Let’s talk about books….
…books for kids, that is. Lee Ann, blogeuse of Literarium and Spinsters, wrote to ask,
…do you have any suggestions for good books for kids aged 3-15? My friend Carol works at a home for abused and emotionally disturbed children and is trying to update their library. They need book ideas for both sexes. Any ideas?
First of all, let me apologize to Lee Ann, I am waaaaaay late in posting this. Many of you have already seen this at Spinsters, but just in case you missed it, I thought I’d cast the net again.
I know that some of the suggestions have included Narnia, Middle-Earth, Nancy Drew and her chums, the Hardy Boys, Harry Potter, the Laura Ingalls Wilder books… I can’t get the archives to work at the moment so I can’t list more.
Kids seem to like books in series, and some little girls seem to like Flower Fairies. My sister liked the Shoes series (Ballet Shoes, Dancing Shoes, etc) by Noel Streatfield. Those American Girls books might go over well too. Misty of Chincoteague might also be appreciated. For older kids, I really liked books by Lloyd Alexander when I was a kid, especially his Prydain books (The Book of Three, etc)
For the littlest children, picture books — the If You Give a Mouse a Muffin series for the tiniest ones, Richard Scarry books, Jamberry, Arthur, books by Rosemary Wells, anything by Tomie di Paola… I would hit those used bookstores and look for picture books with strong, interesting pictures. For older kids, some of them really enjoy books on How Things Work, and I bet those DK Eyewitness books would be really appreciated. Books based on movies (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, etc) ad TV shows might also go over well. Little Golden books are fantastic — they’re not very expensive, they have a great range of titles, and they’re a good length for little kids.
Magazines might also be a nice idea — Cricket, Ladybug, Highlights, Ranger Rick… I would also suggest comic books but it doesn’t seem like there are very many fit for kids anymore.