In a very fitting follow up to #InternationalCatDay yesterday, today is National Book Lover’s Day (#BookLoversDay)! We figured we’d take a little twist on the day and share what our favorite books were as children.
Let us know your favorite childhood books on our Twitter page!
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg
“One of my favorites as a young child was Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. I love this book because it reminds me of my mom reading to me as a child and how important it is to take care of each other throughout life. I also loved Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg. Mostly because the illustrations were creepy, but also because it was fun to think of what ants got into! After reading this, I started feeding the ants in our driveway sugar (parents were not happy about this).”
—Anna Toman, Digital Print Coordinator
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
“My favorite childhood read was The Phantom Tollbooth, a pun-filled, brain-twisting story I still love today.”
—Lizz Kepsel, List Development Supervisor, Trafalgar Square Publishing
The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner and Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
“When I was in first and second grade, my favorite books were series; The Little House on the Prairie and The Boxcar Children. I even used to play pretend at recess with my friends on the playground that we were living in a boxcar and solving mysteries like the Alden kids.”
—Lara Alexander, National Accounts Manager
Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse
“My favorite as a young kid was Barbara M. Joosse’s Mama, Do You Love Me? It’s an exquisite little picture book that not only explores the unconditional love between a mother and her daughter, but also acts as a beautiful introduction to the First Peoples’ culture and the Inuit tribes.”
—Hailey Peterson, Publicity Associate, Trafalgar Square Publishing
Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi
“This is was the very first book ever I begged and begged and BEGGED my mom to buy me as a wee elementary school kid. The story of Usagi (then called Bunny in the English translation) as both a warrior AND a princess is what set me on the path of loving manga, books, and the world of fantasy and magic.”
—Alicia Sparrow, Sales Associate
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe (and many more!)
“Children’s title fav would be Where the Wild Things Are. Grandma called me Vilda Chaya – Maurice Sendaks grandma called him Vilda Chaya which inspired him to write the book. Vilda Chaya is Yiddish for wild animal. My fav Elementary School books were Tuck Everlasting and Bridge to Terabithia – made me cry and cry. High School was all required reading and hated. On the Road – Jack Kerouac & Electric Kool Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe, first fav college reads representing freedom and embracing the crazy.”
—Gabe Cohen, Mass Market Sales Representative
The Giver by Lois Lowry and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
“The Giver by Lois Lowry! It was the first dystopic story I read, and it led me to adult favorites like Fahrenheit 451 and 1984. Plus my sisters and I spent many hours puzzling over the somewhat ambiguous ending.”
—Ellen Hornor, Project Editor, Chicago Review Press
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis and My Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm
“In addition to Bud, Not Buddy and My Only May Amelia, I loved Valley of the Moon (Dear America series) by Sherry Garland and Lady of Ch’iao Kuo: Red Bird of the South (The Royal Diaries series). What I loved most was reading about kids who’d had vastly different life experiences than I’d had. Books were the first place I truly realized there was an entire world that existed outside my little Chicagoland suburb.”
—Emily Parenti, Marketing & Publicity Associate
Who’s a Pest by Crosby Newell Bonsall
“This was my all-time favorite book as a child. I was often getting into mischief and was definitely a daydreamer, so I found an affinity with little Homer…who is NOT a pest! Beans.”
—Josh Rowe, Special Sales Representative
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
“The Phantom Tollbooth is the first book that strongly engaged me with clever wordplay and flipping reader expectation. As for A Wrinkle in Time, precious few books tapped into my imagination, wonder, and dread quite like this. Gloves off science fiction fantasy at its very best.”
—Jason Reasoner, Sales Associate
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
“It’s my favorite because it was the first fantasy book I read (not including Harry Potter) that was similar to our world. Plus I loved the idea of my pets being able to talk and hang out with me just like Pan and Lyra.”
—Niki Stuckmann, Marketing Coordinator
Dr. Seuss’s ABCs and Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
“Dr. Seuss’s ABCs was the first book I could ‘read’ (that is, I had it memorized by age 3 and ‘read’ it to every family member willing to sit with me). As for Ella Enchanted, I think I liked reading stories where the main characters were my age. Also, while she was a Lady, (I was and always will be a fan of fairytales and Disney), she had to overcome a lot and saved herself in the end (spoilers! Sorry!!!).”
—Lauren Klouda, Marketing Manager, Print & Digital
The Berenstain Bears No Girls Allowed by Stan and Jan Berenstain and There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom by Louis Sachar
“I loved The Berenstain Bears No Girls Allowed because I was obsessed with the clubhouse that brother bear built with his friends. They built it on an island with a drawbridge and there was a turret with a flag and I wanted to live there. Also, Louis Sachar’s books spoke to me as a child because they were weird and funny, but also sort of sad. Sixth Grade Secrets was another a fave.”
—Andrew Freels, Senior Marketing & Production Designer
The Little Kitten by Judy Dunn
“When I was little I loved looking through the images for The Little Kitten by Judy Dunn. The whole book is photographs of this orange kitten getting into trouble.”
—Jen Young, Operations Associate
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
“My pick from childhood is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. I read this when I was in 6th grade, & it is the novel that would become the standard for me when seeking out what was good in the fantasy/science fiction genre.”
—Richard Fox, Customer Service Rep
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
“I still have my childhood copy ♥”
—Mindi Rowland, National Accounts Manager
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie was probably my favorite childhood book. It’s charming and clever in its form, and also models itself perfectly to a kid’s tendency to ask endless questions (“…but why?”). It also provides a thorough critique of the pitfalls of blind consumption and the fruitless pursuit of happiness through material goods, rather than arriving at contentment by treasuring all that you may already possess and experience.”
—Caleb Neubauer, Digital Production Associate
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