#NationalBookLoversDay: TXICFW Staff share their favorite childhood books
Today is #NationalBookLoversDay and we love our books at TXICFW! To celebrate, some TXICFW staff shared their favorite childhood books and/or their children’s favorite books. Reading is essential to optimal child development. It not only increases a child’s vocabulary and literacy skills it also aids in helping them build their imagination and promotes healthy communication and bonding between children and their caregivers.
Title: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
“Not only was it an amazing adventure that sparked my imagination, but it provided me with some protective archetypes that I internalized and drew upon during difficult times.”
Book: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
“This book was always my favorite growing up because the message is about the importance of taking care of the most vulnerable living creatures. I’ve read it hundreds of times.”
Book: Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo
“This is my favorite to read to my girls. It contains some well-known figures and some not so well-known figures in history. Each biography is a page and it talks about the struggles the person encountered because of their gender, race, etc. However, the language is simple enough for a child to understand. The illustrations are also wonderful.”
Book: All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon (and illustrated by Marla Frazee)
“The message and the illustrations in this book are equally beautiful, moving and engaging. My kids and I both love this book. And, as a bonus, the author lives in Austin!”
Book: Stuck! by Oliver Jeffers
“My kids loved everything by Jeffers, but Stuck is a highlight. A boy gets his kite tangled in a tree, and begins a hilarious adventure trying to get it out by throwing other objects into the tree (shoe, whale…) but they all get…stuck! Other Jeffers favorites include Lost and Found, The Way Back Home and How to Catch a Star.”
Book: Frederick by Leo Lionni
“I loved this book as a child and as an adult, and my kids love it, too. Frederick reminds us of the importance to find poetry in the everyday, even in the midst of our many responsibilities.”
Shannon Harris:
Book: Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
“My first-grade teacher read to us from it, and later I got a copy. Mainly I liked it because it was funny, but I also appreciated how Silverstein knew just how to describe a feeling from a child’s perspective. It seemed like there was a poem for any kind of mood you were in.”
Book: The Marvelous Mud Washing Machine By Patty Wolcott & Richard Brown
“Honestly, I barely remember the storyline but I remember re-reading this book constantly when I was a toddler. I think it was the alliterations that were interesting to me when people read it to me. Also, this book is going for $50 on Amazon!
Books: Goosebumps by R.L. Stine & Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin
“ I was definitely into thriller books and it was awesome to be reading Goosebumps and also see the series together. Baby-Sitters Club was interesting to me because I could easily relate to the dynamics between siblings and girlfriends.”
Book: All the Fudge books by Judy Blume
“I always wanted a sibling as a kid, and reading books about annoying little brothers and sisters reminded me that I had it really good as an only child. I could also remember relating to a lot of what she wrote about growing up “
Book: Dino Dance by Sandra Boynton
“Teddy (my son) and I do all of the dances together as we read this book. I have it memorized now and we do the dances even when we aren’t reading the book these days!”
Book: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judy & Ronald Barrett
“The illustrations in this book always stuck out to me. They were always so fun, giant pancakes on top of school; donuts rolling down the street; peanut butter and jelly houses. I also liked the message of self-reliance, The people of Chewandswallow had to rebuild their lives back up after their sky meals got unwieldy! PS. I’ve never seen the movie… doesn’t look quite the same.”
Book: Hot-Air Henry by Mary Calhoun & Erick Ingraham
For some practical tips on reading to babies, young children and older teens check out this guide from the UT Child Development Center! Happy Reading!