Books Your Kid Should Read

Olivia
by Ian Falconer
2001

The Olivia books have quickly become such classics that they hardly need reviewing on this site, but since they are currently among our favorite books, I had to talk about them. Firmly in the Eloise tradition of miniature heroines, Olivia is a confident, imaginative, strong-minded little piglet, who reluctantly puts up with her younger siblings (most of the time) and keeps her parents on their toes with her antics. In the first book, we follow Olivia to the fine art museum and witness her love of Degas and her disdain for Pollock (she does a quite credible pollock-esque mural on the wall when she gets home, just to show that she can. A time-out understandably ensues). We enjoy her wardrobe variations; her love of playing dress-up, her amazing skills at sand-castle building, and the way she turns a lovely pinky color after a day at the beach. This is one of those delightful picture books where the text and the illustrations are equally well crafted, and work in tandem to create Olivia's vivid worlds. Kids will see Olivia as a kindred spirit, and parents will instantly recognize the tired-but-affectionate look on Olivia's mother's face as she tucks her exhausting daughter into bed. "You wear me out, but I love you anyway," she tells Olivia. "I love you anyway, too," Olivia responds. Truer words were never spoke.

The Wicked Enchantment
by Margot Benary-Isbert
1955

So, it's a new year, a new president (yay!), and you're looking for something new to read to or with your kids. Here's a book that might be a little hard to find, but is well worth the hunt. Translated from the original German, Wicked Enchantment tells the story of a girl named Anemone and her dog Winnie, as they embark on a sort of feminist modern-day Cinderella/adventure story. Intrigued? Anemone's dear father has just remarried after the death of Anemone's mother, and in true fairy-tale fashion, the stepmother and her son, Erwin, are terrible additions to the family. Erwin terrorizes all the family animals and shifts the blame to Anemone whenever he's caught out, but (of course) no one will believe that Anemone is suffering from anything other than jealousy. Finally things get so bad that Anemone lights out for her Aunt's house across town, a utopian abode where cats and mice live peacefully together and everything is more magical than it at first seems. With the help of her Aunt, Anemone disguises herself and her dog as a young boy and sets out to determine just what the heck is going on with her new relations. What she uncovers is an evil plot that threatens the entire village of Vogelsang, and forces Anemone to draw on all her intelligence, courage, and common sense (qualities she fortunately possesses in abundance).

This is a book I found by chance at a public library sale when I was in my teens; I picked it up because it looked like it might be interesting, and the book was soon a family favorite. If you're looking for well-written fiction centering around strong, interesting female characters, this book will be right up your alley.


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The Annotated Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
illus. John Leech, George Cruikshank, Gustave Doré, John Tenniel, and "Phiz"
2003 (text orig. 1843)

Look: you gotta have Dickens at Christmas. IT'S THE RULE. And if you've never read the original novella, well, why the heck not? Get thee to a bookstore or library and just do it! There's a reason it's such a classic: the combination of humor, pathos, satire, and ultimate optimism about human nature never gets old. It's the perfect length for annual perusings: in our family we read it aloud every Christmas Eve (and Dickens is one of the best authors to read aloud). This edition includes both the original 1843 text and the 1869 version that Dickens himself used for reading aloud, along with a comprehensively researched introduction and a wealth of notes, anecdotes and illustrations to supplement the story. If you're a nerd like me, the annotations are truly handy for answering all those 'what the heck is THAT?' questions that come up when reading something from a different era.

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My Penguin Osbert
by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
illus. H. B. Lewis

Oh, my, this is a cute book. A classic be-careful-what-you-wish-for tale, this is the story of young Joe, who has a history of being a little disappointed in his Santa gifts. It's not that he doesn't get what he asks for (e.g. a red fire engine), it's just that they aren't quite what he meant (only 3 inches long). So this year, he decides to be really specific with his list, and sure enough - waiting for him under the tree Christmas morning is the pet penguin he asked Santa to bring him. At first Joe is overjoyed ... but then the realities of penguin ownership kick in, and Joe slowly realizes that he maybe didn't think this wish through. Funny all year long, with wonderful illustrations that add to both the humor and the cute factor (which is considerable).

