Children's Literature: Some recommendations

[Wonderlicious]

I will be going back to university to do a year-long course to become a qualified teacher at the elementary level, and have been reading a good deal of primarily British children's literature, which has been delightful.

Although I will most likely have to focus on children's literature from Britain, I was hoping to look at some books from other English-speaking cultures for possible use in either English classes or in reading sessions (where I would read a book in installments for a class). Considering most of you are American, I think here may be a good place to start to ask for some recommendations as far as American books are concerned. I can think of a few obvious "classics"(Charlotte's Web, The Wizard of Oz etc), but I'm actually quite stumped as far as more recent books (as in titles from the last forty or fifty years) are concerned. It probably doesn't also help knowing that the likes of Roald Dahl, J.K. Rowling and others are just as popular in the US as they are in the UK!

I'm mainly looking for novels/novellas, as I'm already well acquainted with some significant American picture books (such as those by Maurice Sendak, Eric Carle etc). A range of genres would be welcome, though do bear in mind that I would be working with children 11 and under, so anything a bit heavy or too long isn't worth looking at. As I said, I know some of the long established titles, and I want to be fairly up to date, so the more modern the better.

Thanks in advance, and I promise anybody wanting some British kidlit recommendations is welcome anytime.

[Dr Frankenollie]

-

[UmbrellaFish]

I know you already mentioned him, but Roald Dahl is a must. I adored reading his books growing up.

Magic Tree House and Junie B. Jones books were staples of first-grade classrooms when I was growing up. They aren't particularly challenging for a child, but MTH can be quite educational. I wouldn't exactly call them classics, though.

Another favorite E. B. White book I had growing up was The Trumpet of the Swan.

All of my teachers read Louis Sachar's Holes from third grade to fifth. That was a very popular choice.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. The ending is sad, of course.

I second Dr Frankenollie's choice of Pippi Longstocking. Those were very fun novels.

I didn't care for them, but the Peter and the... series by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry would probably be appropriate. But no where near as good as J.M. Barrie's original!

Little Bear was popular. I loved the Madeline books.

I'm sure you're aware of it, but I think Dodie Smith's 101 Dalmatians is worthy of more readings than it tends to get.

Beverly Clearly is very popular here. I can't stand most of her work myself, but her books are still constantly read by students.

I think The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson is a popular choice, but I don't remember much of the plot.

I'm tempted to say Sharon Creech, but I think her work is more mature.

I liked The Lost Years of Merlin by a T.A. Barron, but if memory serves me, the books got darker as the series went on.

Now, I gotta mention some Julie Andrews books:

Mandy has never been one of my favorites, but it's a sweet story nonetheless and is popular.

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles is my favorite of hers. It's in the style of the Oz books or a Dahl book. It is a bit 1970s, but I found the book quite thought-provoking as a third grader (the book touches on the concepts of the morality behind nuclear weaponry and genetic cloning, but it's handled well and otherwise the book is pure fun).

Dragon: Hound of Honor is my favorite piece of her newer works. It's about a dog who's owner is murdered and through the course of the book, helps reveal the killer. It is dark, though, but nothing an eleven year old shouldn't be able to handle.

[pinkrenata]

Yay for teaching and for kid's lit! My literary tastes err on the old-fashioned (and girly) side. Basically, if it's a children's book and if it was written over fifty years ago, I have most likely read it and loved it.

The Betsy-Tacy books are nearest and dearest to my heart, since they pretty much fit the old-fashioned bill for me and they are set in Minnesota. I know they're available on Amazon.uk because I purchased a set to donate to the school in Germany I worked at. Here's a link that tells more about them:

http://www.betsy-tacysociety.org/sites/ ... ptions.pdf

They're great because the reading level grows with the reader -- from the beginning reader, all the way to high school.

