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Reading Children's Books

S

snugasabug

New Member
I was having a sort out of books recently and came across a pile of children's books. My children are all grown now, but I couldn't bear to part with them because they are all books that I loved to read myself. In fact I sat there for a good hour reading some of them again.

Does anyone else find some children's books as readable and enjoyable as adult books?
 
I enjoy rereading the Pooh books by A. A. Milne -- especially The House at Pooh Corner (and original version preferred.)

Thanks for the memories. :flowers:
 
I sometimes read Pooh when I can't sleep. :blush: I appear to have forgotten to bring it with me to Glasgow though.
 
I think they are deliberately written to appeal to grownups, maybe even more so than to children. :confused:
 
I don't know. I love reading Roald Dahl's childrens' books, too. The stories always seem to have a great many layers and the characters in them are fantastic.
 
Roald Dahl is after my time :eek: but, from what you say, it does sound like he would appeal to adults.
 
He's written adult fiction too. I've never actually read any of it though, just the children's stuff. Characters and plot always seem to have another, darker, side to them that maybe you don't notice at first and only after you have given it some thought. I like that sort of thing. :)
 
Polly Parrot said:
He's written adult fiction too. I've never actually read any of it though, just the children's stuff. Characters and plot always seem to have another, darker, side to them that maybe you don't notice at first and only after you have given it some thought. I like that sort of thing. :)
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You are beginning to get me very interested. Where would you suggest I start? :D
 
Oh yeah, that reminds me, I meant to re-read Tove Jansson's Moomin books this year. At least the last couple, I remember loving the way they built from the simple childhood fantasy of the first few to melancholic adolescence to full-on existentialism. Or maybe that was just general Nordic mopeyness, I could never quite tell where one ends and the other begins.
 
A side perk to having a bunch of kids and home educating them has been all the incredible children's books I've read over the years, with the excuse that I needed to help the kids find good books...I missed Roald Dahl the first time around, but have been blessed to meet him thru the kids; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory makes an incredible read-aloud. Without the kids, I would probably have skipped Harry Potter, Eva Ibbotson(read Platform Thirteen), and would not have rekindled my affection for writers such as Lois Lenski, Marguerite Henry, and Marguerite DeAngeli, and a host of others.
 
Peder said:
You are beginning to get me very interested. Where would you suggest I start? :D
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One of Dahl's adult novels (I don't know if it's the only one, but surely one of the very few) is My Uncle Oswald, which I heartily recommend. It's about this caper with this character Oswald, "the greatest fornicator of all time", and his plans to make a fortune. The way he goes about doing it is really laugh out loud hysterics. I accidentally read it when I was quite young (I can't remember how it come into the house, to be honest, but there it was!), and not knowing what to expect made it all the better.

It was one of the funniest novels I have ever read, and it's completely unpredictable and pretty darn naughty too. Really well done. READ THIS!
 
Peder said:
You are beginning to get me very interested. Where would you suggest I start? :D
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How about A Wrinkle in Time? or Yonnie Wondernose by Marguerite DeAngeli.. Who can resist a story about a boy whose curiosity always gets him in trouble, until the day it helps him save the day? I also love Marguerite Henry's Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin. You share a house with cats; this one will make you smile. One book I read repeatedly between the fourth and seventh grades was Indian Captive by Lois Lenski..and don't overlook Scott O'Dell and Island of the Blue Dolphin or Sing Down the Moon. A more modern bit of fun is Savvy and its sequel, Scumble, by Ingrid Law. Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett is a good one too. Be sure to investigate Eva Ibbotson; she's one of my new favorites.
 
Wowww! Sounds like a huge unexplored treasure trove that I have missed, not having read a single title mentioned. :eek: This is the beginning of my BAR recommended list of children's reading. I can't imagine having lived life without.
Many thanks to all. :flowers:
Peder
 
Peder said:
Wowww! Sounds like a huge unexplored treasure trove that I have missed, not having read a single title mentioned. :eek: This is the beginning of my BAR recommended list of children's reading. I can't imagine having lived life without.
Many thanks to all. :flowers:
Peder
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Have fun! But you have to realize we're just barely scraping the surface with our suggestions...be prepare to be lured to the dark side:whistling:
 
abecedarian said:
Have fun! But you have to realize we're just barely scraping the surface with our suggestions...be prepare to be lured to the dark side:whistling:
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I'm thinking it will be a year's worth of reading in itself. Not to mention the weight gain from the wonderful cookies. :eek:
 
I love reading Tin Tin. There is a lot of humour in them that children often miss, but that has me in stitches laughing
 
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