I think I was 5 or 6 when I spied my dad reading The Hobbit and asked if he would read it aloud to me. Or maybe it was his idea. Regardless, it kicked of 8 or so years of serious bedtime reading. I'm grateful for those memories, for the time he devoted to reading to David Hugh (my brother) and me, and for the gift he gave me when he taught me to love literature.

I've decided to start a list of the books I want to read to my children some day, starting with the ones my dad read to me.

• The Hobbit
• The Lord of the Rings trilogy (I think we read through these twice.)
• The Dark is Rising series
• The Once and Future King
• Chronicles of Pridian series (a real favorite)
• the Tripods trilogy (John Christopher)
• Little Women
• A Wrinkle in Time
• Redwall and all the others that had been written at the time

I can't remember if Dad read these to us or not, but I'm adding them to my list. I'm at least sure that one or both of my parents put them in my hands.

• The Chronicles of Narnia
• Anne of Green Gables series
• The Mouse and the Motorcycle series
• Bridge to Terebithia
• The Giver
• The Twenty-One Balloons
• Matilda
• The Wheel on the School
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
• Where the Red Fern Grows
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
• The Borrowers
• Ramona and friends
• Number the Stars
• A Little Princess
• The Secret Garden
• Rebecca
• Little House on the Prarie series
• Harry Potter 1-7

What am I forgetting? A LOT, I know.

Email me or better yet, post a comment so others can reap the benefits!

3 comments

1. Marty on November 11, 2008 at 8:40 PM

   As a former child bookworm, I love this post!
   
   These were some of my favorites:
   The Yearling
   Misty of Chincoteague
   Harriet the Spy
   The Black Stallion series (I loved horse stories)
   Black Beauty
   Frank L. Baum's Oz series (there are eight or nine stories beyond The Wizard of Oz--I read them over and over)
   
   I also loved Beverly Clearly, including all of the Ramona books, Superfudge and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.
   
   I don't know if Nancy Drew would be considered classic, but the original series is so fun. I can't wait to give my complete set to Molly!

    
2. Gina on November 12, 2008 at 8:45 AM

   I was also a child bookworm - now an adult bookworm! So this book's not an "old" classic, but it's such a great read -
   
   The Tale of Despereaux
   by Kate DiCamillo
   
   is one I read to my fifth grade students every year and definitely plan on reading to my own children some day.

    
3. Anonymous on November 12, 2008 at 3:52 PM

   Hannah, it warms my heart to think there was something I did for you that you value - truly. Do you remember the High King series by Lloyd Alexander? I don't hear much about it these days but it was bedtime favorite and one I read at Magalloway after lunch. Also it would be a Beautiful thing if you wrote Grampy even a postcard. He read to me the stories of Thorton Burgess. I don't remember if I read those to you or not. It may be Liz and Craig know them because Stephen has a collection. We did go through the whole Lord of the Rings a couple times and it was so much fun. Remember the Balrog?