Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But the piles of boxes around the office aren’t delightful.
And since we never break for lunch,
Let us blog! Let us blog! Let us blog!
Okay, Friends. Let’s all stop and reminisce about the good old days, when we were the right age to read the books we publish. Share a few lines about your favorite book from when you were a kid. I’m giving you one hour to get back to me, or else I’m just going to pick a book for you. ☺
So, here’s a look at what our staff had to say about their favorite books when they were kids. Looks like we’re a pretty enthusiastic group of book lovers.
Jean Feiwel:
“Where’s Papa going with that ax?”
So begins my favorite book of all time, Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White. From the first line I was captured and White held me all the way through. The book has everything; drama, humor, unforgettable characters, life lessons—all told in White’s brilliant spare style. I couldn’t believe Charlotte could die. And when she did I was blubbering along with Wilbur. But I remember to this day the sentiment that ended the book and certainly has contributed to the kind of person and publisher I am today:
“It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”
Allison Remcheck:
My favorite book as a child (a very young child, don’t worry), was Never Tease a Weasel, by Jean Conder Soule. The copy I had was one my mom rescued from the ancient building of the Head Start she taught at, and by the time I got my hands on it, it was at least 30 years old already, with horrible, almost clip art illustrations. I can still recite the beginning verse:
“You can knit a kitten mittens and perhaps that cat would purr. You can fit a fox with socks that exactly matched his fur. But never tease a weasel; this is very good advice. A weasel will not like it and teasing isn’t nice.”
My family still (sorry) . . . teases me about this one, but I think it’s great.
Liz Szabla:
I had so many favorites, but perhaps my fave and most transformative reading experience was S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. I’m going to date myself here, but I’m talking about when it was first published. I was drawn in by its cool and slightly creepy cover (the original one, which I believe has just been reissued), and was pleased that my mother agreed to buy it for me. I was hooked from Ponyboy’s first words: “When I stepped outside into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind—Paul Newman and a ride home.” I loved hanging out with him, Sodapop, Darry, Johnny, and the others on their side of the tracks. My world opened up as I read that book. I felt older, somehow, and wiser (and I still do, each time I re-read this great American novel). And, of course, all those tough-but-sensitive, sunset-watching boys in leather jackets didn’t hurt, either!
Dave Barrett:
One of my favorite books from childhood was The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop & Kurt Wiese. I loved it because the drawings were fairly simple & appealing, but mostly because of the uniqueness of the tale: A boy becomes mistakenly implicated in a crime, and is condemned to death. Though each time he faces the end, one of his brothers who possess an extraordinary skill [such as the ability to swallow the ocean, being able to withstand fire, having bones made of steel, or legs that can stretch to any length] takes his place, and thus escapes his means of being dispatched [drowning, burned at the stake, the
guillotine, etc.]. After five attempts at justice, the emperor declares the boy innocent.
This choice was further buttressed when 1 of my favorite bands, R.E.M., wrote a song about it on their 1984 album, Reckoning. [Though they changed it to “Seven Chinese Brothers,” as the tale has a handful of variations.]
Ranya Fattouh:
Growing up in France, I was obsessed with a popular comic book series called Tom-Tom et Nana (http://www.amazon.ca/s?ie=UTF8&rh=n%3A11085811&page=1). I was never a big comic book person, but there was something so charming and funny about this crazy brother/sister duo and all the misadventures they got themselves into. I specifically remember saving just enough birthday/Christmas money every year to go to the bookstore and buy myself the newest, shiniest book from the collection—that series, and the vivid memory of pulling the latest installment off the bookstore shelf, will always be with me.
Mariel Govea:
My favorite childhood book was Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. When I was in the 6th grade, I came in second place in my school’s Reading Fair. The prize was Hatchet, a book I cherished then and still own today. Hatchet is about a young boy who is on his way to visit his recently divorced father, when his plane goes down in the wilderness and he is suddenly thrust into a life or death situation. The boy uses his hatchet, his courage, and his skills to survive, ultimately learning that the strength to subsist exists solely within him. As a young girl reading Hatchet, I was inspired by the young boy’s spirit and determination, and I vowed to be like him and never give up, no matter how hopeless or alone I may find myself. I hope to one day be able to share this very special book and its unforgettable message with my own children.
