Sixth Random Thing I Love: Children's Literature
A series intended to distract us all with some randomness, humor, and wonder!
This is the sixth post in a weeklong series intended to be a distraction from the seriousness of the week. (Regular content will return next week.) While my creative bent shows up in much of my other writing, this week I am giving it free rein.
Sixth Random Thing I Love: Children’s Literature
My earliest memory of books is sitting on my father’s lap while he read from a book of Bible stories. While I do not remember learning to read, my report cards indicate that I had some struggles. During the summer between first and second grade, my mother, who was a teacher, took a children’s literature course. She would bring home stacks of picture books from the library and stack them in a corner of our family room. I spent much of my summer in that corner with the stack of books! (After that summer, I was always in the highest reading group.)
I also remember a set of literature books that were kept on a shelf at the end of the hall when I was a child. The book that included Mother Goose rhymes was my favorite! I kept that set of books in my office for years. So many memories in this picture!
Reading was always a favorite pastime throughout my elementary and secondary years. I loved the Babar stories—especially when they painted faces on the backsides of the elephants to scare away the enemy. In high school, I remember reading Gone with the Wind and trying to fit my life, school, and homework in between my reading.
A children’s literature course in college renewed my enthusiasm for children’s books. Teaching kindergarten was the perfect place to share my enthusiasm for literature. Children’s Literature was the first course I taught at the college level. It was my favorite course for the next thirty-five years.
My favorite books? Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst was probably my “life book.” Members of my family—including myself—often wanted to “move to Australia.”
My favorite read-aloud book is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault. My fangirl moment was helping Bill Martin Jr. with his book signing at a conference.
While exploring my computer files, I found the following two presentations. The first was created with the help of my late sister-in-law and her vast collection of children’s books and matching characters.
How much do you know about children’s literature? Test your knowledge with this one!
Thanks for spending time with me and my seven things this week. The seventh and final post in this series will arrive tomorrow!
This was fun! You ask what books we remember from childhood. I think of the Wizard of Oz and others in that series, the George McDonald children's books (The Princess and Curdie, etc.), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, etc. There are others I remember because I loved to lose myself in stories; but I don't remember the titles. I remember loving books about horses at a certain point. I could go on!