gables...all 8 books which are sadly falling apart...

love the all of a kind family

litle women, little men, and jo's boys....have purchased some for the grands but am very careful to look for original text, NOT abridged! it takes away from the charm...

There are so many. But my earliest favorite childhood book is the Tawny-Scrawny Lion, and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and Little Women (I always related to Jo), and many more. As I've read to my son, I've learned to love so many more. There are some really good children's books these days.

Reading these , I forgot the Bobbsy Twins, Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton, Uncle Wiggily, Cheryl Ames. I read all the books in all the series and have them upstairs on a bookshelf in my daughter's old bedroom along with all HER Nancy Drew books. I always got books for Xmas and birthdays.

The BoxCar Children for me too...I can't even remember reading any other books in the school library...I just devoured them.. I loved them so much...

Loved Judy Blume.

Lily, I have my mother's Nancy Drew books....from the early 1930's.

I also loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. When my girls were young I really liked Rikki Tikki Tavi for some reason.

This post was edited by hellion on Thu, Jan 24, 13 at 14:22

The first book I fell in love with was Little Lost BoBo, Woodland Frolic Series, by Adda Mai Sharp and Epsie Young. I was in the 2nd grade.

I checked it out of the school library so many times that year. At the end of the school year I was very upset. Grandma asked me why?

I told her (in what was probaby the best 7-year-old whine ever!) I didn't know how I'd survive the entire summer not being able to read Little Lost BoBo any time I wished.

On the first day of the summer break there was a copy of the book on the breakfast table. I still have it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to Little Lost BoBo

When I was little, and still being read to, I loved:

Winnie the Pooh stories
"Little Golden Books," such as Sailor Dog and Pussy Willow
The Velveteen Rabbit
Fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson

A few I enjoyed reading when I was a little older are:

Brite and Fair
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Borrowers series
Little House on the Prairie

My favourite book of all time is Little Women - I can't count how many times I have red it as a child and adult. I have 3 sisters so growing up I imagined us as the 4 March girls.

Other books I loved when I was a child:

-Little House on the Prairie books
-Nancy Drew books
-Heidi (my first hard cover novel, I remember when my mother gave it to me)
-The Bobbsey Twins
-Donna Parker (I only read 2 of them that my older sister had)
-Amelia Earhart by John Parlin
-Helen Keller's Teacher by Margaret Davidson
-What the Witch Left by Ruth Chew (loved this one!!)
-The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew

My Little Golden book favorite is online! I just sat and listed to the Tawny Scrawny Lion. I actually remembered it verbatim. I could've read it with so much more energy than this guy. He's good, but I'm a thousand times better. Lots of practice!

Here is a link that might be useful: Animated book-reading

Thank you, casey! The Five Little Peppers! I could picture the cover of that book and picture in my mind where it was always placed in the bookcase at home, but for the life of me I couldn't come up with the name. Loved, loved that book.

I devoured books when I was a kid. I wasn't introduced to the classics till I was older, so my favorites when I was in elementary school (in the 90's) were the Babysitters Club Little Sister books as well as Sweet Valley Twins! I was also really into the American Girl books. I still have all of them, I think, along with 3 of the dolls.

I also read some of the Judy Blume books but I couldn't understand some of the references. I liked the Ramona Quimby books as well.

One incident that my family will not let me forget...I was about 11 years old, and had just read the Little House on the Prairie books where the family is deathly ill with malaria. I had a mild cold at the time, and I walked into the dining room and announced to my family, very seriously, that I needed to go to the doctor because I had malaria. They all stared at me for a second and then burst out laughing and still tease me about it. :)

Well, since Golden Books have been brought up, I'll mention my favorite; Parakeet Peter.

Loved it. But my step-father would torment me by always calling it Parakeet Pooper. I would get so many at him for doing that. In fact, it's my first recognition of the emotion of anger. At nearly 60, I think I'm almost over it. :-)

"Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle" series! It was read to me as a child. I couldn't wait for the next chapter.

