About four months ago, I was walking through a mall downtown and they were having a book sale in the atrium. I was on my way to a meeting, and didn’t have a lot of time to browse, but I saw a paperback copy of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, re-issued with a section of glossy pictures from the movie in the centre of the book.
It was only $2.99, and so I picked it up. I clearly remember reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, when I was somewhere between seven and nine years old. I had borrowed it from the school library. I remember lying on the black vinyl couch, and on the orange shag carpet, trying to imagine what it would be like to make a single chocolate bar last a whole year. The idea of Charlie’s father, Mr Bucket, working in a factory screwing on toothpaste-tube caps stayed with me my whole life, for some reason.
I thought Tristan would be a little bit too young for it, but around the same time Marla had been talking about reading Charlotte’s Web to Josephine, and Josie’s quite a bit younger than Tristan, so I thought I’d give it a try. One afternoon we read a few pages, but he squirmed and wriggled and asked non-sequiter questions as I was reading, and I figured we’d save ourselves the stress and pick it up in a few years.
A couple of weeks ago, Beloved – who is usually in charge of Tristan’s bedtime reading – was teaching late and I was putting Tristan to bed. I saw that they had started reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and were a few chapters in, and I was delighted to continue.
At first, I thought he wasn’t paying attention. He was looking around the room, lifting his legs up the side of the wall and playing with the covers. There isn’t an illustration on every page, and I suppose a page full of text that he can’t yet read isn’t much of a focal point. But every time I turned a fresh page he would to tell me the number of the chapter on that page, so he is watching, and when I asked him about what was happening, it was clear he was following the story.
I’m so excited to have entered a new world of books that we can share. Beloved has been great about finding interesting picture books from the library, and I’ve loved reading a lot of them. But now that we can start reading simple chapter books, I have a whole childhood of memories pressed carefully between dusty pages of an old novel that I just can’t wait to share. Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, Beezus and Ramona, Superfudge… I’m excited just thinking about these old friends.
Beloved said last night that once they finish the book, he’d like to rent the Johnny Depp version of the movie for Tristan to watch, but I disagreed. He’s just barely discovered the joy of a book that can be savoured over the course of a couple of weeks, versus one consumed in a single sitting, and I’m reluctant to replace the pictures in his head with the ones conjured up by the Hollywood special-effects crews. Beloved thinks I’m a little weird on this point.
So now that we’re standing on the threshold of a brave new world of chapter books, I need ideas. Which books do you remember from your childhood, and which ones have your kids loved?
(Whoops! Edited to add: this post was partly inspired by a writing prompt over at Crazy Hip Blog Mamas. I’ve been a member of the ring since I started blogging a year and a half ago, but lately they’ve really been doing a lot of work to build a nice blogging mama community. Check them out!)
Ah! A topic close to my heart. I LOVE reading chapter books with the girls. And I’ve totally used it as an excuse to go back to old faves. We did Charlie and the Chocolate Factory too as well as Charlotte’s Web. And right now we’re in the middle of a collection of Secret Seven adventures by Enid Blyton.
Others we’ve read:
– The Secret Garden
– The Trumpet of the Swan
– The first two books of the Narnia series
– Half Magic (which has apparently been around for years but this was my first time reading and it was AMAZING)
– The Borrowers
… and we also started the original Peter Pan but I think that was too hard.
I took a children’s lit class at Carleton. We’re slowly going through my reading list. 🙂
Ah! A topic close to my heart. I LOVE reading chapter books with the girls. And I’ve totally used it as an excuse to go back to old faves. We did Charlie and the Chocolate Factory too as well as Charlotte’s Web. And right now we’re in the middle of a collection of Secret Seven adventures by Enid Blyton.
Others we’ve read:
– The Secret Garden
– The Trumpet of the Swan
– The first two books of the Narnia series
– Half Magic (which has apparently been around for years but this was my first time reading and it was AMAZING)
– The Borrowers
… and we also started the original Peter Pan but I think that was too hard.
I took a children’s lit class at Carleton. We’re slowly going through my reading list. 🙂
How about the Beverly Cleary books, like Henry and Ribsy? Or the ones like Pickle Puss. Another great lot would be the choose your own adventure, my little guy loves them!!
