QotD: Books From My Childhood

What books did you love as a child?
Submitted by hearts.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas: (Dr. Seuss, 1957) It was Kuya Tim's book, actually. But we read it over and over even if it wasn't Christmas. I can still remember the illustrations! A classic book about how Christmas is not about presents, Christmas trees, or anything else materialistic, and about how Christmas can change the hardest (or the smallest) of hearts. (But, hey! let's not forget the real reason for Christmas: Jesus Christ!)

Benjamin Alexander Sheep: (Bob Friedman, 1974) God, I LOVE this book. Thank you for making Bob Friedman write it. Simple, easy to read, and absolutely beautiful. I read it over and over when I was small, and I enjoyed the illustrations. I read it again when I was a bit older, and I liked the plot. I read it again a few years later, and I liked the writing style. I read it again... and I LOVED the meanings behind it. A must-read, in my opinion.

The Chronicles of Narnia: (C.S. Lewis, 1949-1954) It was Kuya Jabes' collection, given to him when he turned 10. I wasn't even born yet at that time, but I read it when I was... Lessee... Eight... I think. I only got to read The Magician's Nephew, though. (Yes, I actually wanted to read it chronologically) I think Kuya brought the series to college, and... I never saw it again. I read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe a few years later in our school's library, and I watched the Trumpets plays of the same book several times, and, of course, I watched the movie, too... Sadly, though, I have yet to read the other books.

A Little Princess: (Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1888) How could I NOT read this, when the title is the meaning of my name? An enchanting book about a little girl who lives the life of a princess, yet is far from spoiled. She's very responsible, intelligent, and... well... nice. Too nice, actually, that some people take advantage of her. Her perfect life takes a turn for the bad when her father dies in another country, and is forced to work as a terribly-treated maid in the very school that she attended. A happy ending follows, of course, but not before we see how she bravely copes with emotional torture, stress, and exhaustion. A riches-to-rags-to-riches story, but with cute little twists.

Little Women: (Louisa May Alcott, 1868) A touching book about four sisters dealing with the excitement of growing up, the pains of sibling rivalry, tension of peer pressure, strangling protectiveness of siblings, coziness of domestic life, and other everyday issues. Obviously written from the heart, no matter how you look at it. The two books that followed didn't appeal to me as much as the first one, but I suppose the series as a whole is a good read. (Am I the only one in the world who thinks that Jo should have married Laurie?)

Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew: (The Stratemeyer Syndicate, 1927-1979/1950-1970) Wow, I can still remember this phase well. I was in second grade, and our classroom was right across the library. Ah, bliss!!! Every recess and lunch break (and even in between classes, when our teacher is late), I'd go to the library, asking my friends to call me when our teacher gets in. I started reading books randomly, but eventually, I got hooked on the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books. And then, when the day is done, I'd borrow a book and take it home, reading until late into the night. My mom would scold me because it was already 10pm (WAY past my bedtime), and I was still reading. But, come on! It was so hard to put down a book in the middle of a chapter, and the chapter endings were always cliffhangers!!!

Anne of Green Gables: (Lucy Maud Montgomery, 1908) The life of an orphan girl who came to live with an elderly couple at Green Gables. Beautifully written. As I read this book, I could imagine what Anne was imagining, I could see what she was seeing, and I could feel what she was feeling. I actually felt very glad I had raven -- not just black, but RAVEN -- hair! Haha! I could SO relate to Anne. Although I'm not as much of a drama queen as she was, we were both walking disasters, especially at the time I was reading this book. As for the books the followed in the series, I read Anne of Avonlea right after reading the first one. Anne of the Island and the other books, I only read when I stepped into college.

The Diary of a Young Girl: (Anne Frank, 1947) A birthday gift to me when I turned 10. I think. This was what made me start writing a journal. I had wanted to keep a journal ever since I started school, but I decided against it thinking that my daily escapades weren't interesting to read, anyway. But after reading this book, I realized that mundane things today can speak volumes several years later. Not that I have any intention of letting other people read my private journal, though. That's for me and me alone. My blogs, on the other hand, are for other people to squeeze lessons from... if they get any at all.

The Tower of Geburah: (John White, 1978) Book 3 of The Archives of Anthropos. Similar to The Chronicles of Narnia in the sense that it's a children's allegorical fantasy, but don't be deceived: this is not a mere copy of Narnia. Although that might be where it started (White's kids bugged him into writing something similar to the Narnia series), the books have an identity of their own. The story is unique, the adventures are gripping, and the characters are very convincing. I can see myself in the three children in different aspects, and I'm sure you can, too. If you liked Narnia, then you'll enjoy this book just as much.

Mandy: (Dame Julie Andrews Edwards, 1973) A cute little book about a girl and a secret house. For some reason, a distinct memory I have of this book was this one afternoon when I was with my family in the UP Diliman Amphitheater. My brothers were playing Frisbee, my dad was playing golf... and my mom was reading a magazine... I think. I had the beginnings of a migraine headache (though I didn't know that was what it was called, at that time), and I decided to start reading Mandy so I could get sleepy. Well, I didn't sleep as I was sucked into the world of the book (as it always happens when I read), and I managed to finish half the book before we went home. I couldn't eat dinner because my
headache was awful by then, so I went to sleep, dreaming of flowers and secret pathways and of shells on walls.

Shakespeare: I bet not many kids read Shakespeare, but, yes. I did. And I loved it. The phase started when I had this project in fifth grade, about the forms of literature. Under plays, I put in an excerpt from Romeo and Juliet: the most famous "wherefore art thou Romeo?" balcony scene. After I finished my project, I went ahead and read the whole thing... And then moved on to the Twelfth Night (my favorite Shakespeare work EVER), then Midsummer Night's Dream... and a few other plays until I was well into high school.

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I think the World Book Encyclopedia and Childcraft are worth mentioning, as well. I really really liked flipping through those glossy pages with my brothers, way back when I didn't know how to read yet. I just liked the pictures, and my brothers told me what the pictures meant. When I did learn how to read, I had so much fun out of those thick volumes. I still remember what my notebook looked like. And how big my handwriting was. Haha! I wonder why my handwriting didn't improve as much as my vocabulary did...

At some point in elementary school, I also got into the Sweet Valley series as most girls did. But the phase didn't last long, nor did it leave any lasting impression.

So I suppose it's pretty obvious that I like the classics, eh? I got into reading a few "recent" books during high school and college, though. There's Kitchen (Banana Yoshimoto, 1993), This Present Darkness (Frank Peretti, 1986), and Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Salman Rushdie, 1990), among others.

I'm sure there are still a lot of books I haven't mentioned, as I typed all this in from memory. Which means they're the ones that really stood out. Hehe. I think I should check my library when I get home.