Also, for slightly older readers, Heather Vogel Frederick has come out with a series called "The Mother-Daughter Book Club" that deals with classic books like Little Women and Anne of Green Gables (my favorite of all favorite books). She's actually coming out with a Betsy-Tacy one this fall. (Eeee!)

http://www.heathervogelfrederick.com/bo ... other.html

I'm thinking, being a Brit, you're familiar with E. Nesbit. She's delightful. Edward Eager, an American who wrote in the 1950s penned some fun magical books that were heavily influenced by Nesbit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Eag ... scriptions

For more American authors, try Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume (my 4th graders have been loving <u>Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing</u> during our read aloud time). Also Lois Lowry. And Karen Cushman.

Here's a good collection of authors and the books they have written. In fact, I'm bookmarking it so <i>I</i> can go through it when I have time:

http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/authors.asp

Picture books -- have you checked out Eloise yet?
I have also used <u>Math Curse</u> by Jon Scieszka in a number of math-literary connection lessons.

I could go on and on and on and on and on and on and on...

[Disney's Divinity]

I liked The Lost Years of Merlin by a T.A. Barron, but if memory serves me, the books got darker as the series went on.

Yeah, I really loved this series as a child, and they aren't too long.

Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain is another, though I don't think he was an American author. All the other ones I can think of are by Roald Dahl (The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, The Twits, etc.) or Beverly Clearly (Socks, Ramona, etc.). There's the Little House on the Prairie books, too.

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is not a great piece of literature, but it could be an interesting way to introduce mythology into the classroom (in a more fun, contemporary way). The Series of Unfortunate Events would be good for wordplay and so on, even if it can be monotonous. I looked through some of the books I’ve read over the years, and I thought maybe these would be good:

A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck - I think this is part of a series, but I’ve only read the first. It was a very good book, but it dealt with serious issues of poverty, death, etc. It’s set on a farm back in the late 1800s/early 1900s, I think.

Lyddie by Katherine Paterson - One young girl’s life in a factory. Mostly to due with the Industrial Revolution. Very woman-centered (feminism, independence, etc.)

Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian - Kind of a depressing book about the life of a boy during World War II (he wasn’t in camps or anything, just his experience of the bombings in London, being shipped off to the country, and so on).

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls - Really good book, but I can’t remember many details. It has a lot to do with a boy raising hunting hounds.

The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter

I hope these aren’t too serious for what you're looking for; I remember reading most of these in elementary/middle school.

[Wonderlicious]

I know you already mentioned him, but Roald Dahl is a must. I adored reading his books growing up.

Roald Dahl is one of the writers most read by children, and I've read/re-read a good deal of his books lately. In fact, I'm trying to stop myself from reading any more of his books for a while, as I feel like I'm focusing too much on him! I'm actually experiencing a real rekindling of my love for his books (I went through a teenage phase where I wrote off a lot of his stuff as weird and/or childish), though I've yet to re-read two of my childhood favourites of his, The Witches and Esio Trot. For my own pleasure, I'd like to read some of his adult short stories sometime soon as well.

Actually, I think that it may be a good idea to re-list the books I've read recently, which I chronicled in the "What Are You Reading?" thread. This list focuses squarely on novels and novellas, and excludes the non-fiction, anthologies, poetry and picture books I've ploughed through.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl
Matilda by Roald Dahl
The Iron Man by Ted Hughes
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Friend or Foe by Michael Morpurgo
The Mozart Question by Michael Morpurgo
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Clockwork by Philip Pullman (reading now)
The Firework Maker's Daughter by Philip Pullman
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling (British, original version of the first HP book; the American edition is phoney and changed the stone's ownership )
The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White
The Suitcase Kid by Jacqueline Wilson

Most of the books I borrowed from the library or from friends/family, though I did actually buy a few personally. There are also some books that I read or re-read relatively recently (as in the past three years). These have mainly been classics (Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio) but I also read the first two books of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials", with the third book always getting pushed aside for "later reading" due to various reasons (though I realise these books may be a bit much for under 11s). I'm also obviously well aware of many traditional stories (fables, fairy tales, legends etc), and I've looked at some interesting versions of those stories during my many times scouring through picture books.

