When I was a little girl, back in the 1950s, my Grandma and Aunt Betty would give me and my sister LITTLE GOLDEN BOOKS every year for birthday and Christmas presents --- and sometimes for no reason at all, just because they loved us. These books were inexpensive, could be purchased at the local five-and-dime, and were always welcome additions to our growing home library. I still have many of mine, inscribed on the inside cover with the name of the loving giver.
I was so surprised to see they are still publishing many of these same titles now, and they can be bought at places like Walmart. Talk about books standing the test of time! Below are reviews for a selection of those well-worn books that I loved so much, read countless times, and helped me become the eager reader I am today:
LASSIE AND THE LOST EXPLORER
by Leon Lazarus
While Lassie's at the vet's for a checkup, Timmy goes off to pick berries by himself. He finds a lost baby raccoon, and then he gets lost trying to find its mother. Of course, good old Lassie saves the day! The book was published in 1958 and only cost a quarter back then!
My only criticism lies with the fact that raccoons, while cute as they can be, are NOT cuddly creatures! They're wild animals that can carry rabies. Kids, please don't try this at home! Even a baby raccoon will go berserk and bite you if you pick it up and play with it like little Timmy did.
DENNIS THE MENACE WAITS FOR SANTA CLAUS
by Carl Memling
For four days and nights before Christmas, Dennis Mitchell is so wound up he can barely stand it. He hides some of his toys, so Santa won't think he has too many already. He tries to fix up some of them to give to poor children. He bugs his parents to decorate the tree and tries to find the presents they've hidden around the house. It'll be a miracle if the family makes it to Christmas Day.
COUNTING RHYMES
by Corinne Malvern
This book has old-fashioned illustrations to go along with favorite, short counting poems of childhood.
HI HO! THREE IN A ROW
by Louise Woodcock
With charming illustrations of children by Eloise Wilkin, this book teaches the concept of the number THREE. This was a favorite of mine.
THE MAGIC COMPASS
based on the character "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
I never warmed up to Jane and Michael's nanny, Mary Poppins. She just didn't look very friendly. But the three of them had magical adventures around the world when Michael found a magic compass.
HOW TO TELL TIME
by Jane Werner Watson
This book had a "real" clock built into the cover, but after so many readings, the two hands broke off. It was a great way to learn how to tell time though.
DAVY CROCKETT
By Irwin Shapiro
This was definitely a favorite storybook, based on the Walt Disney movie Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier, starring Fess Parker. I knew the theme song by heart. And when I was in kindergarten, I recognized Fess Parker riding in a southern California parade. He wasn't in his famous buckskins and coonskin cap. He was riding a plain horse, in plain cowboy clothes, and looked like just a regular guy, so people hardly noticed him. But I started shouting, "Davy Crockett! Davy Crockett!" and he rode over to where I was standing to say hello! Thrill of my young life!
BEN & ME
by Robert Lawson
This was also an adaptation of the Walt Disney film that tells the story of the life of Benjamin Franklin as seen through the eyes of a little mouse character named Amos.
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BUTTERNUT HOLLOW POND
by Brian J. Heinz (31 pages)
c. 2000 Lovely, detailed watercolor illustrations by Bob Marstall bring to life the story of a day in the life of the denizens of a pond ecosystem somewhere, anywhere, in the eastern half of the United States.
The various food chains and ecological niches of the creatures that call Butternut Hollow Pond “home” are sensitively explained to children in a series of vignettes describing five different times of day from the break of dawn to the shadows of the night. I recommend this thoughtful book to parents who wish to introduce their children to the natural world.
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BLUE POTATOES, ORANGE TOMATOES
by Rosalind Creasy (39 pages)
by Rosalind Creasy (39 pages)
c. 1994 This is also a wonderful nature book for children, one that is meant to encourage them to explore the world of growing plants in the garden. Riotously colorful, it gives helpful advice for the young first-time gardener and introduces him or her to varieties of common vegetables and fruit that also come in unusual colors. There are even easy-to-make recipes, so children can experience (with the assistance of their grown-ups) cooking and eating the fruits of their labors.
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MISS BROOKS LOVES BOOKS (And I Don’t)
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CHILDREN'S LIBRARIANS ARE AWESOME!
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| photo courtesy: http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/ |
THE BOY WHO WAS RAISED BY LIBRARIANS
by Carla Morris (32)
c.2007 The author dedicated this great little children’s book “to children’s librarians everywhere --- may you be comforted by the knowledge that your daily small acts of kindness and service to children will result in adults who do the same!”
Young Melvin spent so much time in the Livingston Public Library that it was almost as if he lived there. He went to the library every day after school because he was a very curious boy. He loved the librarians who helped him find books and info on the things that he was curious about.
The book celebrates a little boy who grows up learning and achieving, and the librarians who were his mentors. This is a very sweet book about our friends, the librarians.
by Barbara Botner
c.2010 Miss Brooks, the librarian, loves books a lot. She dresses up in character costumes to get the children excited about reading.
In May, for Book Week, she plans a special activity. She asks each of the children in the reading group to pick a favorite story, wear a costume, and tell the group about the book. Missy isn’t happy. She doesn’t like books, at all!
