Saturday, February 11, 2006

Children's Book meme

Writing as my younger self.

What were your three favorite children's series?

1. Nancy Drew
2. The "shoe" books by Noel Streatfield (I read all of them, multiple times. A librarian at the International School, The Hague,NL introduced me to them.) Ballet Shoes, White Boots, The Painted Garden were my favorites.
3. Mary Poppins

What were your three favorite non-series children's books?

1. The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge (I loved Maria's bedroom so much, I still want a round room with a fireplace and a midnight blue ceiling with silver stars painted on it.) Ever since JKR said this was one of her favorites as a child I have felt a real connection with her. She is the only other person I ever "knew" besides me who had read that book.


2. Shadow Castle by Marian Cockrell (I still have my copy of this book. The cover is half off but I remember reading it so many times. A young girl follows her dog into a mysterious valley where she discovers a castle where the inhabitants live as shadows in the walls.


3. Little Witch
by Anna E. Bennett - Minx is the daugher of a nasty witch, Madame Snickasnee who turns kids into flowerpots. She wants to make a fairy appear so she experiments with different potions when her mother is away. It was easy reading but I loved this book.

I have always loved fantasy it would seem.

What are your three favorite children's book characters?

1. Anne Shirley
2. Madeline
3. Winnie the Pooh


Bonus Round #1:

Q. Who wrote your least favorite childhood books?

A. I'm trying to think of any books I read that I really disliked. I read almost anything I could get my hands on. I really became a reader in 4th grade when we lived in Holland and (in those days) there was not much television to compete for my time.

I was never a fan of "sad" animal stories.

Bonus Round #2

Q. What was the saddest moment in your childhood reading?

A. The scene where Black Beauty sees a dead horse (Ginger) her tongue dripping with blood, being carted away. That scene put me off animal books forever which is why I missed the exciting Black Stallion books that I probably would have enjoyed.

Bonus Round #3

Q. Which adult book scared the bejeezus out of you?

A. I read Leon Uris as a jr. high student. Mila 18 really scared me. The Warsaw Uprising, the bravery of the Jews fighting to survive in the Warsaw ghetto and the fact that no one would help them. Horrific then and now.

2 comments:

Melora said...

I haven't read many on your list, but The Little White Horse was also one of my favorites! Have you read Linnets and Valerians, by the same author?
Cordially,
Melora

Camille said...

I started Linnets and Valerians once a few years ago but got distracted . I should revisit it. Nice to find another Little White Horse reader. I noticed that they have glamorized the cover art in the reissued paperback edition. Probably reissued thanks to JKR's interest.