Now on to reply to a few of the recommendations:

-The Wind in the Willows: I've got a copy of this that I've had for years now. It has been on my to-read list, though it's not really been a priority.

-Holes: How did I forget this? True, I've not read it, but I was aware of it and its status (our beloved Disney did make a film of it), so I will take a look at it sometime.

-Pippi Longstocking: I don't think this is as popular in Britain as it appears to be in America and some other European countries, so I never really gave it much thought. However, I think I will, though I may not give it priority.

-Coraline: Another one I've been meaning to look at, I'd just forgotten! I've also been meaning to read Neil Gaiman's other children's novel, The Graveyard Book. I was aware that it was a bit scary and grizzly, but obviously it's detached enough from reality.

-Artemis Fowl: I was aware of this book's existence, but it came out a little bit after my time. Needless to say, I am aware that it's worth reading due to its popularity. In fact, I saw in a bookshop over here that it was published as a "Puffin Modern Classic", an achievement considering it's only 10 years old.

-Books by Jacqueline Wilson: Is she popular in the US? Her books are very much so in Britain (though I would say she has a reputation of being an author for girls), but I assumed their domestic nature would make the transition across the pond a bit more difficult.

Here's a good collection of authors and the books they have written. In fact, I'm bookmarking it so <i>I</i> can go through it when I have time:

http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/authors.asp

That's a pretty good list. I'm not sure if you have, but do check out some of Philip Pullman's works. Aside from "His Dark Materials" (the first book being adapted into the film The Golden Compass), he has written some shorter fantasy novels that I think everyone here would like, and would be particularly suitable for under 11s (as opposed to "His Dark Materials", which are perhaps geared towards a slightly older readership). I've read two of them recently, and they derive much of their fantasy and plots from traditional fairy tales and legends (in fact, he has been known to label them as "fairy tales"). The next book of his that I'm aiming to read is I Was A Rat!, which concerns a pageboy from a certain fairy tale who gets stranded from his cohorts.

[Linden]

Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain is another, though I don't think he was an American author.

He was American. He was inspired to write the books when he went to Wales to train in WWII. I wholeheartedly second this suggestion. I love those books!

You're looking specifically for American books? My first suggestion is to check the Newbery Award list. The Newbery Award is only given to books by American authors. I've never really found a Newbery I didn't like.

Well, here's some of my suggestions.

Mrs. Piggle-wiggle books by Betty MacDonald. Very funny children's books about the eccentric Mrs. Pigglewiggle, and how she cures all the children around of ailments such as tattling, staying up late, not taking baths, being picky, etc. They're from the 50's, I think, but still enjoyable today.

Wayside School books by Louis Sachar. My eight year old cousin is a reluctant reader, but I got him to start reading the first one, and he would sit reading it laughing out loud. They're very funny, in a random way.

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Gannett Stiles. One of my elementary teachers read this to me and it became my favorite book for a time. There's two sequels, but these aren't as good, and they're not necessary to the plot.

When I think of any other personal recommendatinos I'll post them.

I work at a library, so I see what kids of different ages like. Kids around eleven tend to like books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, Junie B. Jones, Goosebumps (Heaven forbid!), Judy Moody, Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys books, The 39 Clues, Dragon Slayers Academy, American Girl books, Geronimo Stilton, etc. Most of that wouldn't really be considered literature, but that's what kids read these days.

Hope that helps.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

I wholeheartedly suggest Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time and, to a lesser extent, it's subsequent sequels. It was my favorite novel as a child (I believe I first read it when I was in the third grade, so I was about 8 years old), and I still love reading it today. It's science fiction for the most part, but all the characters are engaging and the main trio go on a great quest to rescue the protagonist's father. I love the novel, so maybe you could see if it works for you.

[Scarred4life]

Definitely read Artemis Fowl. Definitely. Another good author whom I enjoyed as a child (and still do) is Gordan Korman. I also really like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.

