Ok, most of you have probably seen Julie and Julia, the movie in which a woman named Julie spends an entire year cooking through one of Julia Child's cookbooks and blogging about it. It's a movie based on a true story. And I have recently started reading the articles published at Examiner.com by Tom Clocker, Baltimore Movie Examiner, in which he is watching 100 classic films over the course of a year. Inspired by Tom, I have decided to do something similar but with children's books in mind. I will read 365 children's books in one year and write about each and every single one of them here.
How this will work
***Starting now on September 14, 2010, the readers of this column will begin submitting children's books they feel everyone should read at least once. Submissions will be accepted until October 9, 2010.
***Suggest as many books as you like, I need 365 titles after all, from as many different authors and genres as you like. Everything from picture books to young adult fiction is fair game.
***Keep in mind that I may have already read some of these books, that's ok. Any books that appear on the list that I have already read, will be re-read and a review will be written.
***Remember, I need 365 titles, so tell your friends, family, etc. These can be books published 100 years ago to something that was recently released. These should be books you feel are the best children's books ever written.
***While I'm not into horror or Goosebump type books, I do want to read books that I might not choose on my own. So, think about the various genres and subject matter out there when choosing the books.
***Leave your suggestions in the comments section of this article. You can come back and add more books as often as you would like. Don't worry about if someone already suggested it. I would like to avoid discussions on the merits of if the book qualifies as a BCBE (Best Children's Book Ever) in anyone else's opinion. If you think it qualifies as a BCBE for children, then that's good enough for me.
***The list will be compiled and posted here on October 10, 2010. I reserve the right to make the final decision if a book appears on the list or not. Also, if there are not 365 titles submitted I will add books to the list to make the final count.
***I will start reading from the list alphabetically on October 10, 2010, and finish up 365 days later on October 10, 2011.
Any questions? Send me an email at cindirose67@yahoo.com.
So...what books do you think should be on the list of the 365 Best Children's Books Ever?
Comments
This is so Cool!!! While I do know that there are several children's books that I do like I will come back after I have refreshed my memory on the ones that really moved me.
Here is my favorite: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry
and I need to add The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
I can't wait to see your reviews on these two. Good luck on this amazing Journey!
Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein!
You don't like horror!? (*bursts into tears*)
LOLOLOL....(standing behind cindi) ...neither do I,..(still standing behind cindi)
I really like your idea reading different childrens books everyday for a year and I have some suggestions for you:
One of the original boxcar children books by Gertrude Chandler Warner pick one of the first 19 books in the series, I would suggest the first one but really they can be read out of order, they are mystery books
A good Christmas book/movie The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey,
official children's book of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco is a civil war story that I use when teaching high schoolers about life during the war-very powerful, moving book
The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
One of the Little house on the prairie books - I like the first best
I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
I second the vote for Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type -- that's a super-cute book!
Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey
Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen
The Thief n(The Quee's Thief, Book 1) by Megan Whalen Turner
Eragon, the first book in the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
Thunder Cake Patricia Polacco for a rainy day
Just Plain Fancy (Dell Picture Yearling) by Patricia Polacco
If you cant tell I love to read and I teach so I have a lot of suggestions for you
Artemis Fowl is a series of novels written by Eoin Colfer, starring a teenage criminal mastermind
No explanations needed! I completely understand where you are coming from. Are you on Facebook or Twitter? If so, I'd love to have you add me.
FB: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=1771631218
Tw: www.twitter.com/tallysplace
This is a fantastic idea!!
Sam the Firefly (PD Eastman)
Oh the Places Youll Go (Dr Seuss)
Harry Potter (JK Rowling)
I loved reading my children's books when they were young. One I missed was "Not As Crazy As I Seem" by George Harrar. It's about a young boy stricken with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I would love to get your take on it. OCD is more common and starts subtly at a young age. I'm an expert on it. Please, let me know if you do decide on it, so I can anxiously wait your thoughts!
Cindi, this is a great idea! Here are my suggestions:
"The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman.
"Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Patterson
"The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
I had to come back with more. Here you go:
"A Fly Went By" by Mike McClintock
"The Caboose Who Got Loose" by Bill Pete
"Strega Nona" by Tomie DePaola.
Old Yeller
My Side of the Mountain
any Ramona Quimby book
any Choose Your Own Adventure book
Black Sambo *** love this one
any Hardy Boys book or any Nancy Drew book
I forgot one - Stellaluna
How about Mr. Happy by Roger Hargreaves: http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Happy-Men-Little-Miss/dp/0843178094/ref=sr_1_1?...
Perhaps you could expand this idea and read your books to children in hospitals or shelters? It seems this would be the perfect way to help perk up some of the less fortunate little ones out there...
The Outsiders
The Girl Who Owned A City
Green Eggs and Ham
Garry's suggestions -
Great Expectations
Where The Red Fern Grows
Time for Tom, Archibald's Opposites, Juniors Colors, How Many Veggies - These are all Veggie Tales books, but they rhyme and are easy to read like Dr. Seuss books. And they're silly, which always helps!
And speaking of Dr. Seuss - The Foot Book and The Ear Book were always two of our favorites
These are some really great recommendations everyone. I can't wait to see what other books get added to the list. My husband's two contributions? Grapes of Wrath and any Louis L'Amour book.
Love You Forever- Rober Munsch
Olivia- Ian Falconer
The Remarkable Farkle McBride - John Lithgow
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble - William Steig
The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein
The Lorax - Dr. Seuss
Who Wants an Old Teddy Bear - Ginnie Hofmann
Someday Angeline by Lois Sacher (middle grade)
This one was one of my absolute favorites growing up...
