23 Children's Books You Need To Read Again As An Adult
Kids love this 1936 story about a bull who doesn't want to fight, but it was actually seen as propaganda and banned by Hitler.
"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" by Judith Viorst
Illustrated
by Ray Cruz, this book tells kids that even after the worst day
imaginable, tomorrow will be better — a lesson even adults need to
remind themselves of once in a while.
Soon to be adapted for the silver screen featuring the likes of Jennifer Garner and Steve Carell, it's worth giving this book another read before the movie release in October.
Buy the book here »
Soon to be adapted for the silver screen featuring the likes of Jennifer Garner and Steve Carell, it's worth giving this book another read before the movie release in October.
Buy the book here »
"All-of-a Kind Family" by Sydney Taylor
Many
kids' books with Jewish characters are about the Holocaust. It can be
difficult to find kids' books that portray Jewish families in the
everyday, but that's exactly what Taylor's book does.
Starring five young sisters in early 20th century New York City, young and old readers alike will learn about classic Jewish traditions as well as some interesting New York history from the perspective of a charming family.
Buy the book here »
Starring five young sisters in early 20th century New York City, young and old readers alike will learn about classic Jewish traditions as well as some interesting New York history from the perspective of a charming family.
Buy the book here »
"The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss
An
entertaining read for kids about a talking cat who causes mayhem for a
couple of kids while their parents are out, "The Cat in the Hat" is an
interesting intellectual challenge for adults, says Bird.
After Seuss' publisher commissioned him to write a book using just 225 young reader vocabulary words, "The Cat in the Hat" was born. Try counting them all, if you can.
Buy the book here »
After Seuss' publisher commissioned him to write a book using just 225 young reader vocabulary words, "The Cat in the Hat" was born. Try counting them all, if you can.
Buy the book here »
"Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett
Who
isn't enchanted by a story of food raining from the sky? "Cloudy" is a
magical tale that requires a little suspended disbelief, and a darker
sense of humor — especially when it comes to Ron Barrett's
illustrations.
We find Barrett's morbid sense of humor in the tiny details, like the heads of baby dolls impaled on the front of a truck or the terrified bird returning to its nest, which has been crushed by a fried egg. They're details you probably didn't notice as a kid, but as an adult, you sure will.
Buy the book here »
We find Barrett's morbid sense of humor in the tiny details, like the heads of baby dolls impaled on the front of a truck or the terrified bird returning to its nest, which has been crushed by a fried egg. They're details you probably didn't notice as a kid, but as an adult, you sure will.
Buy the book here »
"Eloise" by Kay Thompson
Eloise
is the sassy little girl who stars in Thompson's famous book series who
lives a surprisingly glamorous life for a six-year-old.
The book is also chock-full of jokes for adults, says Bird, as Eloise is really the children's book alter ego of Thompson, who spent many years of her life as a cabaret performer and vocal coach to many legendary singers.
Buy the book here »
The book is also chock-full of jokes for adults, says Bird, as Eloise is really the children's book alter ego of Thompson, who spent many years of her life as a cabaret performer and vocal coach to many legendary singers.
Buy the book here »
"The Giver" by Lois Lowry
Before
"The Hunger Games" and "Divergent," "The Giver" was every young adult's
introduction into the world of dystopian fiction novels. It follows
Jonas, a 12-year-old boy who is chosen to receive all the world's
memories, both good and bad, to take the burden off of his community
from having to know them.
Its powerful message is intensified as an adult, and even more themes become present in second or third readings.
Buy the book here »
Its powerful message is intensified as an adult, and even more themes become present in second or third readings.
Buy the book here »
"The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson
Sometimes
it feels like characters in children's books are too likable, says
Bird, but not Gilly Hopkins in Paterson's short novel. Bouncing from
foster home to foster home has given her a mean spirit, but she's also
sympathetic.
This is a book to read again, after "The Lord of the Rings," when you'll better appreciate the fact that Gilly is actually her nickname (her full name is Galadriel).
Buy the book here »
This is a book to read again, after "The Lord of the Rings," when you'll better appreciate the fact that Gilly is actually her nickname (her full name is Galadriel).
Buy the book here »
"Harriet the Spy" by Louise Fitzhugh
Already
a bit of an outsider, after Harriet's spy notebook gets into the hands
of her classmates — who she's been bashing on the pages for months —
they decide to make her life hell by humiliating and excluding her in
school.
