I have forgotten the plots of most of the stories I’ve read in my adult life, but I still remember a surprising amount about the stories I read as a child. I read them over and over because I enjoyed them so much; they taught me, inspired me, gave me an escape from my unhappiness, and were a lot of fun.
To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life. Somerset Maugham 1874
I don’t remember not being able to read. This doesn’t mean I was a child prodigy, it could just mean that at my age, I no longer remember much about when I was little, except for fleeting impressions and faded mental photographs. I know my parents never read to me because they were too busy with work and home. Did parents read to their children back then? Did yours? Also, in the mid-60s, my parents were relatively new immigrants who knew little English. I don’t remember anyone teaching me to read, but I do feel I remember the first books I read. They were two fading, covers-missing, Reader’s Digest anthologies for children. They’re where I first read fairy tales and The Velveteen Rabbit. I seem to remember alternating them nightly and preferring one more than the other because of the fairy tale in it, I think.
At first, my elementary school did not have a library, but a bookmobile arrived once a week, maybe on Tuesdays . . . It was a magical place for shy, dreamer me; I could borrow books and escape into the worlds the authors created. In the later 60s, a library was added and my most vivid, happy memories of school are of that bright space and where on the shelves my favourite stories were.
The books of our childhood offer a vivid door to our own pasts, and not necessarily for the stories we read there, but for the memories of where we were and who we were when we were reading them; to remember a book is to remember the child who read that book. Lewis Buzbee
When I look over the list below, a common thread that runs through these stories is that the main character is a little girl who finds it in herself to speak up and take risks, who despite her often difficult circumstances and sometimes making mistakes, learns more about herself and her world. Also, I was enchanted and admired the imaginations of these little girls, such as Ramona, Anne and Arrietty, and their creators whose stories I read over and over.
My 10 Favourite Stories
1. The Borrowers by Mary Norton I read two of the sequels, The Borrowers Afield and The Borrowers Afloat, but the first was my favourite.
2. Fairy tales: the two I remember most vividly are Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.
3. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery I can still remember the imaginative, poetic names Anne gave to her surroundings: Violet Vale, The Lake of Shining Waters . . .
4. Little House on the Prairie, and the stories that came before and after it, by Laura Ingalls Wilder I read them in order, of course.
5. Beezus and Ramona, Henry Huggins, Ellen Tebbits and others by Beverly Cleary
6. B is for Betsy by Carolyn Haywood Both Beverly Cleary and Carolyn Haywood wrote charming, funny stories.
7. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams I was captivated by this story about a ‘plushie’, as one of my students so cutely calls them, who becomes real because he is loved by his little boy. My children know that this story and The Borrowers are the two that have most stayed with me.
8. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott I also read the sequels, Little Men and Jo’s Boys, but again the first was my favourite.
9. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Suess and Babar the Elephant by Jean de Brunhoff These are the two picture books I remember most vividly
10. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain I remember liking this story because of its humour and Tom’s adventures. Also, I read this aloud, at least the first chapter, to my younger siblings enough times that they remember me doing it.
Did you read any of these stories? What were your favourites when you were little?
Honorable mentions: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell I remember reading this in grade seven, sitting at the back with the novel open inside the desk, reading instead of paying attention to Mr. O’Neill’s lessons. I also have vivid memories of my mother’s disapproval, not because of the story’s themes, but because she believed I was too young to read about Scarlett and her romances.
A hard cover non-fiction book that may have been called Airline Stewardess by Jack Engeman or Your Future as an Airline Stewardess by Patricia Rudolph was a different kind of gateway to adventure and childhood dreams. I would pore over the information and the black and white photos. I think I was the only one who ever borrowed this book.
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas This story was a turning point in my reading journey. I was in Grade eight, reading one of Carolyn Haywood’s novels as we were on the bus, getting ready to leave on our end-of-the-school-year trip to Montreal, I think. Mr. Evertman, my teacher, approached me saying that the novel I was reading was way too easy for me and gave me The Three Musketeers. I didn’t understand it all, but I loved it and I have never forgotten how pleased and surprised I was that he thought I could read it.
What do you remember reading when you were a child? Let us know in the comments.
I still remember getting a note sent home from Mr. Morris in grade 5 for reading The Lord of the Rings in my desk when I should’ve been paying attention in Spelling Class, haha.
It’s so tempting when it’s a story that captivates you.
Just like you I loved the Anne series of books. As well as the Betsy books. Being a bit younger I also enjoyed the books by Judy Bloom. Encyclopedia Brown, the boy detective stories, were fun to read.
A series I loved reading was the All-of-a-kind Family by Sydney Taylor. I think there were 4 books in total.
And finally, not a novel, but I loved taking out all the Peanuts books. I loved Charlie Brown. I understood Charlie Brown.
Yes! and the Happy Hollisters stories . . .