Showing posts with label childrens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label childrens. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Popular School Age Childrens Books Part II
Popular School Age Childrens Books Part II
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Its been quite the democratic week here at Children of the 90s. Admittedly its only Tuesday, so we still have plenty of time to get all anarchical on you, but as of yet weve been riding the reader response train. You guys are just chock full of good ideas, so until you run out Im going to milk your suggestions for all theyre worth. Which, for the record, is quite a lot. So, you know. Thanks.
For those of us who grew up as voracious readers, this list is potentially endless. There were so many popular and influential books that shaped our childhood and reading habits. To answer your questions before the protests begin, weve already covered ad nauseum series including Sweet Valley High, The Babysitters Club, Goosebumps, and Choose Your Own Adventure. Yes, they made up a major bulk of our leisure reading, but they are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of childrens literary material. Feel free to peruse the backlogs, though--those series are all worth a reminiscence or two of their own.
Based on many of your suggestions, Ive put together Part II of our popular book list below. Dont see your favorites on here? Dont worry. These extra-long posts have a way of getting sort of unwieldy, so in the spirit of streamlining and readability Ive conveniently parceled this out over a series of posts. If you have other suggestions, drop them in the comments. And for those of you eagerly awaiting the Readers Choice childhood movie awards, well leave the commenting open for a few more days to let the ideas soak a bit. Watch for that post, coming to a Children of the 90s near you very, very soon. Get pumped.
Our second installment of popular elementary school-age reading material form the 80s and 90s includes:
The Giver
Despite its frequent banning, The Giver remains a popular book for school-age children. The subject matter may be a bit heavy for young readers--a tightly controlled dystopian future society a la 1984--but its creepiness resonates well with imaginative kids. Sure, I used to semi-fantasize/semi-worry that my eye color had marked me as the bearer of the worlds technicolor memories, but as of yet I have not been called to official Receiver duty.
The Sign of the Beaver
Elizabeth George Speares The Sign of the Beaver is another classic example of cultural and historical lessons cleverly disguised as fun reading. Well done, Speare. Like Hatchet, Sign allows our imaginations to run wild at the prospect of a preteen left to fend for himself. In this case, however, Matt comes upon a Native American family and befriends the young son, Attean. Attean teaches Matt about the ways of Nature, Matt teaches Attean to read, and we all share a heartwarming story of prejudices overcome.
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry
Roll of Thunder was technically released in the mid-70s, but the last post brought on numerous requests for its placement on the list so I decided to make a rare exception. The books examines the life and hardships of a black family struggling to hold on to their land against the tumultuous backdrop of 1930s Mississippi. Like many of these books, the themes are heavy--racism, prejudice, injustice--but the storytelling style brings it to a manageable level for young readers.
Shiloh
I love me some Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, so theres a special spot in my heart for the book that introduced me to her writing. Shiloh tells the story of a young boy who takes in a stray dog in hopes of protecting him from his abusive former owner. Its heartbreaking in a quiet, non-earth shattering way, and sometimes I still imagine my adopted shelter dog was once under the iron fist of the unsavory Judd Travers.
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
The sixth installment in the Ramona series is an ode to the minorly mischievous but ultimately sensitive child, starting with Ramonas unfortunate cafeteria egg incident and her subsequent overhearing of her teacher calling her a nuisance. The book continues in other delightful non-sequiturs; unlike many childrens books that seem to be an adults take on the way children think, Beverly Cleary manages to tap into that mysterious child psyche and give us a story thats simultaneously about nothing in particular and something important. Depending on the age of the reader, that is.
Jacob Have I Loved
Katherine Patersons title references the biblical line, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau I have hated," regarding the story of Isaacs mismatched fraternal twin sons. Sarah Louise despises her position in the shadows of her prettier, better loved sister Caroline. The book is told from Sarah Louises ("Weezes") perspective, giving us insight into her jealousy and feelings of marginalization. The themes of sibling rivalry and intense envy can get a little depressing, but weve got some creepy romantic feelings between a 13-year old girl and 70-year old man to keep the pace exciting.
Island of the Blue Dolphins
This one is a bit of a cheat, too, as it was published in the 60s, but its popularity among young readers held steady throughout the ensuing decades. Its yet another tale of a child left to fend for himself, only in this case that "himself" is more of a "herself." The book is loosely based on the true story of Juana Maria, portrayed in Islands as Wonapalei, known secretly as Karana. After Karanas people are devastated by invading Aleuts, the tribe embarks on a ship for the mainland. Karanas brother is left behind, so her only logical solution is to jump ship and live with him on a secluded island. Did I say logical? Im sorry, I meant book-worthy. Her brother dies nearly immediately, leaving Karana to take on packs of wild but eventually lovable dogs and to take hold of her own survival. I wont give away the entire book, but suffice it to say its nice to see a female lead in these solo adventure stories every once in awhile.
