I remember in third grade checking out Charlotte's Web from the school library. That book began my love of reading. Oh, and I got lost for hours in the Nancy Drew mysteries.

My kids loved when I read any Dr. Seuss books to them.

Idaclare...please show us your tattoo. What a beautifully illustrated book cover.

My favorite was Baby Island about a ten year old and a 12 year old who were shipwrecked with 4 babies. Also liked Magic Elizabeth, All of a kind family, and Trixie Belden. Our school library limited us to one book a week and the town library to 5 a week. I'm so glad libraries don't do that now, seems like I was always out of books to read.

I don't have a pic of my tattoo readily available, but it's the mermaid that held me in rapt fascination as a child. She's rendered exactly as you see her here in the illustration from the book and is half sleeve size on my upper right arm.

I had the little bear from the cover also done as a tattoo but unfortunately I didn't go to my trusted artist and let someone else do it. I was not pleased, and it's since been removed by laser. Shame, because I do love that little bear.

Fun thread! Fun reading the comments = )

I read Baby Island back in the day & I believe everything by Diana Wynne Jones is pretty great.

I still love the photos in this book.

You've all mentioned so many books I've loved, and brought so many back to mind, like Baby Island!

You know, as I've gotten older and learned more about the world, books I've gone back to read strike me entirely differently. 5 Little Peppers. The Lonely Doll(actually never did like that so much, at least now I know why, but I did like the pink gingham cover). Kate Seredy's books of Hungary, while I still love the stories I read the war-time story The Singing Tree entirely differently. I'm kind of sad about that. I do realize that times and people (the authors, and me, too) are simply what they were and are.

Thank you all for commenting. I now have loads of books that I want to read!

oak, I'm so sorry that you didn't have books readily available. Thankfully I had my parents and grandparents to thank for setting the example. I read many adult books while I was still in elementary school because my DM had shelves full. I read all the Sherlock Hholmes books before fourth grade.

Robo, I loved reading But No Elephants to my kiddos. Grandma Tildy was the lady's name I think. It was a favorite at our house. Each month they would bring Scholastic book lists home and we allowed them to buy 3 or 4 books each time and I think that may have been one of them.

Jen, the mermaid is darling! I can see why you chose it for a tattoo.

I think the greatest gift in the world is the ability to read and the love for it. Of all my many blessings reading is among the best.

Oh, I loved Scholastic Book order time. I still have a lot of those paperbacks, they were 10 cents to 50 cents then! I'd always bring home the biggest stack from school, my teachers just smiled. (The Little Witch, The Forgotten Door!) I'd carry home stacks from library day, too, and they'd try to shorten my stack "oh, BP, you won't read all those, save some for next week," But of course, I'd read them all a dozen times, then go back for more the next week. How lucky I was to live in a house of books, and have a school with a library. My dad read to us every night. He also played the piano with us to keep us occupied while Mom made dinner, and we sang all the kid songs as well as old sing-a-longs like The Man on the Flying Trapeze and Bicycle Built for Two. I think that was just as important to my education as reading was, and to this day I can sing some pretty old songs! (And it's proven that singing from music helps reading fluency.)

Oh, and what about poetry?! We had some wonderful poetry collections with Mother Goose, Stevenson, and Rossetti, they even included story-telling poems. And of course, Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein!

BP, my grandfather taught me to play a ukulele when I was young. We did the bicycle built for two also! Mademoiselle from Armentieres was another song that we played, it was from WWI, hinky dinky parlez-vous.

The only book that I remember reading several times as a child (other than picture books) was Island of the Blue Dolphins. My daughter also read it more than once.

I think that I read every Pippi Longstocking book that I could get my hands on.

Another favorite elementary school age book for me was Snow Treasure. My son and daughter also loved it. It was a great story of kids thwarting the Nazis.

When my kids were very small we all liked I am a Bunny.

for really little children, a little golden books.

For older children, Gone Away Lake, Little Women, The Count of Monte Christo, any Enid Blyton series, anything by Dianne Wynne Jones, Ray Bradbury's The Electric Grandmother (actually almost all of the short stories in the Golden Apples of the Sun were pretty wonderful), Dandelion Wine, Alice in Wonderland, Alice through the Looking Glass, The 12 Kingdoms (it's a series out of Japan), almost anything by Jules Verne, and The Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes (at Easter/spring time).

I also tremendously enjoyed the What Katie Did series but I would not recommend it now because its message to girls is to be good and passive and then good things will come and that is just extremely unrealistic in the current era).

