Who doesn't love a list of books? I know I do, so I decided
to make my own list. For you! This list is mostly of books that you’ll
enjoy reading to children. Children may even enjoy hearing them read,
too! In fact, they might enjoy reading
them themselves. It is far from exhaustive, as it only contains those
that we have actually read to (or listened to with) our kid between the ages of
three and nine. I haven't included some that are on everybody's list -
because they're already on everyone's list.
I had never even heard of some
of these until I had kids and sought out good books. It is my goal to
prevent this in the lives of other book lovers!
As I was compiling my list, I realized it was getting way too long! So, this installment (there will be another!) only contains books that
come in a series. The list is numbered only to thirteen, but
gives you over 120 titles! The great
thing about a series is that you don’t have to say goodbye to the characters
you have come to know and love when the first book ends. Another benefit is that you can also
appreciate the writers’ skill developing through the subsequent stories.
A few are, sadly, out of print. But that’s what the library
is for, right? This ought to keep you
reading for a good long time!
Published 1932 – 1943
8 books
Believe it or not, I was a grown up before I knew Little House on the Prairie was
a book before it was a TV show! That's the kind of childhood I had.
(I was not a voracious reader.) I began reading these to my
three-year-old daughter and we both loved them! We have since dated
historical figures and events by Laura's life (e.g. "That happened when
Laura was ten."). We raced through the books, becoming friends with
the Ingalls family and learning so much about the building of our country and
it’s westward development. I was so enraptured by the author and the
character of her childhood self that I have since read everything I have found
written by her! My favorite of these is the collection of her columns for
the Missouri Ruralist between 1911 and 1924, titled, Laura Ingalls Wilder: FarmJournalist. I mention it for your enjoyment, though it is not officially
on my list.
by Hilda Van Stockum
Published 1945
3 books (CanadianSummer ‘48, Friendly Gables ’58)
We first meet with the Mitchell family while their father is away,
fighting in the war. It mostly deals with the children's doings, while
the thread running subtly through the story involves the inadvertent acquisition
of various pets, contrary to Father's explicit prohibition of their getting a
pet while he's away. There is a tenderness shown toward the inner
feelings of the various children that truly brings them to life. I was
not surprised to learn that the author based these stories on her own children.
It is a pleasure to follow them as they move to Canada in the next two
volumes.
also by Hilda Van Stockum
Published 1938
3 books (Francie On the Run ‘39, Pegeen ’41)
Three more books by the same author are set in Ireland.
Reading aloud gives you a chance to exercise your best Irish accent!
I was so impressed by the author's ability to draw out the depths of
personality of the characters and their history of place. Her stories are
engaging for children, while not just entertaining for adults, but full of
texture and depth. She has written other books as well, but those are
still on my "to be read" list.
by Sydney Taylor
Published 1951
5 books (More of a Kind Family ‘54, All of a Kind Family Uptown '58, All of a Kind Family Downtown '72, Ella of All of a Kind Family '78)
I came to love this sweet family of five daughters. The story is told through their little daily moments, big illness, holidays, lived in pre-World War I New York City. We have only read the first two of the series, so we still have some to look forward to!
by Eleanor Estes
Published 1941
4 books (The Middle Moffat ’42, Rufas M. ’43, The Moffat Museum ’83)
You'll love this family and enjoy seeing the author's writing
about them (based on her family) develop to a beautifully sensitive level. They are adorable, quirky and pull together
to help their widowed mother keep the family going. Despite their difficult circumstances, there
are more moments of happiness than anguish.
also by Eleanor Estes
Published 1951 and 1958)
2 books
Two more stories by Eleanor Estes, these stories take place in the
same town where the Moffats live, but feature a different family. The Moffats make an appearance, but the books
have a very different feel.
7. Betsy Tacy
by Maud Hart Lovelace
Published
1940 – 1955
10 books
Again, I can not believe I had never heard
of these marvelous books! They are set in the early twentieth century.
The first four feature two and then three very little girls and the later
ones begin when the girls are in high school.
