A Peek At The Bookshelf
In honour of Family Literacy Day, I’m going to share one of my Lists of Essential Books. It’s by no means a comprehensive list; it’s more of a starting point, really. These are the books that form the basis of the The Ladies personal libraries–For each birthday, I buy them each a copy that is theirs and theirs alone (all the other books on the shelves are community property. Unless they’re mine. Then keep your grubby paws off!). I’m hoping that by gifting them with these libraries, I’m fostering in them a love of books and a sense of their value. I’m all for using the public library, but there’s something special about owning books that I think
is key to promoting literacy. When you own something, you understand its value. A book that sits on your shelf, that you can leaf through any time you choose, has a power that can’t be matched by the temporary nature of a story that is living on borrowed time in your backpack. So, because I want to raise readers who share my love of a quiet afternoon spent devouring a good story, I gift my children with books.
1. My Very First Mother Goose by Iona Opie
2. The Complete Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
3. The Tales of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter
4. The Complete Adventures of Curious George by Margret and H. A. Rey
5. Mad about Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
6. Bonjour Babar by Jean de Brunhoff
7. The Ultimate Eloise by Kay Thompson; Absolutely, Positively Alexander by Judith Viorst
8. The Compete Ramona books by Beverly Cleary; The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
9. The Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder; The Great Brain books by John Fitzgerald
10. The Fudge books by Judy Blume; The Soup books by Richard Peck
11. The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
12. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
12. The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
13. The Adrian Mole Diaries by Sue Townsend
14. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series by Ann Brashares
15. The Time Quartet by Madeline L’Engle; His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman
16. The Chronicles of Pern by Anne McCaffery
17. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein
18. The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
19. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson
20. The Foundation Series by Issac Asimov
21. The Collected Works of William Shakespeare
It’s by no means a comprehensive list. There are a lot of books missing: Goodnight Moon, Little Women, Charlotte’s Web, Harriet the Spy, The Mixed up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankenweller…..It’s not that I don’t value those books as well. In fact, I’m looking at all of them on the book shelf, along with a raft of Roald Dahl and E. Nesbitt, right now. But these are the Birthday books. Chosen partly for their age appropriate value, and partly because, if you clicked on the links, some of them are bloody expensive, and it’s hard to justify that kind of money on books any other way.
The other important thing to know is that it’s not enough to give the books. You have to read them too. But, for me, anyway, that’s the best part: Taking these wonderful stories that I loved and sharing them with my daughters. I may give them the gift of the books, but they return the favour by allowing me to read with them.
Edit: After you chime in on your essentials, head on over to Bumblebee Sweetpotato for a discussion on books that suck (Lemony Snicket, we’re looking at you!)