I was surprised by Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson (published 1916). I thought it would be an Our Town-esque view of life in a small town. It was very similar in its setting to Thornton Wilder’s play in that it focused on people in a small community. But Sherwood Anderson’s collection of stories was remarkably
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner (first published 1924) is the first in a series for children about four orphaned children striking out on their own. I haven’t read the others in the series since I was a child and I don’t remember them very well, but the first book was a fun trip
“The Horla” is the term for the invisible ghost-like creature that haunts the unnamed narrator in Guy de Maupassant’s short story of the same name (written 1887). Maupassant’s story is a journal of this man’s decent into madness. Maupassant captures panic in a real way, and the ending is simply wonderful. When I first read
On a humorous note, Too Big by Holly Keller (William Morrow, 1983) showed the potential jealousy that a new baby might bring for an older child. Young possum Henry finds that he is no longer the center of attention when his little brother Jake is brought home from the hospital. He wants to have a
I found Big Brother Now by Annette Sheldon (Magination Press, 2008) in the Parent-Teacher collection of picture books, and it does a wonderful job of explaining rather matter-of-factly the ways in which life changes for a preschool-aged boy when there is a new baby. The illustrations are realistic, and the text is too. When baby
There’s a House Inside My Mommy by Giles Andreae (illustrated by Vanessa Cabban; Albert Whitman, 2002) is the perfect balance between a technical “how a baby grows” and exciting “a baby is coming.” Told in rhyme, this book doesn’t have sketches of the life changes for an older child when a new baby comes, and it
How You Were Born by Joanna Cole (Harper Collins, 1994) is unlike the other books I’ve read by Joanna Cole. This book is illustrated with photographs of babies in utero, newborn babies, and happy families, as well as with a few illustrations and diagrams. It’s also written for slightly older children. Although the words are quite
Since I was sick for a while this summer, for a time, my son’s only understanding of Mommy’s having a baby has been “Mommy is sick a lot.” But now that I’m feeling better and we’ve seen the little Monkey on an ultrasound and all that, my son is getting quite excited. I’m currently 17
Germinal by Emile Zola (first published in French, 1885) is so much more than I can capture in a summary or in an opinion post or review or whatever it is I write. Germinal is 500 pages that immersed me in a world of starving and ill people in an obscure mining town living a
Today is my first day to report on my ghost stories reading project. I’m tackling the Everyman’s Pocket Classics Ghost Stories volume, aiming to read one or two stories a week. My first ghost story was a rather tame one, even by my “I scare easily” standards. In “The Body-Snatcher” by Robert Louis Stevenson (first
Red Wagon by Renata Lewski (2011, Philomel) has soft illustrations of a child-like fox (Lucy) with a new red wagon. Before playtime begins, however, Lucy must run an errand for her mother. As Lucy and her friends head to the market with the red wagon, they have a number of imaginative adventures, all shown through the
Greg Foley’s simple animal world in the Thank You Bear series has been a favorite as well. With plenty of white space and limited text, Thank You, Bear (2007, Viking Juvenile) shows a bear who has a gift he thinks is wonderful for his friend Mouse, but his other friends discourage him. In Good Luck, Bear and Don’t Worry, Bear,
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