Grown-ups may pick up on the subtle references to Harriet being a lesbian, which, if they read the book as kids in the '60s when it was released, could be the reason kids who were also a bit different felt a kinship with Harriet.
Buy the book here »
Grown-ups may pick up on the subtle references to Harriet being a lesbian, which, if they read the book as kids in the '60s when it was released, could be the reason kids who were also a bit different felt a kinship with Harriet.
Buy the book here »
"Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen
The
gripping tale of 13-year-old Brian lost in the backcountry of Canada
with nothing but a small axe, "Hatchet" details the skills Brian teaches
himself to survive.
Kids enjoy it for Brian's ingenuity and creative thinking; adults will enjoy it again for its realism, and may even find themselves comparing the story to real-life news events.
Buy the book here »
Kids enjoy it for Brian's ingenuity and creative thinking; adults will enjoy it again for its realism, and may even find themselves comparing the story to real-life news events.
Buy the book here »
"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis
Bird
suggests returning to C.S. Lewis' classic fantasy novel if only to
decide whether it's as big a Christian allegory as you remember. Four
siblings discover the land of Narnia, which is trapped in a never-ending
winter and ruled by the evil White Witch.
While kids don't tend to pick up on the overtly Christian themes, for adults they're hard to avoid.
Buy the book here »
While kids don't tend to pick up on the overtly Christian themes, for adults they're hard to avoid.
Buy the book here »
"The Monster at the End of This Book" by Jon Stone
Though the book was originally published long before iPhones and Androids, an app featuring the book is now available in the app store, and has additional activities for kids (or adults) to enjoy.
With colorful, fourth wall-breaking illustrations by Mike Smollin, the book also has a surprisingly powerful theme: that we shouldn't be afraid of things before we understand them, as they may not be so terrifying after all.
Buy the book here »
With colorful, fourth wall-breaking illustrations by Mike Smollin, the book also has a surprisingly powerful theme: that we shouldn't be afraid of things before we understand them, as they may not be so terrifying after all.
Buy the book here »
"The Mysteries of Harris Burdick" by Chris Van Allsburg
Though
the book features very little text, the real stories are in Van
Allsburg's highly detailed and beautiful illustrations, inviting readers
to make up much of the context around them. Take a second look as an
adult and see if the stories have changed around each different image.
Buy the book here »
Buy the book here »
"Pippi Longstocking" by Astrid Lindgren
Pippi
is the original child superhero, says Bird. Living alone with her pet
monkey, showing unusual strength, and showing an incredible amount of
fearlessness and invincibility in the face of danger is entertaining to
kids, but shows adults that if we have the confidence in ourselves to
believe we can do anything, we really can do anything.
Buy the book here »
Buy the book here »
"A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket
Full
of dark humor and comic relief, the series follows the Baudelaire
children, three brilliant orphans who are trying to find out the truth
behind the death of their parents in a mysterious fire while keeping 10
steps ahead of evil master of disguise, Count Olaf.
Kid readers may empathize with the Baudelaires, who are repeatedly patronized by the adult characters; grown-up readers may see it from a completely different point of view.
Buy the books here »
Kid readers may empathize with the Baudelaires, who are repeatedly patronized by the adult characters; grown-up readers may see it from a completely different point of view.
Buy the books here »
"The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats
"The
Snowy Day" is a wondrous escape from reality through bold, beautiful,
colorful pictures and a simple yet vivid story of a boy on a snow day.
The contrast between an urban landscape and something as pure as snow serves as a great reminder to adults — especially in the winter — that despite the nuisance of bad weather, it's important to take a moment to get back to that childlike delight in the snow.
Buy the book here »
The contrast between an urban landscape and something as pure as snow serves as a great reminder to adults — especially in the winter — that despite the nuisance of bad weather, it's important to take a moment to get back to that childlike delight in the snow.
Buy the book here »
"The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales" by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Scieszka
and Smith spin off the classic runaway food tale of "The Gingerbread
Man" with a snarky, humorous twist in "The Stinky Cheese Man." It may be
the first time kids are exposed to this type of parodying sense of
humor that helps them draw up memories of the old nursery rhymes and stories they know.
"Add in Lane Smith's art, which sometimes feel like it has escaped from a Monty Python film, and you've a book for the ages," notes Bird.
Buy the book here »
"Add in Lane Smith's art, which sometimes feel like it has escaped from a Monty Python film, and you've a book for the ages," notes Bird.