How about the Beverly Cleary books, like Henry and Ribsy? Or the ones like Pickle Puss. Another great lot would be the choose your own adventure, my little guy loves them!!
I loved the Narnia series (okay, the first two books, and then I lost interest…I do intend to read them all one day).
I also was a big fan of the little house on the prairie and anne of green gables books.
However, my favourite was always Roald Dahl. My parents never read him to me, I discovered him all on my own at the school library one day and I devoured his books almost in secret – I remember after reading The Witches for months I kept watching the little old ladies at the church, checking to see if any of them wore gloves, hats or wigs, and square shoes, for then I would know that they were witches…
And Trumpet of the Swan is my favourite EB White book. As much as I love Charlotte, there was something about TotS that resonated with my young mind.
Oh I love kids books. Enjoy! Oh, and Andrea – I took the same kids’ lit class at Carleton. It’s a great reading list 🙂
I loved the Narnia series (okay, the first two books, and then I lost interest…I do intend to read them all one day).
I also was a big fan of the little house on the prairie and anne of green gables books.
However, my favourite was always Roald Dahl. My parents never read him to me, I discovered him all on my own at the school library one day and I devoured his books almost in secret – I remember after reading The Witches for months I kept watching the little old ladies at the church, checking to see if any of them wore gloves, hats or wigs, and square shoes, for then I would know that they were witches…
And Trumpet of the Swan is my favourite EB White book. As much as I love Charlotte, there was something about TotS that resonated with my young mind.
Oh I love kids books. Enjoy! Oh, and Andrea – I took the same kids’ lit class at Carleton. It’s a great reading list 🙂
Anything Roald Dahl for me too…
Fantastic Mr. Fox is my earliest chapter book memory from Libary Time at my Orleans, Ont. elementary school. The Librarian would sit in an old wooden rocking chair, we would sit cross-legged on the floor around her and she would read, sharing the illustrations as she went. I can hear the crinkle of the acetate dustjacket now…
As our eldest began to show her inherited insatiable appetite for reading and since she already 4 yrs I thought we should move to chapter books… and Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Alas the newly minted copies of this novella have the artwork all wrong. Nothing like I remembered. I simply had to have the original 1971 hardcover with pencil sketches.
Thanks to the Net, I found the book (in Utah, no less) and less than a week later and for only a few dollars it was ours.
I was so happy to find my daughter loves the story and drawings as much as I love sharing them with her.
My other suggestion (in addition to the great ones mentioned above) is “My Side of the Mountain” by Jean Craighead George.
Happy reading!
Anything Roald Dahl for me too…
Fantastic Mr. Fox is my earliest chapter book memory from Libary Time at my Orleans, Ont. elementary school. The Librarian would sit in an old wooden rocking chair, we would sit cross-legged on the floor around her and she would read, sharing the illustrations as she went. I can hear the crinkle of the acetate dustjacket now…
As our eldest began to show her inherited insatiable appetite for reading and since she already 4 yrs I thought we should move to chapter books… and Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Alas the newly minted copies of this novella have the artwork all wrong. Nothing like I remembered. I simply had to have the original 1971 hardcover with pencil sketches.
Thanks to the Net, I found the book (in Utah, no less) and less than a week later and for only a few dollars it was ours.
I was so happy to find my daughter loves the story and drawings as much as I love sharing them with her.
My other suggestion (in addition to the great ones mentioned above) is “My Side of the Mountain” by Jean Craighead George.
Happy reading!
I love all of the Little Miss and Little Mr books, The Chronicles of Narnia (yes, I read them all – many, many times), the Emily of New Moon series by Lucy Maud Montgomery, the original Nancy Drews (haha!), and anything by Robert Munsch and Roald Dahl. Some of those are “girl picks” I guess, but I loved them all, and love many of them still.
I love all of the Little Miss and Little Mr books, The Chronicles of Narnia (yes, I read them all – many, many times), the Emily of New Moon series by Lucy Maud Montgomery, the original Nancy Drews (haha!), and anything by Robert Munsch and Roald Dahl. Some of those are “girl picks” I guess, but I loved them all, and love many of them still.