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A Christmas Memory
by Truman Capote
illus. Beth Peck
1956

I only discovered this story in the last few years, but it's rapidly become one of my faves. I'm not usually a huge Capote fan, but this tale of a young southern boy and the eccentric elderly cousin who is his best friend is a great American Christmas story. It starts in "fruitcake weather" as Buddy and his cousin gather the ingredients (some - the pecans from the orchard - are free, and some - the whiskey - are more illicit) for the cakes they make each year to send to people they admire. As the story moves on they engage in other timeless Christmas rituals, secure in their fast friendship despite the deprivations of poverty and other family members who have little time for them. It's a beautiful, poignant tale, wonderful to read aloud and sure to be enjoyed by all but the smallest children (I'd say it's best for age 7 and up).

Interested in this book? Get more details or make a purchase at the bookstore.

All Creatures Great and Small
by James Herriot
1972

This is a perennial favorite in my library. I've probably re-read Herriot's books about ten times, and they never fail to make me laugh and cry out loud. All Creatures Great and Small chronicles the first years of Herriot's life as a country vet in the Yorkshire Dales, but it's a wonderful story even if you have no interest whatsoever in animals, Yorkshire, veterinarians, or country life. Herriot is a born storyteller, an acute observer of both human and animal character, with a gentle and self-effacing sense of humor that will win over even the most post-ironic hipster. This book and the four that follow it are WONDERFUL read-aloud books - the whole family will enjoy the stories, and Herriot's masterfully simple prose lends itself beautifully to the spoken voice. They're also great books for giving kids a sense of British life pre- and post-WWII, with the seizmic shifts that happened in social interactions, industrialization, and cultural norms. But it's the magical rendering of country life amid the characters - human and otherwise - of the Dales that will keep you coming back to this one again and again.

Also recommended: All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, The Lord God Made Them All, and Every Living Thing.

Frog and Toad series
by Arnold Lobel
Illus. Arnold Lobel
1970-1979

My little sister and I used to act out the Frog and Toad stories sometimes. I was always Frog and she was always Toad. We practically had all the stories memorized from hearing them so often, and they're the perfect length for performing to grandparents and other favorable audiences. They're such simple tales, it's hard to put your finger on just what makes them so memorable. Part of it is the perfection of the illustrations, certainly. Another part of the attraction is the inimitable personalities of the two amphibian friends: Frog, amiable and easy-going; Toad, more serious and easily ruffled. Like real friends, they don't always agree with one another, but they always find a way to work things out in the end. The woodland setting of Frog and Toad's world evokes a gentle serenity that's balm to the parental soul, and the antics they get into will entertain kids from preschool into second grade. Great for beginning readers, but also wonderful for reading aloud.

The Dark is Rising Sequence
By Susan Cooper
1965-77

I didn't stumble on The Dark is Rising sequence until I was a senior in high school, which is exceedingly odd if you know what my reading tastes were back then (and still are, if I'm being brutally honest). But it wasn't until I was living with my parents in Salzburg during the autumn of my senior year that I happened upon the books at the American Library. Desperate for some new leisure reading material (you can only pack so many books when you're traveling overseas for a semester), I took a chance on the books, and oh, how glad I am that I did! Cooper's books are firmly in the lineage of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein, but set in the late 60s and 70s, so a little more modern. They deal with all the classic british fantasy themes: Arthurian legend, the eternal fight between good and evil, the alliance of mortals with forces beyond mortal knowing, etc., etc. Your standard stuff. But wow, is the writing ever good. These books will transport you to the shores of Cornwall; to Welsh farm country; to the coziness of a British village in the depths of winter. Old traditions like the building of the greenman and the legend of Herne the Hunter are effortlessly threaded through the plot, grounding it in British folkloric tradition. The main characters are the three Drew children, caught up in the fight between dark and light through their "Uncle" Merriman (a loosely disguised Merlin character), and Will Stanton, an 11-year-old boy who discovers on his eleventh birthday that he is the last of the "Old Ones," mystical beings who possess great magical powers and fight for the light. Sure, sure, it can sound hokey if you're a jaded Gen-X formerly hip parental unit. But if you're an imaginative 11-18-year-old, this stuff is pure magic. A great option for kids who've gotten through Harry Potter and are looking for something in the same vein.