Nicole Moulaison:
The one childhood book favorite of mine that has stood the test of time is Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue by Maurice Sendak. Pierre is a little boy who will say nothing other than, “I don’t care.” No matter what his parent’s ask him, be it regarding what to eat for breakfast or if he wants to go into town, he simply replies, “I don’t care.” Pierre stands on his heads, pours syrup on his hair, and sits backwards on his chair because he just doesn’t care. So, he is left alone to mull over his apathy while his parents head to town. While they are out, a lion pays him a visit and tells Pierre he can eat him and asks if he wants to die. Of course, Pierre responds with his usual, “I don’t care” and the lion proceeds to gobble him up. When his parents come home, they find the lion sick in bed. They realize that Pierre is inside of him when the lion says “I don’t care” when asked what he did with Pierre. In the end, Pierre is released from the belly of the beast and, realizing that he is alive and well, he exclaims, “I CARE!” While the book is a tad morbid, Pierre was my first encounter with a rebel (which I longed to be) and despite his devious ways he winds up learning the importance of caring. Every time I feel myself fading into aloofness or disinterest, I remember Pierre and can visualize Sendak’s great illustrations of Pierre’s ill-advised behavior. This book became even more a part of my childhood with when I got the Really Rosie soundtrack which included a sing-along version of Pierre.
Rich Deas:
My favorite childhood book was I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier. Yes, I’m cheating here because I read this when I was about 13 years old—oh well. But, I have to mention this title. It completely changed reading for me. Unfortunately, as a child, I wasn’t a big reader. It always felt like homework to me and a majority of the books I read were exactly that. I Am the Cheese is the first book I ever read, that made me want to read! I remember, first, being so intrigued by the title name and cover art. The cover image is so somber, a boy sitting alone in a dark, almost prison-like room. I turned to the first page that read as follows:
I am riding the bicycle and I am on Route 31 in Monument, Massachusetts, on my way to Rutterburg, Vermont, and I’m pedaling furiously because this is an old-fashioned bike, no speeds, no fenders, only the warped tires and the brakes that don’t always work and the handlebars with cracked rubber grips to steer with. A plain bike—the kind my father rode as a kid many years ago. It’s cold as I pedal along, the wind like a snake slithering up my sleeves and into my jacket and my pants legs too. But, I keep pedaling, I keep pedaling.
I was hooked. This was the first psychological thriller I had ever read. Told in a series of flashbacks, a young teen boy named Adam, who suffers from amnesia, tries to piece together his past. This book is a page turner and is incredibly suspenseful for such a young read. I highly recommend it!
I can still look at the cover of this book and feel an emotional impact. The cover art is a painting by Robert Vickrey, Corner Seat.
Elizabeth Fithian:
My very first favorite children’s book was the Little Golden Book version of Heidi, by Johanna Spyri, which was packaged with a little 45 record. At the age of 3, I memorized the book line-by-line and performed it for my family countless times. My mom gave the 25 cent version of the book away as favors to my friends at my 4th birthday, and I named my one and only pet dachshund Heidi regardless of the fact that he was a male.
Why did I love Heidi? She was my Go Girl! Heidi was so brave when she was taken away from her beloved grandfather and the Swiss Alps she called home. She read to the blind, taught her goatherd friend to read, AND helped her cousin Clara become well enough to walk again after her illness. The latter was accomplished by the organic miracle combo of fresh air from the Alps, walks with Heidi in the soft grass and warm goats’ milk. I was fascinated by the cure.
“Oh, Clara. I knew the mountains would make you well. I knew they would make you well!”
Liz Noland:
My favorite book when I was growing up was The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare. I loved the combination of historical fiction, romance, and a fiery young female character fighting against Puritan conventions to both follow her heart romantically and stand up for her outcast friend. Before I was old enough to discover the greatest heroine of them all, Elizabeth Bennet, I was lucky to find a similarly outspoken, bewitching, stubborn, strong girl to look up to in Kit Tyler.
Jessica Tedder:
I had to ask my mom about this one, because I can remember too many good books. She told me that I used to carry around Shel Silverstein’s A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends. I read them over and over, took them to school, and even wrote in one (though I’m horrified to admit it because I have always kept my stuff pristine). I think I may have felt inspired to add something to one of the poems, but there’s evidence that I also tried to cover up the marks. Here’s the poem that compelled me to deface a book, a once in a lifetime occurrence for me (I never even mark in textbooks).
WHAT DID?
What did the carrot say to the wheat?
“‘Lettuce’ rest, I’m feeling ‘beet.’”
What did the paper say to the pen?
“I feel quite all ‘write,’ my friend.”
What did the teapot say to the chalk?
Nothing, you silly . . . teapots can’t talk!
Looking back on everyone’s entries, I find I have some catching up to do. Write in and tell us what you loved as a kid. We’re always looking for something good to read.
Happy holidays!
-- Jessica
"The Leonard Lopate Show" is on WNYC New York Public Radio, which airs weekdays at 12PM on 93.9 FM and AM 820 .