I have my mother's copy of "Black Beauty" for beginning readers. The words are in easy-to-sound-out format. It may be the first book I read myself.

I also read "Madame Bovary" at about ten. (Filched from my aunt's bookshelf.) Amazing how a child just does not SEE things over her head.

First book that pops into my head is The other side of the mountain... it was about a boy that left home and made a home in a trunk of a tree and lived off the land. I think. I wanted to do that in the worst way.

In 3rd grade I remember in our school library we had a HUGE area of biographies. And I made it my job that year to read everyone of them. They were short books but very interesting. I remember the one about the Nurse Nightingale and many many others. I went from one book to the next and if I missed some, I would go back and read those that came back in before I moved on. I loved to read then and many times had 3 or 4 books going at once. My mother didn't know how I did that.... and I still read a lot today. At least on my kindle I have several going.

Oh, so many that everyone has mentioned. I have 71 out of 72 The Bobbsey Twins books. I also have a collection of over 500 Little Golden Books. I have nice illustrated copies of Little Women, Secret Garden and Winnie the Pooh. Another favorite was Baby Island.
Kittywhiskers

For me it was "The Velvet Room"--I read it over and over. It concerned a girl whose family picked apricots, and on the farm there was a large, deserted house with a tower into which which she finds her way. In the top of the tower is a circular library with window seats and this becomes her marvelous escape from her mundane and laborious life. Has anyone else read this book?

So many books, so little time. The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Nurse Cherry Ames, Heidi, Black Beauty and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , especially near and dear to my heart since I grew up in Brooklyn.

I always had (and still have) my nose buried in a book.

Helene

Cwnev, that is My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, the same book I coveted when I was young. I always related to male characters in books like that. I was a bit of a tomboy.

I forgot all about Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle! Read all of those books and many of the Pipi Longstockings.

There was another series of books with Mrs. Periwinkle or something in the title. It confused me when I was a child because the name of the series was so similar to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.

Another book from about 1960 was a story about a two- or three-toed sloth. Been trying to find it on eBay for at least 10 years. Don't remember the exact title or how many toes the sloth had but I loved learning about sloths for some reason. Maybe that's why I grew up so darned lazy. :-)

Jodi-

Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, Cherry Ames,
Grimm's Fairy Tales, etc.

Oh yeah, Grimms. I still have my Grimm's books.

When I really think about the book I really cherished the most, it was the Robert Lewis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses.

The Swing

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

Robert Louis Stevenson

Charlotte's Web was my all time favorite, would sit up in the balcony during church and read it over and over. Then quickly return it to the church library after service!

It's interesting how many of you mentioned Kon-Tiki. That was one of my favorites too. Since I first posted to this thread I've spent a lot of time remembering back to my childhood when I would walk to the Public Library after school and spend so much time there. What pleasant memories.

I had also forgotten The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. I think that was a hand-me-down from my sister who was almost 20 years older than I, and I'm now 76.

During my first grade year I was home ill for much of the time and I still have my reading books: Day In and Day Out, Fun in Story, At Play. What treasures!

sjerin - yes, The Velvet Room. I bought it through a school program in elementary school because I loved the title. It turns out that it gave me the creeps for some reason and I never ended up reading it. Recently it came back on my radar and I read it for the first time last summer. Loved it! I'm really glad I hung onto it all this time - I'm in my 50's. Maybe I should look around and see what else I have. Ha!

Skibby

Pam (original poster) what a bunch of fond childhood memories you have stirred up!

One I don't think has been mentioned yet is "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" It's position in the bookcase at home was suddenly in my mind's eye this morning as I awakened. The book was made into a movie starring Shirley Temple. There were sequils, but not by the original book's author.

So many, all I did was read

We have always lived in the Castle
All of the Nancy Drew and Little house books
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
As I got older all of the Victoria Holt books, and Harlequin romances as a pre-pubescent, lol

In no order, just all beloved - wonderful subject:

Peter Pan
The Bobsey Twins (all)
Heidi
Secret Garden
Little Women (oh how I cried)
Nancy Drew (all)
Clara Barton & Florence Nightengale
Child's Garden of Verses (what is the one of sick little boy and windowpane quilt???)
Oh, so many.