Ballet Shoes
by Noel Streatfeild
1936

If the only way you've ever heard of the Shoe books by Noel Streatfeild is from Meg Ryan's mention of them in You've Got Mail, boy have you been missing out. Ballet Shoes, the first of the books, is the story of Pauline, Petrova, and Posy Fossil, three orphans who are found and sent home to London as unusual souvenirs by Matthew Brown, an elderly and eccentric geologist. Pauline is a survivor of a shipwreck, Petrova is from Russia, and Posy arrives with only a pair of ballet shoes (her mother's) in her possession. The three are placed in the care of Matthew's niece, Sylvia, while he goes off on his endless travels. Soon enough the money runs out, and Sylvia must take in boarders and find a way to educate the three girls so they can care for themselves once they are of age. And so they are sent to The Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training, where Pauline quickly discovers her talent as an actress, Posy comes into her dancing heritage, and Petrova ... well, Petrova finds her own route. Streatfeild worked in the theatre for many years before becoming a writer, so the rendering of the training regimen, backstage life, and performing arts in general all ring true. This was one of the first books that gave me insight into the seriousness and legitimacy of a life in the arts - the rigor of it, the discipline, and the commitment it takes as well as the magic and joy it can confer. The three central characters are great role models, young women who take charge of their own destinies and are always there for each other despite disparate origins and very different personalities. And the rendition of 1930s London is vivid and memorable - a wonderful way for kids to enter into a different historical era. Many other Shoes books would follow (Theatre Shoes, Dancing Shoes, Party Shoes, Family Shoes, etc.), but I think it's always good to start at the beginning. (The books all have different settings and characters, but the Fossil girls have cameos in several of them.) It was also apparently made into a movie last year starring Emma Watson (Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter films) - which looks pretty good. But read the book first!

In The Night Kitchen
by Maurice Sendak
Illus. Maurice Sendak
1970

A young boy, perhaps three years old, is in bed one night when he hears loud noises downstairs. Falling from his bed and out of his clothes, he mysteriously ends up in a surreal kitchen environment, peopled by three large chefs who bear a striking resemblance to Oliver Hardy. The chefs try to bake the boy into their cake batter, apparently mistaking him for the milk. The boy escapes, creates a plane from bread dough, and flies off to a ginormous milk bottle to get the requisite fluid. He pours the milk into the batter; the bakers finish making the cake; and the boy mysteriously finds himself back in his bed, back in his pajamas, with only the lingering memory of his night's adventure.

If In The Night Kitchen sounds like an extremely weird book, that's because, um, IT IS. Weird and wonderful in that way that only Maurice Sendak can completely pull off. The vivid dreamlike illustrations fill the page, with the text appearing in almost comic-book form, as part of the image rather than separate from it. And kids just EAT IT UP. The book has a history of controversy because Mickey (the boy) is naked in large parts of the book, and sometimes (gasp!) you can actually see his penis. It's a completely innocent and childlike representation, but apparently some people can't get over it, because it's consistently in the top 50 most challenged books. If you're easily offended by accurate (if cartoonish) representations of three-year-old anatomy, then this book maybe isn't for you. But for the rest of us, it's a weird, wonderful trip to the land of dreams.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
by Betty MacDonald
Illus. Hilary Knight
1947

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is the kind of old lady everyone wishes lived in their neighborhood. A kindred spirit to children everywhere, she lives in a magical upside-down house, there's buried treasure in her backyard, and her home always smells like freshly-baked cookies. The kids in her town know they'll always find a friendly face and comforting advice over at Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's place, but it's their parents who are really in her debt. You see, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has a cure for just about any kind of bad habit or mischievous behavior a kid can get up to. Whether it's not wanting to bathe, staying up all hours of the night, or fighting with their siblings all the time, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle knows a clever (and enormously fun to read about) way to get it to stop. The stories are presented from a kid's perspective, meaning that the adults (with the exception of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle) often come off as amusingly dim. Each chapter is its own self-contained story, making this a perfect book for bedtime reading aloud (if you can stick to just one story, which is difficult). Though the stories are technically about behavior and etiquette, they're never moralistic or condescending. The true-to-life depictions of kids' tantrums and misbehavings, along with the highly unusual tactics recommended by Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle to cure them, make a compelling read even if you don't care a whit about manners and morals. And if they get your kid to think twice before pitching a fit at bedtime, so much the better. With really excellent illustrations by Hilary Knight (of Eloise fame).

Also recommended: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic (1949), Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm (1954), and Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (1957).