They really bring to life a time not really that distant, when the town marveled
at the first “horseless carriage” to enter the scene. The author has other books too, so you don’t
have to be sad when you finish these lovelies!
by Elizabeth Enright
Published 1941
4 books (The Four Story Mistake ‘42, And Then There Were Five '44, Spider Web For Two ’51)
These peculiar books follow another peculiar family. The first book, The Saturdays, details the
interesting ways the four children of the Melendy family each spends a Saturday
in New York City, when they decide to pool their allowance money each week for
the use of just one sibling. Clever and
insightful!
9. Freddy the Pig Series
by
Walter R. Brooks
Published 1927 -1958
26 books
How is it possible I have never heard anyone mention these books ever before I found one on
the shelf in audio book section of the public library?? Why are these not
as ubiquitous on reading lists as the Little House books and the Chronicles of
Narnia? These are some of the funniest, cleverest, vocabulary enriching,
snappy dialoguing stories I have encountered.
Brooks is like an American P.G. Wodehouse. The stories concern the
Bean Farm's animals who are able to talk (to the great discomfort of Farmer
Bean). They are not your typical personified animal stories, as they are
talking animals functioning within the real world, where they gain some notoriety
for this ability. The very first story relates the adventures that hilariously
ensue when some of the animals, let by Freddy the Pig, decide to migrate to
Florida. I'm not even sure Mr. Brooks
intended them for children, but as there is nothing untoward in them and plenty
of good writing and humor, I highly endorse them! My nine-year-old may be
truly addicted to them!
By Enid Blyton
Published 1942 - 1963
21 books
I was assured that this series was a must read as they have been
popular children’s books in the UK since their publication. We have been greatly disappointed by the
Famous Five, but I include them nevertheless, because they have their good
points and – there are 21 of them! The
stories are based on four cousins who manage to get into serious adventures
every time they get together on their holidays from boarding school. Who is the
fifth member of the famous five? The dog, of course. They are quite formulaic, the children are unbearable
snobs and as soon as they return from boarding school, the parents go off
without them! So, why would I continue
reading these miserable books to my nine-year-old? Because we have come to enjoy laughing at
them. I had no idea there were so very
many secret passageways under England!!
It’s good fun to see how arrogant and bad tempered these kids can be and
still be portrayed as the heroes of the stories. It is a great lesson in the class system and
what’s wrong with it. They’re like the
boxcar children, but rude. We’re only on
the eighth book (we got tired of them and have taken a break), but it should be
interesting to see how the author managed to keep English kids hungering for
more for over twenty years! (However tempting the low cost edition published by Birch Tree Publishing is, avoid it. It is the worst example of publishing I have ever encountered!)
11. Swallows and Amazons Series
By Arthur Ransome
Published 1930 – 1947
12 books
Following the adventures of two families of children, the Swallows
and Amazons series is everything that The Famous Five are not! Beautifully written, adventures that could
actually take place in the real world England, nice - but natural - children
whose parents make a showing and an interest in them. The twelve books are quite long, but
enjoyable from beginning to end. They
usually involve boating adventures, as that is what brought these children
together on their school holidays in the Lake District.
By Betty MacDonald
Published 1947,
1949, 1954, 1957, 2007
5 books
We happened upon the audio book in the library and it quickly
became one of my daughter’s favorites! And
it’s handy, too. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is a
lovable lady to whom all the children flock.
Their parents seek her out to help find “cures” for typical childhood behavioral
difficulties. Children love this silliness of these families! In addition to being
wholesomely entertaining, it gives you, the parent, an arsenal of humorous examples
to toss out to your kid, to mortify them out of a bad attitude! I have been known to mention to my daughter
on an occasion of disrespect, “You’re being a bit like Mary O’Toole!!!” Point made, behavior improved!
By Brian Jacques
Published 1986 –
2010
21 books
The Redwall series is a little more mature. Redwall is a peaceful abbey. Peaceful until the happy mice are intruded upon by the evil rat and his thugs. Adventure, prophecy, mystery, battles, virtue, heroes - Redwall is filled with action.
You don’t really need kids to enjoy any of these books. If you missed any in your childhood, get
yourself to the library and get reading!
(If you
would rather buy them to keep in your home library and do so through my Amazon
Affiliate links, I might gain some financial benefit – though it has yet to be
seen)
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