Shoo Fly pie
Charlottes Web
Curious George
The Jungle Book
Dr. Seus: Cat In The Hat....
Watership Down
Gullivers Travels

I cried at the Little Match Girl when it was read to me. Every time I'd go the grocery store I'd buy my kids a little Golden Book. I still have many of them too. I think they cost a quarter and maybe 15 cents for the little ones. I'd buy granddaughter one too each time I shopped.

My aunts on both sides were teachers, so I and my kids got books from their third grade classrooms.

I read so many of the books listed here and adored many of them. I was one of those kids who always had her nose in a book. I went to the library regularly. The book I remember most was called The Green Poodles . The reason I remember it is because I borrowed it from the library and I lost it! I was devastated that the librarian called my house to ask about the overdue book. I was mortified. I looked everywhere for it and never found it. I don't remember how it was resolved. I guess my mother paid for it. I loved any book about dogs or horses.

I still love to read. I can't stand not having a book at hand.

I read so many of the books listed here and adored many of them. I was one of those kids who always had her nose in a book. I went to the library regularly. The book I remember most was called The Green Poodles . The reason I remember it is because I borrowed it from the library and I lost it! I was devastated that the librarian called my house to ask about the overdue book. I was mortified. I looked everywhere for it and never found it. I don't remember how it was resolved. I guess my mother paid for it. I loved any book about dogs or horses.

I still love to read. I can't stand not having a book at hand.

I cried when my mother read me The Little Match Girl when I was little. I always bought my kids Golden Books every time I shopped. I think they cost a quarter.

My aunts on both sides were teachers so I got a lot of books from their third grade classes..

Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden!

But my all time fav was called "Follow My Leader", about a boy that lost his sight in a firecracker accident.

I'm glad to see someone who's read the book post, Skibby! I wonder why it creeped you out? I was pretty un-worldly so I don't think it ever occurred to me that there could be anything/anyone malicious in the house. That girl had my love of reading, and I loved her for that. I'm glad you kept the book--I don't know what happened to mine, sad to say. Maybe I should see if Amazon has it....

Black Beauty. My mother read it to me when I was very small, and I read it myself several times. I still have the first chapter memorized.

haffie, the poem is The Land of Counterpane by Robert Louis Stevenson. I still have my Child's Garden of Verses!

I don't think anyone mentioned "Anne of Green Gables". It was one of my mother's books, and I read it and "Anne of the Island" and Anne of Avonlea"

I just googled the titles, and found that Amazon is offering the complete set of Anne books in paperback for less than $40.00.

"I Remember Mama" was a book, a movie, even a 1950's TV series. I loved every version. About a Scandinavian family living in San Francisco in the early 20th century.

Pippi Longstocking

Little Women and Little Men
Girl of the Limberlost
Shepherd of the Hills

Marita40, thanks so much for title to that poem! Makes me plan to go into attic and bring down that book I've had for long, long time. 75 years to be exact...Mother's friend gave it to her for me when I was born.

I love this post. I read so much as a kid, I remember throwing down a spare mattress on our basement floor (where I could find some peace and quiet from my large and loud family) and reading entire books in one sitting.

My favorites:
The Secret Garden
The Boxcar Children
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Little House in the Prairie series
Charlotte's Web (also loved Stuart Little and Trumpet of the Swan, I still all three of my originals, it was a set).
Loved all the Ramona Quimby books.
Choose your Own Adventure books...the where you get decide which route to take in the book, and each one leads you to a different ending.

Many more, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head. I still have a bunch of books from my childhood. My Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes is another favorite.

Thanks for all the responses. What a nice trip down Memory Lane.

YES! My side of the mountain....

I read a lot of the books as an adult. The Anne of green gables series and the little house on the prairie series... I think when I was pg with first. Never read them as a kid.

I don't think that anyone has mentioned Freckles, by Gene Stratton-Porter. Such a sweet book.

And the Madeline books, by Ludwig Bemelmans.