On the whole — the kids’ books were best!
I ran across yet another one of those internet sites listing 30 classics every American should read and scrolled through it to see how many — or IF any — I have read. Two more than half — 17 of the 30 with another half dozen than I’m not actually sure about. Did I read On The Road by Jack Kerouac or did I just hear him talk about it along with other “beats” at City Lights bookstore in San Francisco’s North Beach so much that I think I read it? Ditto Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice but earlier in some High School English Lit class?
Out of curiosity, I took a look at the titles of 100 “Classic Children’s Books” and scored 61. Perhaps a bit better percentage, but I remember many of the ones I did not read — not as a child, not as a mother, and not as a primary grade teacher. Everyone Poops I don’t remember at all. But all-in-all, I think I have read and been influenced by more “children’s books” than by any of the adult must-read classics that are so touted. Perhaps it’s a case of arrested development?
But where was Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey or The Hole Book by Peter Newell (Published in 1908 and 1936 with a rea. hole through covers and pages caused by a gun and was the first anti-gun book I ever remember… but presented in such an interesting and engaging way. And what about Girl of the Limberlost by naturalist Gene Stratton Porter — on the banned book list back in the 70s as I recall but why?? Or how about The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown — a book to make even the youngest of us think about our priorities!
I was happy to see that The Diary of Anne Frank and To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee were on both the adults’ and children’s lists. The latter is one I’ve given to graduating high school seniors on occasion, although I think these days it could be read and appreciated by much younger students.
And for children of all ages (and adults, too) who live on this Peninsula — especially at the north end — read aloud Patricia Beatty’s wonderful historical novels about the Kimball Family who lived in Ocean Park in the 1880s. Begin with The Nickel Plated Beauty and, if you can, describe a wood cook stove or show them a kerosene lamp at the museum or a picture of the long, woolen underwear kids were sewn into when winter came — you will all have the best appreciation of our local history you can imagine! Happy reading!
Everyone Poops was a regular at our house, along with Everyone Farts? Jane