[Sky Syndrome]

Here are my recommendations:

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
The Pinballs by Betsy Byars
Invitation to the Game by Monica Hughes
The Great Brain series by John Dennis Fitzgerald
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

I'll keep thinking of more to post.

[Wonderlicious]

You're looking specifically for American books? My first suggestion is to check the Newbery Award list. The Newbery Award is only given to books by American authors. I've never really found a Newbery I didn't like.

Obviously I'm not looking squarely to use American books. It's just that I sometimes find with British system is that it sometimes feels like there's perhaps a bit too much emphasis on exclusively English literature, and that the shared literary heritage we have due to English's status as a global language finds itself, and also with having countless ties with the European continent, being ignored. When I was at primary school, there were reasonably few American books promoted all things considered, and I cannot think of any children's books from Australia or New Zealand. The only American books I therefore read were some of the more well established titles, such as Charlotte's Web and The Wizard of Oz.

Past the primary level, things are somewhat better as far as English-language texts are concerned. In fact, perhaps the most read book in high schools is Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and I know that the likes of The Crucible and To Kill a Mockingbird are also widely read for the GCSE award (a qualification earned while at high school, though not equivalent to the final diploma). However, the range of books being studied or recommended can end up being quite slim, and tends to be dictated by what exam board the school uses. As a result, I missed out on some real literary greats, and am only now really beginning to catch up on some of these important texts in my own time. I very recently read The Catcher in the Rye, which has now become one of my favourite novels, and I have copies of Pride and Prejudice, The Old Man and the Sea and The Great Gatsby waiting to be read.

There's also the question that translations of foreign literature for secondary level qualifications like GCSE and A-Level, aren't allowed. Compare this to France, where translations of Shakespeare are a regular feature in work towards their high school diploma; equally, I remember an American telling me that she had read some of Franz Kafka's work in high school English. I can understand why some may object to translations, since by their nature they aren't an authoritative version, but the fact is that one cannot simply ignore world literature and the impact it equally has upon our culture. Much of the foundation for Western literature finds itself in the Hellenic classics and the Bible, and the likes of Goethe, Voltaire, Kafka and countless others are just as important as Shakespeare, Dickens, Steinbeck or Hemingway.

Basically, what I'm trying to do is to look at a good number of texts in the English language from a variety of different countries, and see which ones may be worthy of note. Anyway, enough of that monologue, and thanks for mentioning the Newbury award!

I work at a library, so I see what kids of different ages like. Kids around eleven tend to like books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, Junie B. Jones, Goosebumps (Heaven forbid!), Judy Moody, Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys books, The 39 Clues, Dragon Slayers Academy, American Girl books, Geronimo Stilton, etc. Most of that wouldn't really be considered literature, but that's what kids read these days.

Hope that helps.

Do kids still read "Goosebumps"? I was under the impression that they were simply "books of the hour" (aka pulp fiction) and hadn't endured. I'm also aware of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series, and have noticed that they are popular, but I have tended to see them, like "Goosebumps", as being stuff that won't really endure.

[pinkrenata]

I'm not sure if you have, but do check out some of Philip Pullman's works. Aside from "His Dark Materials" (the first book being adapted into the film The Golden Compass), he has written some shorter fantasy novels that I think everyone here would like, and would be particularly suitable for under 11s (as opposed to "His Dark Materials", which are perhaps geared towards a slightly older readership). I've read two of them recently, and they derive much of their fantasy and plots from traditional fairy tales and legends (in fact, he has been known to label them as "fairy tales"). The next book of his that I'm aiming to read is I Was A Rat!, which concerns a pageboy from a certain fairy tale who gets stranded from his cohorts.

I'll check those out! I did read the "His Dark Materials" series and liked it, but wasn't as blown away by it as most are.

I think it's important to get to know some of the "fads of the week" literature so you can find out what sort of books are going to hook in kids who don't really like to read. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books are fairly well-done and good for visual learners who might have trouble reading your typical chapter book. I've got a few "Goosebumps" books in my classroom library, too, just for old times' sake.