“When I get home, I ask my mother if we can move to a new town. My mother says there’s a librarian in every town.”
Missy takes home a book bag full of books, but she finds fault with every one. Then something her mother says in exasperation sparks an idea in Missy’s head, and she finds the perfect book to share with the group. Do you want to know what book she chose? Sorry, I’m not telling. You’ll have to read MISS BROOKS LOVES BOOKS!
SORRY, MISS FOLIO
by Jo Furtado
c.1987 A little boy goes with his mother to the library to pick out a book on a snowy winter day. But he likes the book so much, he fails to return it. Each month he has a different, imaginative excuse why he still hasn’t returned it yet. By spring, the librarian is getting concerned; by autumn, she’s downright angry and tearing out her hair! Will she EVER get the missing book back?
CARLO AND THE REALLY NICE LIBRARIAN
by Jessica Spanyol
c.2004 For very young readers. Carlo is a giraffe and Crackers is his black cat. This is the story of their first visit to the library. Carlo is amazed by all the books he sees, the colorful posters, and the desk chairs on little wheels. But he and Crackers get a big scare when the librarian, a dragon, pops up from the circulation counter and asks “Can I help you?”
LIBRARY LIL
by Suzanne Williams
c.1997 The story of Library Lil, from the time she was a baby who loved books; illustrated by the inimitable Steven Kellogg. By the time she was 8 years old, Lil had read all the books in the children’s library. She developed very strong arms from carrying so many books. When she grew up, naturally, she became a librarian, but she was sad because children weren’t using the library. This is the story of how Lil turns the whole town into readers.
SCHOOL LIBRARIANS ROCK!
MRS. ROOPY IS LOOPY
by Dan Gutman
c.2004 A.J. is a second-grader who hates school. And he doesn’t much like know-it-all Andrea either. Will he like the school’s new librarian, Mrs. Roopy? Her hero is Melvil Dewey, the man who invented a number system so librarians and kids can find the books they’re looking for easily. She likes to dress up as book characters and read to the children. They think she’s loopy and needs professional help.
This is a funny, easy-reader chapter book in the “My Weird School” series.
THE LIBRARY DRAGON
by Carmen Agra Deedy
c.1994 Sunrise Elementary School puts a help-wanted ad in the local newspaper for a children’s librarian. She must be a thick-skinned professional with a jealous love of books, a burning love for children, and on fire with enthusiasm. No half-baked applicants need apply.
But the new librarian they hire is a real dragon! Miss Lotta Scales is so over-protective of the books that she won’t let the kids touch them with their gooey fingers and snotty noses. The books are for display only. Also, she burns books she doesn’t like. Nobody likes her --- not the children or their parents, not the teachers or the principal. Will the library ever be kid-friendly again?
ULTIMATE KID’S MONEY BOOK
by Neale S. Godfrey
©1998 This really IS the ultimate book about money for kids! It has everything that the average person should know about money (and many don’t). It starts out with a history of money, then talks about making money, spending it, saving it, sharing it, etc. It also has chapters about how banks work, different accounts you may have, the economy (local, federal and global), investing money, taxes, and government spending. I was amazed at how much useful information is packed into this fun book which could be used to teach a valuable mini-course on finance to kids.
THE KIDS' ALLOWANCE BOOK
by Amy Nathan
©1998 This cute and informational book was written for children ages 9-14: to help them learn about allowances, how to ask their parents for one, how to handle their money responsibly, the pros and cons of both chore-based allowances and “just because” allowances, what to do if parents forget to pay up, and how to save.
Parents would also benefit from reading this book, preferably before the discussion of allowances comes up. About half of children in the target age group receive allowances, according to surveys done by Nickelodean TV and Zillions magazine, which is published for kids by Consumer Reports. Many of these children were interviewed about how allowances were handled in their families. I wish I’d read this book when my son was little---I learned a lot of great parenting tips from it, and you can too!
MONEY SMART KIDS
ULTIMATE KID’S MONEY BOOK
by Neale S. Godfrey
©1998 This really IS the ultimate book about money for kids! It has everything that the average person should know about money (and many don’t). It starts out with a history of money, then talks about making money, spending it, saving it, sharing it, etc. It also has chapters about how banks work, different accounts you may have, the economy (local, federal and global), investing money, taxes, and government spending. I was amazed at how much useful information is packed into this fun book which could be used to teach a valuable mini-course on finance to kids.
THE KIDS' ALLOWANCE BOOK
by Amy Nathan
©1998 This cute and informational book was written for children ages 9-14: to help them learn about allowances, how to ask their parents for one, how to handle their money responsibly, the pros and cons of both chore-based allowances and “just because” allowances, what to do if parents forget to pay up, and how to save.
Parents would also benefit from reading this book, preferably before the discussion of allowances comes up. About half of children in the target age group receive allowances, according to surveys done by Nickelodean TV and Zillions magazine, which is published for kids by Consumer Reports. Many of these children were interviewed about how allowances were handled in their families. I wish I’d read this book when my son was little---I learned a lot of great parenting tips from it, and you can too!
