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3.01.2012

World Book Day: A Celebration!

As an adult, I am consumed by anticipation and joy while waiting for World Book Night (which has just expanded to the US), an evening where I get to pitch a favorite read to complete strangers with the hope that it'll be the one that reels them in.  But for children, World Book Day, is a day of bookish festivities in classrooms, libraries and book shops in many countries around the world.  From book credits that offer free books, to dressing up as their favorite literary characters, to events featuring some magnificent authors, children everywhere get to explore and share their love of reading today.

World Book Day (now celebrating it's 15th year) is, as brought to you by the super snazzy wesbite, "the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world." (Take a peek, you'll fall in love).  All and all, it's a wonderful event, and I'm wishing all participants a day full of imagination and glee! 


While exploring the books available, I began to think about all the titles I adored as a child and thought I'd create a little post to share. Here are five books that rocked my young world: 


1. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton




When I was just a tiny thing, I would beg my mother to read this with me every night.  My brothers and I dreamed of having a tiny pond that we could swim in during the summer, and skate on during the winter.  The cherry blossom trees that bloomed all around the little house during the Spring looked like our own yard.  When the little house was neglected as the city grew around it, I pledged to never to do so when I grew up ("I'll never move to the city," and yet, here I am).  It made me think of my family and my love for them and the warmth and beauty of the world surrounding us. 


 2. The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone




Another that I read until the book binding started to crack and the pages turned flimsy.  I was initially terrified of what I was going to encounter at the end of the book (I certainly didn't want to find a monster), only to be pleasantly surprised to find Grover's little blue face. I'll go ahead and name it my first mystery title! My obsession with Sesame Street at this age didn't help much. My mom recently grabbed a copy for my niece, and I'm looking forward to the time when we can read it together.


3.  A Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story by Mary Down Hahn




Did anyone read this one?!? The school librarian read this aloud, at a few chapters a week, and I was just about dying with anticipation waiting for that period to roll around.  I ended up getting my own copy and reading it AGAIN and AGAIN. Boy must live in a creaky old house with his very old grandparents - wakes to find the ghost of a boy waiting for him - switches places and travels back in time - MIGHT BE STUCK!?! It was like an epic suspense novel for that age.  I loved it.  


4. The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks




Ok, so I can't remember exactly why I loved this one, but it's one that I always think back on when wandering down memory lane.  Put little figurines in the cupboard, and poof! they become living things?! That practically blew my mind when I was younger.  I think it was one of the first unputdownable books in my library.  When they made a movie, my life was set.


5. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor



I read this as a group as part of a school library program. I know that this one of the first books that shook me emotionally. Roll of Thunder.. opened another world to me and made me much more aware of the horrors of hate throughout history. 


Oh! nostalgia. I'll admit I also indulged in The Babysitter's Club series, The Boxcar Children and Goosebumps. It's been a real treat reliving the memories of time spent curled up with a book as a youngster. I don't think I'll ever stop loving a great story!  Feel free to participate and post a list of your favorite childhood reads!



16 comments:

  1. I absolutely loved Indian in the Cupboard as well! I've been wanting to reread the series although I'm afraid to because I don't want to lose the magic I remember with it.

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    1. Lorren,
      I think I read one other and didn't like it as much as the first. I definitely agree with you. I'm now considering picking some of these up at the library today. :) It's so wonderful thinking about all the books that made me so happy as a child! Glad you could share.

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  2. Indian in the Cupboard would definitely make my top ten favorite books as a kid. It really was a magical story. I think it was the first book I loved that was turned into a movie, and remembering being so excited to go see it in the theatres. That and James and the Giant Peach, though I think there was about 5 years between when I first read it and when the movie came it, so it wasn't as exciting :)

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    1. Brenna,
      It seems like it was quite the popular read. I agree that it was the first book that made it to the movies that I was really excited about. I don't think I ever actually read of saw James and the Giant Peach, but wanted to after my mom had my youngest brother, named James. I love thinking about those days!

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  3. I loved buying the World Book Day book and getting my £1 book token. Although now it seems you can choose between a number of books rather than an anthology.

    The Monster at the End of this Book was brilliant. I loved the Babar series, Fungus the Bogeyman, Elmer & The Tiger Who Came to Tea

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    1. All good choices! I wish World Book Day was as popular here as it is in the UK. Perhaps it'll spread its wings like World Book Night!

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  4. You made me smile -- I think I read The Monster at the End of this Book a thousand times to my daughters! Other books I am sorry I don't get to read to anyone at the moment are There Once Was a Puffin, But Not the Hippopotamus and The Going to Bed Book. I know all of them by heart -- maybe I'll have grandchildren to read them to some day :)

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    1. Col,
      I actually had a conversation with my mom about it this weekend. I was terrified! And it was always like a new story. Ha! I want to head to the local library and pick up some just for memories sake. I actually bought my niece a ton of books on my trip to Portland, and she was only 4 mos! I'm hoping she enjoys them as I much as I did. Glad it could brighten your day! :)

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  5. I had an "ah ha" moment with this post. I've always remembered the story from The Little House, but could never ever think of the specific book and author it was from. Now I know!

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    1. Isn't it the best! I love The Little House. Fav childhood book ever. Glad I could share!

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  6. Oh, so fun to think about favorite books from years past. I loved Roll of Thunder too, and another early one I remember in terms of strong emotions was . And I still think they're great books. As for the Boxcar Children and other similar series, perhaps not so much, but I think they started my love for book series in general! (And now that I think about it, there were also a bunch of really great series I loved: Anne of Green Gables, the Ramona books, Judy Blume's Fudge series.)

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    1. Anne,
      I loved the Fudge series too but just couldn't remember anything that actually happened in the books. I love that many of these have been shared by so many others. This post brought back so many wonderful memories!

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  7. Beth, I also loved The Monster at the End of this Book (as does my nephew, nowadays) and I was nuts about the Indian in the Cupboard series. How fun to see you mention it! I tried so hard to make my little cowboy and indian action figures come to life but, nothing. ;)
    I was probably a bit older, but I also loved the Redwall series by Brian Jaques, who just passed away recently. I still think about the Dark is Rising series too. Those were great.

    ...Can you tell I liked books as a kid, too?

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  8. Brent,
    It's so funny that so many that read the blog loved the same books! I remember sitting in the theater with my brothers just so excited that I was getting to see it on the big screen!
    I didn't read the other two that you mentioned, so maybe I missed out! It was fun to think back on all the books I read as a kid because I really for a while thought maybe I slacked. No!

    Did you ever join up for those readathons where you got free pizza if you finished so many titles?! Oh man, I did that every year! Haha.

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  9. When I was teaching I used to read Little House and the Monster book to my preschool classes. Although I had to be selective about which classes/children I read the Monster book too, otherwise I'd end up with calls from parents wanting me to explain the nightmares their child was having!

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    1. I can definitely see that. I believe there was one point where I enjoyed it but feared it the same. I guess we continue to do so as adults with amusement rides, horror films and the rest!

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