Some books are so loved, they almost become part of the family! Certainly that was true for us. Maybe because she didn't have any sisters, our daughter, Mary, was especially drawn to books with girl characters. To this day (she's 23), she recalls with fondness several of her childhood "friends" from favorite books.The BETSY TACY
series (ages 5 and up), by Maud Hart Lovelace, has to rank right up at the top! (Well, maybe after CINDERELLA, but that's a separate blogpost.) These stories are so endearing and have such a following that there is even a Betsy-Tacy Society! http://www.betsy-tacysociety.org/. Mothers and daughters alike enjoy the books so much they've been re-printed several times and are passed down from one generation to the next. We especially liked the editions illustrated by Lois Lenski.A good friend of mine with a daughter Mary's age turned us on to the books. She had read them as a child and knew our girls would enjoy them. I had never even heard of BETSY-TACY and am so glad she recommended the books. Our girls had fun reading all the books at the same time! (The books are written on a progressively more difficult reading level as their characters progress in age).
The series - based on the author's life - is set in a small town in Minnesota at the turn of the twentieth century. The first book, BETSY-TACY, takes place with Betsy and her best friend, Tacy, being five years old. By the second book, they've added a new friend, Tib. The series follows the girls' friendships all the way through to Betsy's wedding! There is so much heartfelt humor, detail, and realistic emotion in the writing, you really get a feeling for life at the turn of the century - from school days and friendships, to falling in love and travel. Girls will have fun growing up with Betsy, Tacy, and Tib as their friends!
OTHER FAVORITES:
HEIDI
(ages 6-8), by Johanna Spyri, illustrations by Ruth Sanderson. Please do not substitute reading this beautiful story by watching the movie or made-for-television-versions instead! The descriptive writing about Heidi's struggle to learn to read, as well as her relationships with her grandfather, the Alps, the goats, Klara, and Peter and his blind grandmother are not to be missed. What touched me most was the underlying story of the stern grandfather ("Alm Uncle") as a prodigal son figure who has his heart softened by his tender granddaughter.BALLET SHOES
(ages 6 and up), by Noel Streatfeild. The story of three orphaned babies, Pauline, Petrova, and Posy Fossil, who are all adopted by "GUM" - Great Uncle Matthew. (Uncle Gum is an archaeolgist, who brought home lots of fossils to his home in England, until he was injured and decided to travel the world!) The girls are not siblings, but are adopted one by one and raised by Gum's great-niece, Sylvia, and Nana, her old nurse. (There is a whole series of "Shoe Books", but this is the only one we read.)LITTLE PRINCESS
, by Frances Hodgsdon Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor. (ages 8-12). "Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it." Was there ever a sweeter, more unselfish girl than Sara Crewe? (Yes - Cinderella!) Again, please do not bypass this book for the movie! (Although there was a very good BBC Wonderworks adaptation 
made in 1987 stayed true to the text.)LITTLE HOUSE SERIES
, by Laura Ingalls Wilder (ages 8-12) Wonderful historical fiction, loved by boys and girls alike! Eight books in the series...following Laura and her family, with lots of detail about their life as a pioneer family and it's joys and hardships. The stories start in a cabin on the frontier, around 1870. Well known illustrator, Garth Williams, spent years researching Laura's family and his artwork is a wonderful reflection of that.LITTLE WOMEN
, by Louisa May Alcott (ages 8-12) One of the most popular and unforgettable children's novels in American history! Your daughter will never forget Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy March and how instead of buying Christmas presents for themselves, they buy gifts for their mother, "Marmee". This quest to be selfless, their antics with Laurie, the boy next door, their deep family loyalty and coming of age experiences, endear us to this family living during the Civil War. The 1994 movie adaptation is wonderful too! (But read the book first!)THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN
and THE PRINCESS AND CURDIE
, by George MacDonald (ages 8-12). Fantasy story about a young princess (Irene) and a miner boy named Curdie. The princess's great-great-grandmother, who lives high up in the castle turret and appears either as very old or young and beautiful, admonishes Irene to behave courageously and to overcome her fears as Curdie strives to save her from the evil goblin's plan to kidnap her.