IdaClaire, The Tall Book of Make Believe was precious to me as well. Perhaps because of its odd size but also lavish illustrations! I still have my childhood copy as you do. I read voraciously as a child, and also loved those school paperback book order days! Books that I read repeatedly include Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series, all the many, various and marvelously imaginative Frank Baum Wizard of Oz series books (Ozma of Oz, The Great Pumpkinhead, etc), the three Louise Fitzhugh Harriet the Spy books (the second of which, The Long Secret, had the word "menstruation" which I had never seen in print before and astonished me--I'm not sure I knew what it was at the time), Caddy Woodlawn, Johnny Tremain, and so many others. We loved books in my family and were read to all the time. It influenced my entire life.

Calvin & Hobbes

bpathome, YES! It was Ginger Pye and Pinky Pye! The same author wrote The Moffats. Thank you!

We also had a lot of Seuss.

Cassandra, I loved/love the Little House series. A few years ago I read a book called The Children's Blizzard, an excellent account of the upper Midwest blizzard of 1888. The author references Laura Ingalls' The Long Winter, so I reread it. As a parent now, I'm taken not so much by the coziness of winter in the house as by the sheer effort and creativity it took to survive.

My grandmother subscribed me to Reader's Digest Young People's Best Loved Books. Every couple of months a book would arrive with four novels, condensed and edited for kids. Don't cringe! They made some difficult books accessible to kids, and later I read the full versions. There is still some beautiful language, just not the lengthy descriptions Victor Hugo was known for that can put a kid off.

Yes, I've read The Children's Blizzard and loved it. I'm in the Upper Midwest (MN) so the Ingalls Wilder books and The Children's Blizzard feel very local and familiar.

Did anyone have the orange colored Childcraft book series? Some were on nature, some on history, some literature. We loved those books.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RD94TsRdgR8/T2fTgPY44jI/AAAAAAAAFaw/mlxw4Yichek/s1600/Childcraft1.jpg

I loved books by Marguerite D'Angeli, especially Yonie Wondernose, the story of a curious Amish boy. My parents came from a town where a lot of people had the Dutch accent and it was just so familiar. I also loved the Little Golden Books. The ones I remember most were The Color Kittens, The Saggy Baggy Elephant, and Busy Timmy. I adored The Bobbsey Twins, although when I reread some as an adult I was horrified that the boys did all the fun stuff while the girls stood around watching.

Robo, have you seen the Japanese film version of Howl's Moving Castle by Miyazaki? You would probably enjoy it if you haven't! I love all of his stuff, esp. My Neighbor Totorro.

Childcraft! I was trying to remember the name of it. Yes, some of our volumes are quite well-used. Marvelous poems and stories.

Cassandra, my mom gave me Little House in the Big Woods when I went to summer camp up in Ely. Loved them ever since. Oh, and my mom is from Fargo, remembers people talking about that blizzard.

gail618, I have seen it and most of Studio Ghibli's stuff...although I remember at the time I thought they changed the story of Howl's Moving Castle a little too much for my taste. I should watch it again now that my expectations are different and I will be able to appreciate it for what it is. My favorite is Spirited Away and second favorite is Ponyo.

On Netflix there is a very sweet documentary called The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness about Miyazaki and I highly recommend it if you are a fan of his work. He is kind of dour but very compelling. http://www.avclub.com/review/kingdom-dreams-and-madness-looks-behind-curtain-st-212257

Thanks Robo, I will check that out -- I love his stuff. Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service are my faves. I just watched the trailer for Sprited Away -- I think I've seen it but not for a long time so maybe I'll watch it again soon. I don't think I've seen Ponyo. Will check that out too - thanks! BTW, congrats on your puppy! Can't wait to see pics. How exciting!

Did anyone have the orange colored Childcraft book series? Some were on nature, some on history, some literature. We loved those books.

I loved Childcraft! Ours weren't orange though. I still have the almost complete set that I grew up with, dated 1954, the year after my older brother was born. They were published by World Book Encyclopedia, which my great grandmother sold.

I spent many, many hours with these books. Reading the stories and poems, acting out the plays, reading about science, and making craft projects.

Such wonderful illustrations!

Writersblock, I first read Shadow Castle as a Scholastic Book purchase. My mother sold all of my childhood books and I couldn't remember the title, so the book was lost to me for years. It was only by the wonder of an Internet search in recent years that I was able to rediscover the book and enjoy it again as an adult.

terriks, the covers were probably re-badgered several times over the years. While ours were orange and I no longer have them I recognized the pictures you posted immediately! We (my brothers and sisters and I) literally poured over those books. They were probably in tatters by the time mom finally tossed them out! I'd enjoy getting copies for myself; no doubt they can be found on ebay.