Pet of the Met
by Don and Lydia Freeman
Illus. Don and Lydia Freeman
1953

This was one of my favorite childhood books, and only recently came back into print; my mom brought it as a gift for my daughter and it was like travelling back in time 30-some years - it had been that long since I'd even *thought* about this book. I'm so glad it's easily available again, though, because it really is wonderful. Pet of the Met tells the story of Maestro Petrini, the mouse whose job it is to turn pages for the prompter at the Metropolitan Opera house. A true devotee of opera, the only blot on Petrini's existence is the constant presence of his arch-enemy, Mefisto the cat. The two manage to co-exist peacefully until one day Petrini is carried away by a production of The Magic Flute and ends up giving the performance of his life. The story introduces kids to all kinds of great theatre and opera terms, and gives a magical window into backstage activities. And the pictures are simply marvellous, as you'd expect from the illustrator of the Corduroy stories. An excellent book to read aloud, over and over again.

The Diddakoi
by Rumer Godden
1972

Rumer Godden is on my top ten list of the all-time best children's book authors around, so it's a shame that she's known primarily in the States as the inspiration for Demi Moore's and Bruce Willis's daughter's name. (No, really: that's where they got it.) Godden, a British author, wrote books for children and adults from the 1930s all the way until her death in the late 1990s, but her best stuff for kids (in this blogger's opinion) was published in the 60s and 70s. The Diddakoi, which won the Whitbread Award, tells the story of Kizzy Lovell, a gypsy child whose world is turned upside down when her beloved grandmother dies and she's force to leave her traditional lifestyle and start attending regular school as a ward of the county. Godden has a real feeling for culture clashes of this kind, and Kizzy's story is treated with sensitivity and affection. Godden's distinctive style really draws the reader into the story, making it feel immediate and vital: Kizzy's spirited (and often downright naughty) defense of her gypsy ways; the courage of the single woman council member who defends Kizzy and provides a safe haven for her; and the cruelty of Kizzy's schoolmates in the face of Kizzy's "otherness," are all beautifully rendered. It's a wonderful book for learning something about a vanishing culture, but Kizzy's story will resonate with anyone who knows what it feels like to be stranded in a new place, feeling scared, unloved, and unwanted.

The House At Pooh Corner
by A. A. Milne
Illus. Ernest H. Shepard
1928

If your only familiarity with Pooh Bear comes from the Disney cartoons, hie thee to a bookstore and buy some of the original stories, pronto. Don't get me wrong: as a child of the 1970s I have as many fond memories as anyone of watching those Disney animations of a Sunday. But there's really nothing to compare with the language, imagery, and wit of Milne's words and Shepard's pictures. The House At Pooh Corner is the second storybook devoted to Pooh and his pals (Winnie-the-Pooh being the first), and it's got to rank as one of the all-time great sequels in literary history. No, really! Not only are we introduced to Tigger, a scene stealer in the fine tradition of such "secondary" characters as Sam Weller or Mr. Toad, but Owl's house gets blown down in a storm, Piglet and Pooh build Eeyore a "new" house, and the wonderful game of Poohsticks is invented. As usual with A. A. Milne's work, there's as much to entertain the adults who are reading the stories as the children listening to them. As I reread it recently (To myself, since you ask. At bedtime. You got a problem with that?) I was struck anew by the poignancy of the latter chapters of Pooh Corner. Christopher Robin is growing up, and though the assurances in the final sentence that "wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing" are sufficient to quiet any younger reader's fears, the older reader can't help but acknowledge how hard it is to find that enchanted place sometimes. Fortunately, there are always the Pooh books to help us out.

The Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame
Illus. Ernest H. Shepard
1908

I read The Wind in the Willows for the first time when I was maybe 8 or 9, and I've re-read it every few years ever since. Grahame's characterization of life on an English river (and thereabouts) through the eyes of a mole, a water rat, and the inimitable Mr. Toad is by turns lyrical, mystic, clever, and laugh-out-loud funny. Will appeal equally to boys and girls, and animal lovers will be in pure heaven. You HAVE to get the edition with Ernest Shepard's illustrations - don't be fooled by imitations! Shepard's ink and watercolor drawings absolutely capture the tone and feel of Grahame's text (yes, that's the same Shepard who illustrated all the Winnie-the-Pooh books, so he knows from woodland creatures.) Splurge on a hardcover; trust me, you'll want a copy that withstands multiple readings.