Ooo and yes, The Secret Garden! I forgot about that one! 🙂
Ooo and yes, The Secret Garden! I forgot about that one! 🙂
from my chilhood- not the baby’s, we’re still working on attention span for goodnight moon, can’t wait for chapter books-
anyway, the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. There are a blue million of them now, but at least the first three are really cool.
from my chilhood- not the baby’s, we’re still working on attention span for goodnight moon, can’t wait for chapter books-
anyway, the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. There are a blue million of them now, but at least the first three are really cool.
Oh, I remember “My Side of the Mountain”! What a wonderful book! Maybe a little old for Tristan, but you never know.
When my son was just starting to read, he would read an easy book to me, then I would read a chapter of a harder book to him. We started reading “Hoot” not long ago. Again, maybe a little old for Tristan, but the taking turns reading has been great at keeping him going.
Oh, I remember “My Side of the Mountain”! What a wonderful book! Maybe a little old for Tristan, but you never know.
When my son was just starting to read, he would read an easy book to me, then I would read a chapter of a harder book to him. We started reading “Hoot” not long ago. Again, maybe a little old for Tristan, but the taking turns reading has been great at keeping him going.
I just happened upon your blog a few weeks ago and I can’t believe how much we have in common! I totally agree with you about reading and movies and all of that. I’m afraid I’ve failed my oldest son in that regard – he’s twelve and not so interested in reading. And I’m embarrassed to admit, but I’ve never thought of reading chapter books out loud to my kids!! I’m always looking for the ones with the pictures that can be finished in one night.
The two books I remember as favorites are James and the Giant Peach and The Girl with the Silver Eyes. I think I read both of these when I was 8 or 9. I think James and the Giant Peach would be a good one to read right now. In fact, we have it at home and I think I’m going to start reading it to my five year old tonight!!
Thanks Dani!!
I just happened upon your blog a few weeks ago and I can’t believe how much we have in common! I totally agree with you about reading and movies and all of that. I’m afraid I’ve failed my oldest son in that regard – he’s twelve and not so interested in reading. And I’m embarrassed to admit, but I’ve never thought of reading chapter books out loud to my kids!! I’m always looking for the ones with the pictures that can be finished in one night.
The two books I remember as favorites are James and the Giant Peach and The Girl with the Silver Eyes. I think I read both of these when I was 8 or 9. I think James and the Giant Peach would be a good one to read right now. In fact, we have it at home and I think I’m going to start reading it to my five year old tonight!!
Thanks Dani!!
Ahhhh, I can remember sitting on the scratchy brown couch that mom had inherited from her Auntie Winnifred who had inherited it from her mother in law with the window open and rain pooling in the window sill. And any one of these books in my hand and heart:
– Beezus and Ramona (and series)
– Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (and series)
Any of these books by Bernice Thurman Hunter :
The Booky Triology
The Margret Triology
– Charlotte’s Web
– Little Women
Any Judy Blume book
How to eat fried worms. (I used to chase my brother with a worm shouting the bully’s motto :”The bigger and juicer, the better”
For some reason I loved stories set in the Depression era. My absolute favourite and I can’t find a copy of it anywhere is “A sister for Helen” by Grace Hogarth. Dropping hints to my husband who may be searching for a nice birthday present for me!
I loved reading this story to my nieces : The Quiltmaker’s gift”
Ah you have sent me back to time when I would devour books in a day and crave more before bed. Thank you!
Ahhhh, I can remember sitting on the scratchy brown couch that mom had inherited from her Auntie Winnifred who had inherited it from her mother in law with the window open and rain pooling in the window sill. And any one of these books in my hand and heart:
– Beezus and Ramona (and series)
– Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (and series)
Any of these books by Bernice Thurman Hunter :
The Booky Triology
The Margret Triology
– Charlotte’s Web
– Little Women
Any Judy Blume book
How to eat fried worms. (I used to chase my brother with a worm shouting the bully’s motto :”The bigger and juicer, the better”
For some reason I loved stories set in the Depression era. My absolute favourite and I can’t find a copy of it anywhere is “A sister for Helen” by Grace Hogarth. Dropping hints to my husband who may be searching for a nice birthday present for me!