The Sign of the Beaver
Elizabeth George Speares The Sign of the Beaver is another classic example of cultural and historical lessons cleverly disguised as fun reading. Well done, Speare. Like Hatchet, Sign allows our imaginations to run wild at the prospect of a preteen left to fend for himself. In this case, however, Matt comes upon a Native American family and befriends the young son, Attean. Attean teaches Matt about the ways of Nature, Matt teaches Attean to read, and we all share a heartwarming story of prejudices overcome.
Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry
Roll of Thunder was technically released in the mid-70s, but the last post brought on numerous requests for its placement on the list so I decided to make a rare exception. The books examines the life and hardships of a black family struggling to hold on to their land against the tumultuous backdrop of 1930s Mississippi. Like many of these books, the themes are heavy--racism, prejudice, injustice--but the storytelling style brings it to a manageable level for young readers.
Shiloh
I love me some Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, so theres a special spot in my heart for the book that introduced me to her writing. Shiloh tells the story of a young boy who takes in a stray dog in hopes of protecting him from his abusive former owner. Its heartbreaking in a quiet, non-earth shattering way, and sometimes I still imagine my adopted shelter dog was once under the iron fist of the unsavory Judd Travers.
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
The sixth installment in the Ramona series is an ode to the minorly mischievous but ultimately sensitive child, starting with Ramonas unfortunate cafeteria egg incident and her subsequent overhearing of her teacher calling her a nuisance. The book continues in other delightful non-sequiturs; unlike many childrens books that seem to be an adults take on the way children think, Beverly Cleary manages to tap into that mysterious child psyche and give us a story thats simultaneously about nothing in particular and something important. Depending on the age of the reader, that is.
Jacob Have I Loved
Katherine Patersons title references the biblical line, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau I have hated," regarding the story of Isaacs mismatched fraternal twin sons. Sarah Louise despises her position in the shadows of her prettier, better loved sister Caroline. The book is told from Sarah Louises ("Weezes") perspective, giving us insight into her jealousy and feelings of marginalization. The themes of sibling rivalry and intense envy can get a little depressing, but weve got some creepy romantic feelings between a 13-year old girl and 70-year old man to keep the pace exciting.
Island of the Blue Dolphins
This one is a bit of a cheat, too, as it was published in the 60s, but its popularity among young readers held steady throughout the ensuing decades. Its yet another tale of a child left to fend for himself, only in this case that "himself" is more of a "herself." The book is loosely based on the true story of Juana Maria, portrayed in Islands as Wonapalei, known secretly as Karana. After Karanas people are devastated by invading Aleuts, the tribe embarks on a ship for the mainland. Karanas brother is left behind, so her only logical solution is to jump ship and live with him on a secluded island. Did I say logical? Im sorry, I meant book-worthy. Her brother dies nearly immediately, leaving Karana to take on packs of wild but eventually lovable dogs and to take hold of her own survival. I wont give away the entire book, but suffice it to say its nice to see a female lead in these solo adventure stories every once in awhile.
Available link for download
Friday, February 10, 2017
Popular Young Childrens Books of the 80s and 90s
Popular Young Childrens Books of the 80s and 90s
Childrens authors set the groundwork for a new generation to develop a deep love of reading, so its critical that their output is engaging and amusing enough to hold our limited attention. Plus, our parents often bore the burden of reading these books to us again and again until they could have recited them from memory, so it helped if authors could throw in some humor that satiated the appetites of both adults and children.
These books satisfied both criteria in balance and firmly established a place in our collective nostalgic heart for their silliness, fun, and wit. Lets take a stroll through the magical world of 80s and 90s young childrens books. Youll laugh, youll cry, youll develop a catchy rhyming scheme. Dont blame me if you start talking Seusically, though. It should wear off in 10-12 hours.
If You Give A Mouse a Cookie
We all know what happens when you start giving mice cookies. Theyre insatiable little rodents, really. At least thats the central message of Laura Numeroffs If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Hell just keep bleeding you dry with favors until he finally just wants a cookie again. Theres just no winning. Maybe if you try giving a Moose a Muffin or a Pig a Pancake things might turn out differently. Maybe.
Love You Forever
If youre a leaky-faucet type crier easily set off by emotional material, be warned that youll release the floodgates by the last cycle of "I love you forever, I love you for always, as long as youre living, my baby youll be." The book details the relationship of a mother and her young son as she recites the same refrain to him at various stages of his life. Near the end of the story, the adult child recites it back to his dying elderly mother and finally to his own infant daughter. The book resonates well with adults and children alike; it seems the older you get, the more likely youll want to keep a full box of tissues nearby when you pick this one up.