Cindi, I am coming up blank as I don't read children's books but I will ask my friends for you.
Thanks Joe!
A few great Canadian titles for you to consider:
No Coins, Please by Gordon Korman
I Want to Go Home by Gordon Korman
...and one of my all-time favourites: the Booky trilogy (That Scatterbrain Booky, With Love From Booky and As Ever Booky) by Bernice Thurman Hunter
what a great idea. :)
My friend Tosca suggests Bunnicula
and Fancy Nancy
and the book about a dog named walter that has digestion emissions. Not the real title but the profanity filter won't let me write the real word. That shoudl be interesting at review time!
Anne of Green Gables Series (7 books) by L.M. Montgomery
How to Train your Dragon Series (7 books) by Cressida Cowell
The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper
Good Night Moon by Margarent Wise Brown
The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
Owl Babies by Martain Waddell
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess
The Berenstein Bears and the Spooky Old Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstein
I am David, by Anne Holm
Gunner's Run, by Rick Barry
Here are some of my toddler's favorite books:
Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak
The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Suess
The Goodnight Train by June Sobel
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
An oldie but a goodie ..
"Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret"
"Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown
I have a couple more for you...
Candy Stripers by Lee Wyndham
It like this cat by Emily Cheney Neville
Both are older books from the 60's
Dance, Tanya by Patricia Lee Gauch
Where the Wild things are
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin (you should check out the youtube video for this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpZ9mOQ6iSU super cute!!!)
Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life and Times by James Finn Garner
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
I am trying to mix in some short picture books that are amazing to balance out the longer ones,
"The Little Red Hen" by Paul Galdone (or Golden Books) This was a great idea Cindi
Great idea - look at all of the comments!
Any Dr. Seuss book, The 5 Chinese Brothers, Good Night Moon (I'm sure there were many more, but those are the ones that I loved and remembered and also read to my son) :)
Can't wait to see the final list!
My son's favorites are:
Bats at the Beach
I Love You Stinky Face
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Hippos Go Bezerk! (anything by Sandra Boynton)
oh yeah! and ....
Tacky the Penguin series
Rumpelstiltskin
Whose Mouse Are You?
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Detective LaRue Letters fro the Investigation
Miss Nelson is Missing
Where the Wild Things Are
The Night Pirates
Charlotte's web
Very hungry caterpillar
Very busy spider
A wrinkle in time ( and sequels)
Bark George
Duck on a bike
No David
Angus and the cat
Harry the dirty dog
Just so stories
Black stallion
Lad a dog
Madeline
Harry Potter series
Holes
Hoot
Alexander and the Terrible horrible no good very bad day
Swimmy by Leo Lionni
Ferdinand
Millions of cats
Little house in the big woods series
Anne of green gables series
Little women
Where the red fern grows
Not always easy to find are "boy" books (though girls may love them, too!); these all got a rating of 9 or 10 (and above) on a scale of 1-10 from my son while in 5th through 8th grades --
*Nick of Time and Time Pirate (may be others in the series by now) by Ted Bell
*Peter Pan prequel series beginning with Peter and the Starcatchers (3 so far) by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
*Eragon series by Christopher Paolini (cool aside for the kiddos to know -- worth noting is that Christopher began writing these books as a homeschooler at about 13 years of age)
*The Swiss Family Robinson, JD Wyss
*Hatchet and others in the series by Gary Paulsen
*The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key
*Lord of the Rings stories, including The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien
*Harry Potter stories by JK Rowling
*My Side of the Mountain (there are others in this series) by JC Moore
*Big Red and others in the series, by Jim Kjelgaard
*Stolen Pony Glen Rounds
*The Yearling MK Rawlings
*Stow Away by Karen Hesse
Great idea! Enjoy!
And for the younger children...
*Yes, definitely The Boxcar Children series by GC Warner
*Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne (she has another series for older children)
*Encyclopedia Brown books by DJ Sobol
Gotta run. Have fun!
The Boxcar Children tops my list. It was my all time favorite. When you read it, please tell me why it made such an impact on me, lol.
Swimmy (Leo Lionni)
The Story of Ferdinand (Leaf & Lawson)
A Time of Wonder (McCloskey)
Make Way for Ducklings (McCloskey)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Eizabeth George Speare)
the Anne of Green Gables series
the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles (Julie Andrews)
I adore reading books by David Weisner, like Tuesday or Sector 7. His images are whimsical and stunning.
These are some WONDERFUL suggestions!
Hush, Little Alien by Daniel Kirk
Catalina Magdalena Hoopersteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name by Tedd Arnold
I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont
The Flea's Sneeze by Lynn Downey
Any Laura Joffe Numeroff's book - If you give....
All You Ever Need by Max Lucado
The Friendly Beasts
Any Skippyjon Jones Books by Judy Schachner
Here are some more....
A Porcupine Named Fluffy by Helen Lester
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
Out of The Dust by Karen Hesse
ChickaChickaBoomBoom by Bill Martin Jr
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
The Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood
Way Out West With A Baby by Mike Brownlow
The Tale of Ginger and Pickles by Beatrix Potter
Corduroy by Don Freeman
A Big Fat Enormous Lie by Majorie Weinman Sharmat
Cindi,
Great idea! Just to clarify...not that it matters...but, my list is 150 classic films in a year. Either way, it is a lot of great films!
Ok, my items for your list: 'Hop on Pop' - one of my favorite Dr. Seuss' and 'Charolette's Web' and anything about Babar the Elephant.
I'm subscribing to your page too so I can follow along! Good luck!
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