Buy the book here »
"The Story of Ferdinand" by Monroe Leaf
Originally
published in 1936, this story of a bull who would rather stop and smell
the roses than fight in the bull ring was seen as propaganda and banned by Hitler. Naturally, Gandhi loved "The Story of Ferdinand" as a celebration of pacifism.
Robert Lawson's precisely detailed black and white illustrations complete Leaf's tale, a brilliant reminder that fighting doesn't always solve the problem.
Buy the book here »
Robert Lawson's precisely detailed black and white illustrations complete Leaf's tale, a brilliant reminder that fighting doesn't always solve the problem.
Buy the book here »
"Suzuki Beane" by Sandra Scoppotone
"Suzuki
Beane" was written as a Beat generation response to the popular
"Eloise" and illustrated by the author of "Harriet the Spy," says Bird.
The story of a downtown girl who befriends an uptown boy, the pair just
want to live in a place where their two worlds can coexist without
backlash from society.
It's a story that shows the evolution of the Beat movement into the hippie movement; for that reason alone, says Bird, it's historically noteworthy.
Buy the book here »
It's a story that shows the evolution of the Beat movement into the hippie movement; for that reason alone, says Bird, it's historically noteworthy.
Buy the book here »
"The Watsons Go to Birmingham — 1963" by Christopher Paul Curtis
Curtis'
novel centers around a fictional family moving from Michigan to
Birmingham; while his is a work of historical fiction, it's based on the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham in 1963, an event seen as a huge catalyst of the civil rights movement.
After learning about the civil rights movement in more detail throughout life, adults will come back to appreciate the historical accuracy of the work as well as the deep understanding of these events through the eyes of an average family who could have seen them firsthand.
Buy the book here »
After learning about the civil rights movement in more detail throughout life, adults will come back to appreciate the historical accuracy of the work as well as the deep understanding of these events through the eyes of an average family who could have seen them firsthand.
Buy the book here »
"The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
After the mysterious murder of an eccentric millionaire, his sixteen heirs — all of whom are picked by him to live in the Sunset Towers apartment building—- are given clues to figure out what happened to Mr. Westing.
Solving the mystery is the best part of reading this book, and if it's been a while since reading "The Westing Game," adults will be just as hooked figuring out this whodunit all over again.
Buy the book here »
Solving the mystery is the best part of reading this book, and if it's been a while since reading "The Westing Game," adults will be just as hooked figuring out this whodunit all over again.
Buy the book here »
"Who Needs Donuts?" by Mark Alan Stamaty
Written
and illustrated in a "Where's Waldo"-like busy jumble, "Who Needs
Donuts?" is about a young boy who follows his love of donuts to the Big
City, where he finds something else entirely.
Though long since out of print, it's worth tracking down, says Bird, for its absurdity, and for the little details we can never quite catch during the first read.
Buy the book here »
Though long since out of print, it's worth tracking down, says Bird, for its absurdity, and for the little details we can never quite catch during the first read.
Buy the book here »
"The Witches" by Roald Dahl
Known for his frequent use of darkness, horror, and even death in his books, Dahl believed fairytales always had to have something scary in them for children, as long as the stories also made them laugh.
"The Witches" is perhaps his creepiest work, says Bird, particularly because it doesn't end happily ever after like other tales. What adults will notice, however, is the difference in description of Dahl's witches from other witches in popular culture. Read it again and compare.
Buy the book here »
"The Witches" is perhaps his creepiest work, says Bird, particularly because it doesn't end happily ever after like other tales. What adults will notice, however, is the difference in description of Dahl's witches from other witches in popular culture. Read it again and compare.
Buy the book here »
"A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle
What
makes L'Engle's most beloved novel so special is its unique mix of
magic and science in the story about Meg, a girl whose scientist father
mysteriously disappears while in the middle of some groundbreaking work.
With the help of her genius little brother and schoolmate Calvin, she
embarks on a quest to find out what happened, and meets some puzzling
characters along the way.
Depending on the age of the reader, some of L'Engle's concepts may not make sense, but adults will find themselves catching new theories of L'Engle's — and their own — in her beautiful story.
Buy the book here »
Depending on the age of the reader, some of L'Engle's concepts may not make sense, but adults will find themselves catching new theories of L'Engle's — and their own — in her beautiful story.
Buy the book here »
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered