The Sensible Nonsense Project
Remembering the books that taught us more than we ever cared to learn.
Rest in peace E. L. Konigsburg, author of one of the greatest children’s books of all time. (Hyperbole? Oh, go get lost in the Met’s fountain.)
I read this more than any children’s book, over and over.
Oh, E. L. Konigsburg. We’ll miss you.
Oh my goodness are we doing favorite children's books from when we were children today? Because I am SO THERE!
Oh my goodness are we doing favorite children’s books from when we were children today? Because I am SO THERE!
- Every Single Babysitter’s club book as soon as it was available
- Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede
- No Flying in the House by Betty Brock
- Catherine, called Birdy by Cushman
- The Princess and the Goblin by MacDonald
- Anne of Green Gables by Montgomery
- Philip Hall Likes Me, I Reckon Maybe by Greene
- Every darn Ramona book that Beverly Cleary would allow me
- From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler by Konigsburg
- Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind by Staples
- The People of Pineapple Place by Lindbergh
- James and the Giant Peach and Matilda by Dahl
- The Doll in the Garden by Hahn
- Johnie Tremain!
Well, if this isn’t the most excellent question. We here at The Sensible Nonsense Project ALWAYS want to hear your answers!
The It-Doesn’t-Matter Suit
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath’s little-known and lovely vintage children’s book, a charming cautionary tale about the perils of self-consciousness, with wonderful illustrations.
"When I was eleven, I didn’t know I was gay; I only knew that I felt different from other people, even from my own family. I was beginning to try to put together the puzzle pieces: I knew I liked boys, the clothes they wore, and the things they did, but I knew I didn’t want to marry one… I had to go underground.Enter Harriet M. Welsch, who became my role model and savior. I read Harriet the Spy soon after it came out (and I now bless the school librarian who put it on the library shelves for me to find). I was absolutely shocked by it at the time. Shocked that Harriet could defy her parents and her friends and still survive. Shocked that she loved and missed Ole Golly so much that she threw a shoe at her father to express her anger. Shocked that an adult author could know so well what really went on in the minds of children.
But the thing that shocked me the most about Harriet was her cross-dressing. It’s an aspect of the novel that girls today would miss entirely (thank goodness!), but in 1965 Harriet’s spy clothes struck me as revolutionary. Back then, girls in blue jeans and hooded sweatshirts were uncommon, though not unheard of. But Harriet’s high-top sneakers were solely boys’ wear…
I’ve read elsewhere of women my age who were inspired to keep notebooks and start their own spy routes, eat tomato sandwiches, and leave anonymous notes after reading Harriet the Spy and The Long Secret. At eleven I didn’t particularly like tomatoes, didn’t have the patience to write, and already had a spy route, so I wasn’t inspired to start any of those things. What Harriet did inspire me to do was to experiment with cross-dressing. I used whatever money I earned doing odd jobs to buy boys’ clothes on the sly and then went into other neighborhoods to play at passing as a boy. When an old man in a grocery store called me “Sonny,” I knew I had passed the test. It was remarkably easy to do, and it was as deliciously thrilling as sneaking into Agatha K. Plumber’s dumbwaiter."
~ “On Spies and Purple Socks and Such” Check out this essay at The Horn Book, in which author Kathleen T. Horning suggests that, as a queer kid in the ’60s, reading Harriet the Spy saved her life — or, at least, made it a bit more comfortable.
Best Opening Lines in Children’s Literature?
“Once upon a time…” is not the only way to begin a children’s book. So hard to pick just 5 when there are dozens that could go on this list, but here are some opening lines that make us want to read these stories all over again!
“Kidnapping children is never a good idea; all the same, sometimes it has to be done.”
nypl:
We’re speechless… and also curious whether we would ever be able to eat any of these cakes, let along cut into one of them. But, we want one anyway.
Of course, we also think that you should read the book while you eat its cake doppelganger, so why not visit NYPL’s online catalog and pick one up today!
Admittedly, these are not all children’s books — but check out that fabulous bottom row!
(Source: bookconfectionery)
Spring Break 2013: Philadelphia Libraries.
Your humble Sensible Nonsense Project blogger has been asking readers to share their favorite books with the young people in their lives, but remember — you don’t have to buy them! Use your local library. They exist, and they’re amazing!
(Source: falling-inlove-with-books)
Get Involved
To share your story about a favorite childhood book that left a lasting impact on you, submit here.
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