The Eleventh Hour and Animalia
I spent somewhere in the neighborhood of three years trying to trace these gorgeous illustrations in hopes of miraculously transferring Graeme Bases incredible art talent onto my own hopelessly skill-free hands. Bases books may be visually enchanting, but in the case of The Eleventh Hour theyre also incredibly tricky. I still havent managed to solve all of the many riddles embedded in the story. I almost caved and broke into the solution in the back, but Im still holding out hope that the answer will just come to me.
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Fairy Tales
Revisionist fairy tales can be a lot of fun, and this Wolf-narrated version of the classic Three Little Pigs story is no exception. Our allegedly mistakenly accused suspect, Alexander T. Wolf, describes his troubles in borrowing sugar to bake a cake for his Grannys birthday. Is it his fault he has a terrible cold and that pigs build inferior non-sneeze-resistant houses? How could you let a delicious ham dinner like that go to waste, after all?
Along the same lines and written by the same witty author (Jon Scieszka), The Stinky Cheese Man gives us an irreverent look at some of our favorite classic fairy tales. The Gingerbread Man is the Stinky Cheese Man, The Really Ugly Duckling just grows into a Really Ugly Duck, and Little Red Riding Shorts manages to outrun the wolf on the way to Grandmas. The book is a bit chaotic, but its legitimately clever and witty, too.
Arthur Books
Marc Brown was clearly onto something when he created this lovable anthropomorphic eight-year old aardvark named Arthur. Populating Arthurs hometown of Elwood City are a host of other cuddly animal characters with varying socioeconomic backgrounds, leading me to find that yes, you can indeed be jealous of a fictional monkey. Darn you, Muffy, and your enviable rich-monkey lifestyle.
The Jolly Postman
Kids have pretty short attention spans, so an interactive book is always a major draw: its like a combination book/game rolled into a neat little package. To be delivered by a postman. A jolly postman.
In The Jolly Postman, our hero postman maneuvers from one fairy tale house to another, delivering correspondences (an apology note from Golidlocks and the 3 bears), junk mail (an advertisement for "Hobgoblin Supplies, ltd."), and even threats of legal action (the case of the Wolf v. Miss Riding Hood.) The jolly postman stops for tea at each home, delivering letters that we as readers could physically open and read.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Learning the alphabet can be pretty boring, so imagine how relieved we were to find a book that turns dry and humorless letters into cute anthropomorphic characters. Our fearless letters climb the tree in orderly A-B-C succession, only to fall back down and sustain alphabetized injuries. Ouch.
Where the Wild Things Are
Monsters might seem like a scary, lurking under the bed prospect until we learn that in our imaginations we can just dance with them in a wild rumpus instead. Sounds like a decent solution to me. The back-story is possibly as entertaining as the tale itself: author Maurice Sendak had initially planned for the book to feature wild horses, but his publisher shunned Sendaks sub-par horse drawings. Sendak replaced the horses with caricatures of his Polish Jewish aunts and uncles: Aaron, Bernard, Emile, Moishe, and Tzippy. I imagine they were thrilled to find their likenesses titled "things."
Berenstain Bears
This friendly bear family has been teaching kids valuable life lessons for generations. I believe I read the Visit to the Dentist book at my own dentists office at least twenty times, which helped assuage my fear of the infamous yankers while simultaneously teaching me about the untapped goldmine of cash at stake for my expendable baby teeth. Win-win.
Amelia Bedelia
What do you get when you combine a charming rhyming named housekeeper and a penchant for extreme literal interpretation of simple instructions? Pure childrens book gold. Amelia Bedelia draws the drapes by trying her hand at sketching the curtains and prunes the hedges by sticking prunes in them. We learned the value of simple vocabulary and double meanings, plus I got some great ideas for how to make a mockery of my household chores,
Oh, The Places Youll Go!
Though it may have become a cliche gift for recent graduates, Dr. Seusss final book is ultimately inspirational and sweet. The book details our protagonists travel through uncharted territory, complete with setbacks and triumphs. So go ahead, give it to your graduating cousin or neighbor. Hell probably be able to start a collection with all of the copies he receives, but he may just learn a valuable lesson about endless possibilities.
The Rainbow Fish
This book seems pretty innocent with its message of sharing, so imagine my surprise in discovering its taken some flack from critics for allegedly promoting a socialist agenda. Its a pretty preposterous accusation; its enough to make you wish yourself back to a simpler time when you didnt know what things like "socialist agenda" even meant.
Stellaluna
Fruit bats are adorable and owls are evil? What kind of crazy mixed-up pre-Harry Potter owl love affair world is this? Stellaluna is separated from her mother and is raised with a nest full of baby birds, the mother of whom admonishes her for hanging upside down like, well, a bat. In case you were worried, she does eventually reunite with her mother, but the book has a bit of a melancholy feel through the whole "be true to yourself" message.
Available link for download
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