I loved reading this story to my nieces : The Quiltmaker’s gift”
Ah you have sent me back to time when I would devour books in a day and crave more before bed. Thank you!
Most of my childhood favorites were already mentioned (Little Women, Charlottes Web, The Secret Garden, The Chronicles of Narnia).
I loved anything horsey, so Black Beauty was a wonderful book. Sounds girly, but the kid in the book is a boy…
Also I remember vividly “A Wrinkle in Time”. A bit of a sci-fi thing, but extremely vivid and really makes you think, both scientifically and creatively.
Most of my childhood favorites were already mentioned (Little Women, Charlottes Web, The Secret Garden, The Chronicles of Narnia).
I loved anything horsey, so Black Beauty was a wonderful book. Sounds girly, but the kid in the book is a boy…
Also I remember vividly “A Wrinkle in Time”. A bit of a sci-fi thing, but extremely vivid and really makes you think, both scientifically and creatively.
Our first chapter book was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory too. We had a very similar response to it – it was a whole new paradigm of listening, to only have a picture every 2-3 pages, but he loved it.
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator also went over well.
We did an abridged Wind in the WIllows — great illustrations, great abridgement — that was well recieved. “Little House in the Big Woods” was fun, but he zoned out of the beginning of “Farmer Boy” and we haven’t gone back to it. “Rabbit Hill” was a bust, with all that dialect, and he was uninterested in “Ramona the Pest,” to my sadness.
“Ben and Me” was a hit. And now we’re working our way through the entire Harry Potter oevre. I’d planned to stop after Book 3, when the series darkens considerably, but he begged and begged to start Book 4. We may find that his interest wanes for awhile after that, but we’ll see.
I remember loving all Dahl books, the All of a Kind Family books, Mary Poppins, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, the Secret Garden and A Little Princess, Narnia, anything by Edward Eager or E. Nesbit, Diana Wynne Jones (precursor to Rowling’s stylings), Little House books, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings (Dad read me those), Watership Down, Charlotte’s Web, just about any E.L. Konigsburg (Secret Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler), Borrowers series, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Miss Bianca/the Rescuers… and oh, gosh, there’s more, I know…
Our first chapter book was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory too. We had a very similar response to it – it was a whole new paradigm of listening, to only have a picture every 2-3 pages, but he loved it.
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator also went over well.
We did an abridged Wind in the WIllows — great illustrations, great abridgement — that was well recieved. “Little House in the Big Woods” was fun, but he zoned out of the beginning of “Farmer Boy” and we haven’t gone back to it. “Rabbit Hill” was a bust, with all that dialect, and he was uninterested in “Ramona the Pest,” to my sadness.
“Ben and Me” was a hit. And now we’re working our way through the entire Harry Potter oevre. I’d planned to stop after Book 3, when the series darkens considerably, but he begged and begged to start Book 4. We may find that his interest wanes for awhile after that, but we’ll see.
I remember loving all Dahl books, the All of a Kind Family books, Mary Poppins, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, the Secret Garden and A Little Princess, Narnia, anything by Edward Eager or E. Nesbit, Diana Wynne Jones (precursor to Rowling’s stylings), Little House books, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings (Dad read me those), Watership Down, Charlotte’s Web, just about any E.L. Konigsburg (Secret Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler), Borrowers series, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Miss Bianca/the Rescuers… and oh, gosh, there’s more, I know…
apart from those already mentioned, afraid my list would be too girly and slightly french:
Comtesse de Ségur series
Petit Nicholas series
Le Petit Prince, St-Exupéry
nancy Drew books
Little House in the Prairie
Little Women
funny, I took a child lit course too but at McGill
apart from those already mentioned, afraid my list would be too girly and slightly french:
Comtesse de Ségur series
Petit Nicholas series
Le Petit Prince, St-Exupéry
nancy Drew books
Little House in the Prairie
Little Women
funny, I took a child lit course too but at McGill
Best boy books ever:
Phantom Tollbooth, by Norman Juster (and! there’s a train!)
Danny, Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
The Series of Unfortunate Event books by Lemony Snicket (every chapter has a grammar or vocab lesson in it!)
Best boy books ever:
Phantom Tollbooth, by Norman Juster (and! there’s a train!)
Danny, Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
The Series of Unfortunate Event books by Lemony Snicket (every chapter has a grammar or vocab lesson in it!)
My childhood faves include…
Anne of Green Gables
Any of AA Milne Winnie The Pooh
The Narnia Chronicles
James Harriot’s “It shouldn’t happen to a vet” series
Little house on the prairie series
The kids loved anything that we would read them, although the oldest really loved the Redwall series, and any of the magic tree house books.
My childhood faves include…
Anne of Green Gables
Any of AA Milne Winnie The Pooh
The Narnia Chronicles
James Harriot’s “It shouldn’t happen to a vet” series
Little house on the prairie series
The kids loved anything that we would read them, although the oldest really loved the Redwall series, and any of the magic tree house books.
All of the suggestions are fantastic, and I concur. And I did find a vintage VHS version of the Charlotte’s Web movie I remember seeing for Josie, and she loves it.
Don’t forget the Winnie the Pooh stories – the real ones!
And without scrolling back up to check – what about Kipling? Riki Tiki Tavi is so cool, as are the other Jungle Book stories. I might do those with Josie next.
I think reading chapter books at two and a half means more that I’m boring her to sleep, but I think that she also like the sound of my voice, rising and falling with the words, made better by the fact that they’re from great authors.
PS – after the suggestions from my Mommybloggers posts, I’ve gone on to read more of EB White’s essays and poems — and Josephine Loves LOVES loves many of the poems.
And what colour are you wearing to the wedding? I look fabulous in light teal or pale smoky blues. You cannot wear a striped turtleneck to my daughter’s wedding.
All of the suggestions are fantastic, and I concur. And I did find a vintage VHS version of the Charlotte’s Web movie I remember seeing for Josie, and she loves it.
Don’t forget the Winnie the Pooh stories – the real ones!
And without scrolling back up to check – what about Kipling? Riki Tiki Tavi is so cool, as are the other Jungle Book stories. I might do those with Josie next.
I think reading chapter books at two and a half means more that I’m boring her to sleep, but I think that she also like the sound of my voice, rising and falling with the words, made better by the fact that they’re from great authors.
PS – after the suggestions from my Mommybloggers posts, I’ve gone on to read more of EB White’s essays and poems — and Josephine Loves LOVES loves many of the poems.
And what colour are you wearing to the wedding? I look fabulous in light teal or pale smoky blues. You cannot wear a striped turtleneck to my daughter’s wedding.
and I spelled Rikki Tikki Tavi wrong. oops.
and I spelled Rikki Tikki Tavi wrong. oops.
I LOVED Beezus and Ramona as a kid, and Judy Blume. And Babysitters Club when I was 10 or so. And Harriet the Spy. And all the Enid Blyton stuff, too. I think I read too much as a kid.
I LOVED Beezus and Ramona as a kid, and Judy Blume. And Babysitters Club when I was 10 or so. And Harriet the Spy. And all the Enid Blyton stuff, too. I think I read too much as a kid.
What a great post Dani. I would have been like Beloved and immediately shown my Tristan the movie after reading the book. However, I think you make an excellent point about the images the book creates in your head far surpassing anything they could duplicate on the screen. I remember my suspense when Charlie ripped the tiniest corner of the wrapper and saw just a hint of gold. You just can’t capture that.
What a great post Dani. I would have been like Beloved and immediately shown my Tristan the movie after reading the book. However, I think you make an excellent point about the images the book creates in your head far surpassing anything they could duplicate on the screen. I remember my suspense when Charlie ripped the tiniest corner of the wrapper and saw just a hint of gold. You just can’t capture that.
NO Dani!! Don’t show him the movie yet! Let Tristan enjoy his own versions of Charlie and Willy Wonka et al for as long as you can. (can you tell I feel strongly about this?) I remember fighting tooth and nail to keep the Charlotte’s Web movie outta my house from kindly friends and neighbours insisting we must borrow it. The animated version is lovely but I couldn’t bear the thought. Your recounting Tristan’s antics while you read brings back memories. My youngest used to practically somersault and hang upside down off the bed as I read chapter books aloud. But then if I paused between sentences he was all over me. They listen in strange and mysterious ways . . . Some other faves: Pippi Longstocking, Pierre Berton’s The Secret World of Og, the Jacob Two-Two books. Happy reading!
