Age 4
In this book from 1944, four children have a delightful series of adventures. Cousins/siblings George, Julian, Dick, and Anne have an adventure on an island. Smugglers, kidnapping, shipwrecks, and dungeons combine for a vicarious adventure I certainly wish I could have had as a child.
Like a Brit Bobbsey Twins, this series centers on a self-sufficient group of kids that has plenty of adventures and mysteries to solve. Presented in a way that is fun and unthreatening (despite ideas like kidnapping that could be scary if handled a different way), it is also delightfully free of interfering adults.
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Kaya, a member of the Nez Perce tribe, is proud, adventurous, and optimistic. We get a peek into the lifestyle and customs of the tribe in this first book in the Kaya series.
This book is especially good for addressing concepts about character, like having humility, accepting responsibility, acting with the right motivations, and learning from our mistakes. The story reflects the effects of Kaya’s actions, sometimes positive and sometimes not.
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The Ramona books are enjoyable, “real” stories that show an imperfect girl’s interaction with her world. In this one, third grade Ramona navigates school and home concerns. She fears being a bother to her teacher, has some embarrassing incidents at school, and wrestles with her responsibilities for keeping her family OK (by behaving at the Kemp’s house).
This book, as all Ramona books do, gives us a girl’s perspective on the world and her place in the family. It brings forth and resolves common childhood worries. An important point to note is that the Ramona books can give parents an idea of how children might be processing the world around them so we can relieve their worries.
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This book always makes me hungry! The food descriptions are plenteous, and even the ones that sound a little odd sound good when presented from Almanzo’s viewpoint. This story, set in the late 1800’s in upstate New York, chronicles a short period in the life of Almanzo Wilder, who grows up to become Laura’s husband. We read about life on a farm and the many duties and pleasures of growing up in such a place at such a time.
Aside from the instructive historical nature of the story, a nice feature of the book is the inclusion of peeks at Almanzo’s character. He is concerned with justice and fairness at the same time that he is wrapped up in boyish mishaps and sibling issues. Together, this makes for a real, enjoyable story that has depth.
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Louis the swan cannot speak like “normal” swans (note that the book comes from before the time of political correctness, and it shows). He uses his disability to his advantage, traveling outside the scope of the typical swan’s realm and having many adventures and opportunities as a result.
This engaging tale uses humor (I find the old cob’s mannerisms quite amusing) to tell the story of a “misfit” successfully making his own way. It is refreshing to see character and good intentions throughout the story.
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I loved this series as a child and was so glad to see that is being reprinted. These two sets of twins, both boy/girl, aged around 6 and 12, have all kinds of adventures in a world where kids could run freely around town and country. In this one, the Bobbsey family sets out on a houseboat adventure, with all kinds of mysteries, mishaps, exploration, and excitement.
Note that these books are old, like 1920’s and 30’s old. The Bobbseys’ black housekeeper, Dinah, sometimes speaks in a stereotypical way that readers might find offensive today. Explaining the context to your child would be helpful.
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I must have checked this record out from the library 30 times when I was a kid. This is such a good read-aloud book, especially with the Centipede’s silly songs (my younger daughter just loves his disgusting food choices).
After his parents are eaten by a rhinoceros, James goes to live with two mean aunts who cruelly mistreat him. The story begins with James, age seven, beginning an adventure involving a giant peach and some abnormally- large insects. Like all of Dahl’s books, there are plenty of fantastic adventures and humor.
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Orphaned Mary moves from India to England to live at her absent uncle’s manor. Once there, this self-centered, stunted, sour girl blossoms, changing her own life and the lives of others as well.
Who doesn’t like the idea of a secret garden, and in fact all sorts of benevolent secrets hidden from the grownups? This book has a magical quality with all of the transformations that are taking place. Some of the ideas explored in the book are self-examination, nurturing, nature, and loneliness.
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Saved by Fern from an untimely death, runty Wilbur the pig thrives in the barnyard. Learning that he is destined for the smokehouse petrifies him, but Charlotte the spider has a plan to fool the humans and save his life.
What a wonderful book about friendship. There is innocence, the delight in a summer day on a farm, humor, talking animals, and a quiet simplicity that pervades the story. I was worried the first time I read this aloud to my kids (when they were each around four) that Charlotte’s death would be too sad, but they were fine, and it turned out to be a nice way to talk about emotions.
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While I would not characterize the American Girl stories as particularly quality literature, when factoring in the historical information at the end, they certainly are. This one gives an account of an immigrant family voyaging from Sweden to Minnesota. The trials of this journey are presented through a child’s (Kirsten's) eyes, including the loss of her dear friend, Marta, from cholera.
The book is a good introduction to the topic of immigration and is presented in an approachable way. I would consider all American Girls books as starting points for developing a child’s interest in a given period of history.
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2 years 13 weeks ago