Some books require a lot of explanation. Like The Children's Blizzard. When I was a child we lived in the desert where it had not rained in six or seven years so with a rainstorm finally came all the children were outside staring in wonderment. I cannot even imagine how to describe a blizzard. I myself never experience snow until I was in my teens… it was not until my 20s that I experienced a snowstorm. I don't think I've ever been in a blizzard.

terriks, our Childcraft books were from the mid 60s, but they had the same covers as yours. I recognized the illustrations, too.

I loved Little Women. I must have read it 300 times. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, too, were favorites.

Ok, now I want a set of Childcraft for my oldest godchild. I know she would eat them up!

Does anyone read Aesop's Fables to their kids any more? I used to love the Goops when I was young and the Poky Little Puppy. When I was older I loved the Nancy Drew books and anything to do with horses (the Black Stallion, National Velvet, My Friend Flicka...)

My parents would probably be arrested today for child abuse but in the 1960s when I was growing up we also read with great delight the Edward Gorey books as well as some of those incredibly scary Edgar A. Poe stories like "The Pit in the Pendulum" and "Cask of Amontillado."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gashlycrumb_Tinies#/media/File:Gashlycrumb_Tinies.jpg

We have a Mother Goose illustrated by Charles Addams...you'll never look at Mother Goose the same way again...heck, you may never read nursery rhymes at all! lol!

My mother was a librarian. I lived and breathed books and probably still do. Collect children's nature picture books, but have a soft spot for those old 1960 ones. Yes, my "Tall Book of Make Believe" is worn out and tattered. Love the story about the faeries. Also had a book called "Pookie" about a rabbit who wanted to be a fairy. Another one, "The Lonely Doll" which was done all in photos of dolls and teddy bears. And yes, "Babar" what can I say. And I spent many hours pouring over Richard Scary's "Best Word Book Ever." All the ones they read on Captain Kangaroo, including "The Story of Ping." Loved also the one about the brothers who swallowed the ocean. "Dorrie the Little Witch." "The House on East 88th St." and "The Giving Tree." and many of the Golden Book, including one called "Hurry Up Slowpoke" about a very slow mouse and his bossy sister. Loved me some Pooh of course at the start, and "Where the Wild Things Are."

Once I became a reader, well then the list gets too long to even contemplate. Probably the one that had the most lasting impression was "Dr. Doolittle" and the others by Hugh Lofting. Loved "The Borrowers." "Magic Elizabeth." The real "Freaky Friday." And "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler." Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harriet the Spy, My Side of the Mountain. The real Mary Poppins series too. Even back then I was retro. "Understood Betsy" and a whole series of city girl goes country tales. Oh yeah, I forgot "A Cricket in Times Square." Had to edit again, how could I forget "Charlotte's Web."

Terriks I didn't have those Childcraft books but I remember checking them out from the library.

Can't believe I left the following off my previous list: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years , written by Rachel Field, Eugene Field's sister, about a doll. MIss Hickory, about a homemade doll with a hickory nut for a head, and mentioned by several others, Charlotte's Web.

When I was very small I loved a book about Thumbelina, and one called The Littlest Angel. My mother read us stories including Peter Rabbit (and Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail), and The Poppyseed Cakes, but I don't recall the name of the collection. There was also one about a Spanish or Mexican cockroach named Maria, who was engaged to a rat, where I first learned the word 'patio.'

I used to love to read the Paul Gallico's stories...Mrs. 'arris stories, Thomasina, Manxmouse, and the very romantic Love of Seven Dolls. Of course, Charlotte's Web...I cried every time I read it.

Young Childrens: "Goodnight Moon"; "I am a Bunny"; "Where the Wild Things Are".

Older Kids: all Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House books; all Trixie Belden series; "Little Women"; many, many favs.

Quick story: I come from a large family of avid readers. I started reading to DD en utero. I designed her nursery with large built-in bookcases flanking a window seat and they were filled with books. She had her own library card as early as she could get it and we routinely checked out and read at least 20 every week. The September she started high school they all were tested. I was called into the school a week or so later for an unexpected meeting with the principal, couselor, head of 9th grade and one or two orhers. This is exactly what the principal said to me. "Regarding Emily's results, she's tested at the beginning of her senior year . . . of college! In reading comprehension, writing skills, vocabulary, etc. And we recommend that you allow us move her to junior level." We ultimately decided to keep her in all 9th grade advanced classes instead. Emotionally, she was still a freshman and we wanted her to advance with the kids she had grown up with. But, I truly believe that all those nightly books we read to her, all those library books I let her pick out every week, her own personal library of books, they caused that. This is why I always buy books as gifts for kids of every age.

BTW, Emily's graduating from college this December with a double major and heading off to grad school. And, she's still a voracious reader.