Some days it was a challenge to lure my boys away from digging holes in the backyard, playing with their action figures, riding bikes, shooting baskets, building with their Legos, or constructing forts - in order to have them sit for a little while and read a book.
and 
, I was able to find plenty that not only kept their attention by capturing their imaginations with exciting adventures, but also inspired them to strength of character, courage, and kindness...many times, with lots of laughter along the way!
(series), by Ruth S. Gannett (ages 6-8) The narrator relates the tales as adventures his father had as a boy. Exciting exploits with hair-raising escapes and wonderful creatures. VERY imaginative and a perfect transition book into "more story with less pictures". This fantasy novel has been around since 1948!
, by Roald Dahl (ages 6-10). Clever fantasy with lots of fun word play. Dahl's style is almost like Dicken's in describing the miserable plight of orphaned James...horrible mean aunts, outlandish characters, and a magic peach pit will engross your listener with hours of fun reading.
and sequel, 
, by Roald Dahl (ages 8-12). More fantasy from Dahl about childhood justice and delight, full of imagination and the best kind of storytelling. Charlie Bucket lives with his mother and four bedridden grandparents in their one-room home. Charlie wins a trip into the magical, fantastical world of Williy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. A satirical look at want and need, greed and generosity, all remedied through the methods of the eccentric candy maker. Not to be missed! 
(series) by John D. Fitzgerald (ages 8-12) Hilarious adventures of an Irish-Catholic family in Mormon Utah in 1896. Tom - a.k.a. the Great Brain - is a 10-year-old genius con man, always interested in making a profit (and always learning a lesson.)
, by Jerry Spinelli (ages 9-12). This is the story of a 12-year-old boy, who as a stranger in Two Mills (a runaway, actually), is naively ignorant of the racial divide between the East and West sides of town. He's also unaware that his life will become legend as he performs one amazing feat after another (like running 49 touchdowns in a single game!) You won't believe the miraculous things he does - the most courageous being the healing of the division in the town and the end of the racial prejudice there. Good contemporary fiction.
and sequel, 
, by Mary Stolz (ages 9-12) There are two problems facing 9-year-old Edward: Martin Hastings, the neighborhood bully, and the fact that Edward's mom and dad don't consider him responsible enough to own a dog. Then his Uncle Josh comes for a visit and brings him - a dog! The plot takes a turn and Edward becomes disallusioned and wants to run away. His father's steady reliability teaches him about love and responsibility in caring for others. In the sequel, you find out what made Martin - the "bully" - behave the way he does as we get the story from the bully's perspective! 
, by Andrew Clements (ages 10-12) Humorous, yet thought provoking story celebrating the glory of language. Nicholas, 5th grader and bit of a class clown, invents the word "frindle" to replace "pen", after his teacher gives him an extra assignment about how new entries are added to the dictionary. Hilarity ensues as the whole school begins to use the word. In the end, the student and teacher find a true appreciation of each other.
, by Norman Jester (ages 10-12) Fantasy story of a mysterious tollbooth appearing in the home of a young and bored time-waster, a boy named Milo. Packed with humor, wordplay, and brain teasers galore as Milo stumbles upon many adventures of the mind! (An example of the quirky humor, fun use of words and logic: Milo arrives at the "Island of Conclusions" in an unusual fashion - he jumps, of course!) 
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animated movie two or three times as a child, and certanly when I pictured her in my head, it was the face of this timeless and beautiful classic that I saw looking back at me. But even with its charm, enduring characters, beautiful animation, and enchanting score, the film can't take a child to the same place that the storybook can. In the film, the hard work is done for us (and what a work of imaginative genius it is!) allowing us the luxury of sitting back for an hour or two while we enjoy the tale unfolding before us. Yet, with the storybook, even with pictures, we learn to live and relate in a whole new way, as our imaginations do the hard work to lead us to the "happily ever after" on the last page.
(sumptuous watercolors); 
(haven't actually read this one, but her adaptation of 
is incredible!); 
(illustrations are reminiscent of opulent 17-18th Century France); 
(very natural looking artwork); 
, by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Mary Blair; 
, by Shirley Climo, illustrated by Ruth Heller
, as the Brown family finds a new friend in a London train station. He has a tag around his neck that says, "Please look after this Bear." They take him home and the adventures begin! Paddington - like Sebastian - is constantly getting into mischief. But he always makes friends along the way with his innocent and sweet personality.
