Few of you know that I collect children & young adult books. I’ve always been an avid reader and these books really paved the way for my love of reading. Every month I try to read or re-read a children/YA book in addition to my regular reading. There are some amazing authors out there in young adult and just because I am no longer in that demographic, doesn’t mean I should stop being allowed to enjoy them.
Here are a few of my favorites from my collection. If you would like a quick read that is enjoyable, try checking these out. If you would like further recommendations on young adult books, check out my friend Amanda’s blog, Lit from the Wasteland.
This is the very first book I can remember being read to me and later learning to read with. It is the simpliest thing in the entire world – just pictures in different shapes. Not to spoil the ending, but we discover in the end it is actually a cloud. Playful and a great reminder of how we were all curious as children.
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel
This story is old school, originally published in 1939. I have a weakness for stories that create personalities for inanimate objects. What is great about this story is it touches on how technology causes some objects to become obsolete, such as with the new gasoline powered shovels, but that the old tools still have a good use.
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
This really isn’t a book you read. It is full of drawings by artist and writer Chris Van Allsburg, made famous by his works The Polar Express and Jumanji. Many of the drawings are dramatic and eerie, which I love. Next to each drawing, Allsburg wrote one line of text, such as “A little voice asked, Is he the one?” The idae of the book is for the reader to create their own story. I used this book in my classroom as a filler activity for my homeroom students. The stories they created were stupendous, sometimes a bit dark and really funny.
The Giver is in my opinion one of the greatest children’s novels of our time. Lois Lowry is an incredibly gifted author who has also written another of my favorites, Number the Stars. I first read The Giver in 5th grade as part of a book challenge. The book centers around 12-year-old Jonas, who lives in a utopic society free of crime and pain, but also color and emotion. Each child is selected for an appretenciship at the age of 12 and Jonas is chosen to be the next Giver. The story is incredibly moving and thought-evoking in the same way as the novel Brave New World, but for youth.
I’ve always wondered how events like the Holocaust or World War II can be written for children. It is hard to write such tragedy in a way that young readers can understand without being too graphic. This was the very first book I read about the Vietnam War. Author Walter Dean Myers is able to develop characters and capture the mood of the war, without causing nightmares. This book makes me tear up every time I read it. A tremendous piece of work.
Cool post. I was also an avid reader as a kid. This one book has always stayed with me; it’s called Only One Woof. I loved it when I was little. It’s about a sheep dog that only ever barks one time. The one time he barks I’m sure is a very poignant scene and the climax of the book, but I forget the story. Wonder if that’s still at my parents’ house?
What a great list! Thanks Katie. I will get some for Omar. The Steam Shovel piques my interest!
Omar and I read a series of books by Paul Goble, an author and illustrator of Native American children’s stories. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Goble
One of our favorites is Mystic Horse. A story of a poor boy who finds a magic horse in the forest. He rides the magic horse into battle where he and his tribe are victorious, but tragedy strikes. It is a beautiful story and the illustrations are incredible.