Lynn, that's marvelous, and no doubt, you reading to and with your DD, ultimately was the basis for her skills. I was a vocabulary nerd and there wasn't a class that I loved more than vocabulary. My DS tested at a junior hs level in vocabulary when he was in nursery school. The teachers were amazed, though it didn't surprise me because he was always beyond his years.

My heart goes out to children who don't have books in their lives or parents who are so busy struggling to make ends meet that there's no time to read for themselves or to read to their children. DD and DSIL are both educators and it so common for parents to be uninvolved.

When I was a child the requirement to get a library card was to be able to print your name. My DM worked with me (pre kindergarten) until I was proficient and we went to the library. I will never forget how awestruck I was. The library had a wonderful sculpture of Christopher Robin. Winnie the Pooh was the first book I borrowed from the library. Libraries were a huge part of my life and I took my children there weekly. During the summer they had a children's story time where they read stories to the children. I used that time to pick books for myself. When story time was finished we spent a long time searching for books that they wanted to borrow.

There are so very many books mentioned that I read and loved and you have all given me fond memories of books that I enjoyed and didn't mention.

I remember Hurry Up, Slowpoke. I liked that one.

I went to the library all the time with my daughter. Some years ago, Oakland passed Measure Q that provided funding for the library to acquire books with a focus on diversity: different races, ethnicities, religions, cultures, etc. Among the many picture books I read to her: Willie Wins, Bi-Bim Bap!, Ugly Vegetables, Jazzy Miz Mozetta, Hula Lullaby, Pizza for the Queen, etc.

Many of my favorites are already listed. Chapter books not included are Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John, Five Children and It by Nesbitt, The Princess Bride. Ella Enchanted is a recent addition that we delightfully read aloud as a family. I loved The Bridge to Teribithia as a child.

Picture book favorites that I've read with my littles and loved are Stellaluna, The Bear that Heard Crying, anything by Robert McCloskey, Little Bear, the Frog and Toad series. My girls have delighted in Eloise Wilkin's illustrations and ask to be read her books repeatedly. They also love the story of Miss Suzy, a squirrel with her own little house in her own oak tree. Mr. Pine's Mixed Up Signs and Mr. Pine's Purple House are fun for early readers.

So I put it out on fb that I wanted to track down a set of child craft and someone is selling me this set for $10!

Wow, Robo! Cool! That set looks like it's from around 1980? Just judging by the blue dress right of center. I wonder how Childcraft changed, in content and in illustrations, through the decades? Yours looks updated just from the binding illustrations.

Good eye, I think it's 1982. I think before I let my godchildren loose on it (if they are even interested) I will have a scan through to see just how outdated it is (e.g geography and science sections).

I remember my 3rd or 4th grade teacher reading us31 Brothers and Sisters, about a young Zulu girl. It made quite an impact on me.

robo no doubt you looked already but ebay has lots of listings for various years of Childcraft and they're pretty inexpensive. There's a listing for the orange binded set I had as a child, complete, for $30. I'm sure some of the volumes in any set will be outdated but some are stories, poems, etc. so you'll find they don't all have equal merit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childcraft

For little ones, not yet mentioned... The Polite Elephant. A book about manners my kids till quote to this day....very cute.

...a bit older, Junie B and The Stinky Smelly Bus ... The author gets kids voices perfectly

Chapter books, not yet mentioned, the Lemony Snicket series is terrific. I read it w my 3rd-4th grade son and we both loved it ; excellent vocabulary too.

Young adults can read whatever they want in my house; I was brought up the same way. Just read! I also have them read the NYTimes... my girls love to read the wedding announcements and modern love column, DS likes science and automotive... whatever gets them in the tent...

Eloise! I adored Eloise. My mother used to get us Dr. Seuss books, but I never quite got the humor in most of them. I did like Horton Hears a Who and Bartholomew and the Oobleck. My kids liked all the Richard Scarry books and spent a lot of time searching for Lowly Worm in the illustrations.

Oh, yes, how could I have forgotten Eloise, especially since I lived in hotels and identified more with her than with any of the others.

I never cared for Dr. Seuss, but I loved a lot of the other books in the series his books were part of, like Ann Can Fly (about a girl learning to fly a plane over Lake Meade).

Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Animal Ark series by Lucy Daniels. They were great books for me to read to kids who can read but still want to be read to!!

Lots of Golden Books (some from garage sales) that all had that brown horse, with the black main and tail...and little white mark on his head. Do you remember those? My husband blames all these books : )

Loved the Betsy books, Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and of course....A Wrinkle In Time. The book is amazing! And I'm still trying to figure out what Charles Wallace's model of a tesseract looks like.

But the description of the shortest distance between two points being a line (with apron strings held out far apart from each other) then bringing the two ends of the strings together to step across....best explanation ever of how a worm hole works!