classic kids books

These books are mostly from the 70s and earlier. As I do not have children and I no longer read children's books myself, I will not be discussing the latest greatest.....but these are classics, not to be forgotton.

Hey, Check out my friend Milk Cow's hub: 1970s Kids Books Rule!

- Sarah

This is another old one. The steam shovel, Mary anne, and old Mike are becoming obsolete...until a new use for them is found. Virginia Lee Burton, 1939

The Little Red Light House and the Big Grey Bridge written by Hildegarde H. Swift in 1942 is another book about retirement, usefulness, and pride. It is a true story about a lighthouse and a bridge in New York City.

I couldnt find an old favorite of mine called JUAN & THE ASUANGS, (Charles Scribner's Sons, l970) It was written and illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. The most memorable part of this book is when a flying, puppy-eating monster flies off and leaves his bottom half hidden in the jungle, juan covers it with hot peppers. This book is out of print and used copies are currently selling for upwards of $50. Well worth it.

Anyway, I havent read this other book yet, but it is by the same team and looks very promising.

Written by Holling C. Holling in 1941, this book follows the journey of a small wooden canoe carved by an indian boy in the canadian wilderness through the great lakes and out the St Lawrence Seaway to the Atlantic Ocean.

Lost in the Barrens 

This is a story of friendship between two boys and their survival through the winter in the far north of Canada.   As a resident of sunny California, this book makes me miss the winter.

It was written in  1956 by Canadian, Farley Mowat.  There are many other great books by Mowat, most deal with the natural world in the northlands.  

Danny Champion of the World

I had to pick from many wonderful Roald Dahl books. This is probably one of the less well known, so I thought Id give it some props.

Its been a long time since I read this book, but what I remember is a boy named Danny who lives with his dad in a gypsy caravan. There is a mean rich guy who owns a bunch of land close by. I think Danny and his dad poach some pheasants using elaborate schemes. Not sure how Dahl justifies this theft and allows us to view Danny and his dad as the "good guys." Ill have to reread this one I guess.

The Pushcart War

The little guy takes on the big guy and wins!!!

I guess this is another moralistic and preachy tale...seems to be a pattern in the books my parents chose to read to us. But the "little guy" uses pea-tacks and the "big guy" is easy to hate..so everything is simplified and I think there is a happy ending too.

The Story of Ferdinand

A story about a bull in Spain that doesn't want to fight

Swimmy

Swimmy is a simple story about teamwork. The watercolor illustrations are memorable to say the least.

Little House in the Big Woods

This is the first of many autobiographical books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder around the turn of the century. Amazing how much this country has changed in a hundred years.

The Way Things Work...educational for kids and parents alike. The illustrations are a bit bland in my opinion, but the information is accurate and a picture is worth more than a bunch of words. David MacCauley is a prolific author with many many other great titles

The Sneetches is a moralistic and preachy tale with characters such as Slyvester McMonkey Mc Bean and his Star-Off Machine. The other 3 stories are equally moralistic, and equally excellent. They include the troubles of a woman who names all 21 of her sons Dave, two stubborn Zax marching in their trax, and the greatest of all, A pair of pants with nobody inside of them, which cant be easily explained. The graphic design and the illustrations contribute to the excellence of this book

The Lorax preaches about environmental destruction. Suess paints a gloomy picture of the effects of unchecked capitolism on the quality of life for many different creatures. In the end, things look pretty grim. Even the Once-ler regrets his lack of forsight, but there is still hope....

Burt Dow, Deep Water Man, by Robert McCloskey is a colorful story of a fisherman in maine who puts peppermint striped bandaids on the tales of an entire school of whales. Beautifully illustrated.

Go Dog, Go!

I don't really remember what this book is about, but my favorite part is the big party tree. (I remembered it as a pink tree..but I just checked and it is green. strange.) It is a silly book, but a great one.

Homer Price

Robert McClosky tells stories of life in small town america in the middle of the 20th century. The most memorable chapter involves a donut making machine and a lost ring.

Other recommendations: