Children's Literature

I'm unsuccessfully resisting the urge to write about books that I have read in the past. So here is entry one of pre-November 2004 books. Instead of doing entries on individual books, I'll group by topic.

Like most homeschoolers, I read out loud to my children. This is one of my favorite parts of the day. I'm going to write briefly about the books we read outloud last year (this year, we're doing the Little House series).

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. This is one of only a few books that I remember reading (and having read outloud to me when I was a child). This is a classic that everyone, young and old, should read. One note: it was only reading it as an adult that I realized how moralistic it was. Interesting that I didn't notice this as a child. But I wonder: Does that mean that I subconsciously internalized the moral lesson? Or did it go right over me head? Is moralizing literature wasted on children?

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. (The other book that I remember from my childhood. I read it at least a half dozen times.) I'm not quite as gaga as the people who cry everytime they get to the end of this book, but I do like it.

The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum. I had, of course, seen the movie, but hadn't read the book until I read it to my boys last year. It's about what you would expect.

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. What an odd little book. The flights of fancy in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory resonated with me, but this book didn't. The boys liked it, though.

The BFG by Roald Dahl. We didn't make it through this one. Even weirder than James.

Stuart Little by E.B. White. I'm going to have to say that this one was forgettable because, um, I've forgotten most of the plot and my impression of it.

Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White. Another one that I loved as a kid. And don't see the movie; it is awful and screechy. But this is a sweet story of a boy and a trumpeter swan who can't make noise. Highly recommended.