NO Dani!! Don’t show him the movie yet! Let Tristan enjoy his own versions of Charlie and Willy Wonka et al for as long as you can. (can you tell I feel strongly about this?) I remember fighting tooth and nail to keep the Charlotte’s Web movie outta my house from kindly friends and neighbours insisting we must borrow it. The animated version is lovely but I couldn’t bear the thought. Your recounting Tristan’s antics while you read brings back memories. My youngest used to practically somersault and hang upside down off the bed as I read chapter books aloud. But then if I paused between sentences he was all over me. They listen in strange and mysterious ways . . . Some other faves: Pippi Longstocking, Pierre Berton’s The Secret World of Og, the Jacob Two-Two books. Happy reading!
Little House on the Prairie. The entire series. My mom read them to my brothers and I when we were small, and we loved them. And I’ve read them several times over since.
Little House on the Prairie. The entire series. My mom read them to my brothers and I when we were small, and we loved them. And I’ve read them several times over since.
Jacob Two-Two… forgot about that one. Roald Dahl… love him too.
re: the movie thing.
We read the book and watched the movie soon afterwards – both versions! It was mostly to point out how much better the book was.
Jacob Two-Two… forgot about that one. Roald Dahl… love him too.
re: the movie thing.
We read the book and watched the movie soon afterwards – both versions! It was mostly to point out how much better the book was.
Roald Dahl is one of my all-time favorite authors. Once you’re done with Charlie, move on to Matilda and James & the Giant Peach. And then when kids are asleep, catch up on his adult writing. I’m a fan of his Omnibus collection.
Roald Dahl is one of my all-time favorite authors. Once you’re done with Charlie, move on to Matilda and James & the Giant Peach. And then when kids are asleep, catch up on his adult writing. I’m a fan of his Omnibus collection.
Oh, I forgot the Great Brain books! And Encyclopedia Brown. And Harriet the Spy.
Oh, I forgot the Great Brain books! And Encyclopedia Brown. And Harriet the Spy.
I *loved* anything by Roald Dahl, as well as the Beverly Cleary books. Beezus and Ramona, especially.
I *loved* anything by Roald Dahl, as well as the Beverly Cleary books. Beezus and Ramona, especially.
I *loved* anything by Roald Dahl, as well as the Beverly Cleary books. Beezus and Ramona, especially.
I *loved* anything by Roald Dahl, as well as the Beverly Cleary books. Beezus and Ramona, especially.
I loved the Superfudge books as a kid, but I didn’t think of going that way with my writing prompt. Good job. My oldest is into the Lemony Snicket and Artimis Fowl(?) and Harry Potter, he is in a different type of book than I was as a kid. I love a variety of books now and I hope that he will develop it as well rather than stay in this one area.
I loved the Superfudge books as a kid, but I didn’t think of going that way with my writing prompt. Good job. My oldest is into the Lemony Snicket and Artimis Fowl(?) and Harry Potter, he is in a different type of book than I was as a kid. I love a variety of books now and I hope that he will develop it as well rather than stay in this one area.
Found you through CHBM.
I struggle with finding good boy books for my sons. I want to read them things like Anne of Green Gables and All of a Kind Family, but they don’t like that girly stuff. They also seem to like non-fiction more than fiction.
My boy suggestions have already been mentioned – but I’ll repeat. A Wrinkle In Time when they get older. Also, any Louis Sachar book when they are older. Winnie the Pooh now.
Found you through CHBM.
I struggle with finding good boy books for my sons. I want to read them things like Anne of Green Gables and All of a Kind Family, but they don’t like that girly stuff. They also seem to like non-fiction more than fiction.
My boy suggestions have already been mentioned – but I’ll repeat. A Wrinkle In Time when they get older. Also, any Louis Sachar book when they are older. Winnie the Pooh now.