Favourite Children's Books

     I recently read a perfectly charming retelling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Cynthia Rylant.  It quite surprised me by how good it was, and set me to thinking of all my favourite picture books that I used to read.  I don't read picture books very often, now; I suppose I think myself too grown up for them.  Thinking about it, though, I found that I'm not that grown up, and besides, who is ever too old for charming picture books?  So I thought that I would share some of my favourite children's books, which are enjoyable (in my mind at least) for all.

     I find that I must start my list with The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams.  I have many fond memories of this book.  We used to have a recording of it, narrated by Meryl Streep, with music by George Winston, and I would fall asleep listening to this every night.  And of course, there are also lovely memories of myself, sitting snuggled up to my parents, as they read this dear book to me.

     Another book that I loved when I was small, and now, was A Summertime Song, by Irene Haas.  I adored the illustrations in this book, and spent much time poring over them.  The soothing, lullaby-like verse that accompanied the wonderful pictures was also very enjoyable to me. 

     The Mousehole Cat, by Antonia Barber, is another of my favourites.  I delighted in the portrayal of a storm as a great cat; I found it fascinating, and still do.  Also the setting of the book--the little fishing village in Cornwall--has always held a great deal of appeal for me. 
 
     I also liked Miss Rumphius.  This charming book, by Barbara Cooney, remains one of my favourites to this day.  From the beginning among the tall masts of sailing ships, to the end in the countryside covered in lupines, I love every word, and cannot remember ever not having done so.

     I have always enjoyed Tomie dePaola's books, and one of my favourites is The Clown of God.  It is a beautiful story, and while when I was young I might not have been able to tell why I liked it so much, I know now that it is because of this.  For who does not find miracles beautiful?
 
     Finally, I loved Dear Mili, a lovely fairy tale by Wilhelm Grimm.  It is illustrated by Maurice Sendak, who provides a delightful background for a delightful tale.  I still love the book, and find the ending even more beautiful than when I was a child.  I was fascinated by the tiny details in the illustrations as well; things of that sort have always interested me.

     I could go on and on, talking of picture books that I read when I was small, that still bring back comforting and happy memories.  But were I to do so, I should, I am afraid, bore my readers to tears with my tiresome lists.  So I shall leave my list at these my favourites of all the picture books I have read.  I hope that if you have not read any of these, you will read them as soon as possible.  May you enjoy them as much as I have.

Around the World in 80 Days

     A while ago, I tried to read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  I am fascinated by submarines, but I found Jules Verne's book very slow going, indeed (even giant sea spiders failed to interest me).  I stopped reading about halfway through the book, and checked all other Jules Verne books off of my reading list.  I tend to do that if I don't like a book, but I'm trying to stop; it's a very bad habit.  Nevertheless, I made the mistake of deciding never to read Jules Verne again.

     Recently, however, a friend recommended Verne's Around the World in 80 Days.  I decided to try it, as this friend has very good taste in literature.  I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed the book!  It was amusing, well-written, engaging. . . in short, everything that I think a good book should be.

     I believe that part of why I enjoyed Around the World in 80 Days was the characters.  The main protagonist, Mr. Phileas Fogg, is an incredibly eccentric yet likable Englishman. He undertakes the incredible task of travelling around the world in eighty days as a wager with some of his friends.  He is very mechanical, almost to the point of seeming robotic, but he does posses human feelings, as is seen at the end of the book. 

     Mr. Fogg's servant, Passepartout, is very different from his master.  He is a Frenchman, who is engaged by Mr. Fogg on the day of his departure.  As a read the book, I found myself often thinking of Sancho in Don Quixote when I read of Passepartout's antics.

     The other two main characters are Fix, a detective who is convinced that Mr. Fogg is a bank robber, and Aouda, a beautiful Indian maiden who is rescued from an untimely death by Mr. Fogg and Passepartout.  Both are compelling characters, and without them, the book would doubtless lose some of its charm.

     The premise of Around the World in 80 Days is also quite fascinating.  The book is set in 1872, when all travel must be done by train and ship.  These were the fastest modes of locomotion available at the time, yet they were quite slow by modern standards.  Indeed, Mr. Fogg is compelled to avoid all possible delays in order to complete the journey in the appointed time.

   If all these charming details were not enough to make the book an appealing read, there is also a great deal of suspense in Around the World in 80 Days.  After all, Mr. Fogg has 20,000 pounds sterling at stake, that being the amount of the wager.  This is half of his fortune, and he spends most of the other half along the way.  Towards the end of the book, I found myself on the edge of my seat, feeling the tension growing with every unexpected delay, hoping desperately that Mr. Fogg would make it back to London in time to win the wager. 

     In conclusion, I enjoyed Around the World in 80 Days very much.  It was an excellent book, and I have resolved to try harder than ever now not to write off an author just because I did not enjoy one of their books.  I highly reccomend this book, and I am looking forward to reading even more Jules Verne novels in the near future!