Then there’s the wonderful Great Brain series by John D. Fitzgerald. Kids love it; it’s very funny, and written first-person from a child’s point of view. I’ve had whole rooms of kids laughing when I’ve read that one to them. Set in the early 1900s, it also gives interesting insight to those times.
Hugh Lofting’s Doctor Dolittle books are gentle, charming, and memorable. The earlier books in the series are now in the public domain. You can download them for free from Project Gutenberg in the major ebook formats.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. But don’t read the books in the order listed on at least some of the versions in print these days. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe should be read first. The Magician’s Nephew is the sixth book in the series. Renumbering the books to put them out of the original publication order was an act of sheer stupidity by the publisher. It ruins some lovely surprises.
The Wind In the Willows (1908) by Kenneth Grahame is a very special book indeed. Set in the English countryside, Mole and Rat and Toad and Badger’s adventures will stay with you forever. And the book is free to download in all the major ebook formats.
A lot of people forget that Roald Dahl wrote a sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), but Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (1972) is a great book. It picks up immediately after the end of the first book, and you get to see how Charlie and his family’s lives change. There’s space travel, Oompa-Loompas, Wonka-Vite, Vermicious Knids…everything you could want!
Have you considered The Hobbit (1937)? It well deserves its status as a classic of fantasy, practically the foundation of the entire genre. And you can move on from that to The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955), and possibly even The Silmarillion (1977).
The Adventures of Phunsi (1946) written and illustrated by Allison Mason Kingsbury is a really lovely book. It’s the story of a young zebra in Africa who is captured along with his mother and taken to the Central Park Zoo in New York City. Phunsi escapes, and his adventures through New York and surrounding areas make for a wonderful book. There are songs and poems, and the ending never fails to leave a lump in my throat.
Lars and Lisa In Sweden (1950) is the story of a brother and sister who travel through Sweden with their parents. It’s very memorable and charming. I’ve never forgotten their trip through a canal’s locks, the Christmas cats, or the Maypole dance.
Note: Please consider patronizing your local independent book shops instead of Amazon; they can order books for you that they don’t have in stock. Amazon has put a lot of great independent book shops out of business.
And of course there’s always your local library. If they don’t have a book, they may be able to get it for you via inter-library loan.
If you’d rather order direct online, Thriftbooks and Powell’s Books are good. You might also check libraries in your general area; most of them sell books at very low prices to raise funds. I’ve made some great finds at library book sales! For used books, Biblio.com, BetterWorldBooks.com, and Biblio.co.uk are independent book marketplaces that serve independent book shops - NOT Amazon.
Then there’s the wonderful Great Brain series by John D. Fitzgerald. Kids love it; it’s very funny, and written first-person from a child’s point of view. I’ve had whole rooms of kids laughing when I’ve read that one to them. Set in the early 1900s, it also gives interesting insight to those times.
Hugh Lofting’s Doctor Dolittle books are gentle, charming, and memorable. The earlier books in the series are now in the public domain. You can download them for free from Project Gutenberg in the major ebook formats.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. But don’t read the books in the order listed on at least some of the versions in print these days. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe should be read first. The Magician’s Nephew is the sixth book in the series. Renumbering the books to put them out of the original publication order was an act of sheer stupidity by the publisher. It ruins some lovely surprises.
The Wind In the Willows (1908) by Kenneth Grahame is a very special book indeed. Set in the English countryside, Mole and Rat and Toad and Badger’s adventures will stay with you forever. And the book is free to download in all the major ebook formats.
A lot of people forget that Roald Dahl wrote a sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), but Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (1972) is a great book. It picks up immediately after the end of the first book, and you get to see how Charlie and his family’s lives change. There’s space travel, Oompa-Loompas, Wonka-Vite, Vermicious Knids…everything you could want!
Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion (1941) series is simply iconic. Ditto for his other series, The Island Stallion (1948). The books hold up well.
Have you considered The Hobbit (1937)? It well deserves its status as a classic of fantasy, practically the foundation of the entire genre. And you can move on from that to The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955), and possibly even The Silmarillion (1977).
The Adventures of Phunsi (1946) written and illustrated by Allison Mason Kingsbury is a really lovely book. It’s the story of a young zebra in Africa who is captured along with his mother and taken to the Central Park Zoo in New York City. Phunsi escapes, and his adventures through New York and surrounding areas make for a wonderful book. There are songs and poems, and the ending never fails to leave a lump in my throat.
Lars and Lisa In Sweden (1950) is the story of a brother and sister who travel through Sweden with their parents. It’s very memorable and charming. I’ve never forgotten their trip through a canal’s locks, the Christmas cats, or the Maypole dance.
Have you read The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet (1954)? It’s a great book, as are the others in the series. The same goes for Robert McCloskey’s Homer Price (1943) stories and The Mad Scientists Club (1965) books by Bertrand R. Brinley.
Note: Please consider patronizing your local independent book shops instead of Amazon; they can order books for you that they don’t have in stock. Amazon has put a lot of great independent book shops out of business.
And of course there’s always your local library. If they don’t have a book, they may be able to get it for you via inter-library loan.
If you’d rather order direct online, Thriftbooks and Powell’s Books are good. You might also check libraries in your general area; most of them sell books at very low prices to raise funds. I’ve made some great finds at library book sales! For used books, Biblio.com, BetterWorldBooks.com, and Biblio.co.uk are independent book marketplaces that serve independent book shops - NOT Amazon.
Happy reading! 📖