Children's Classic Books and Vintage Basic Readers

COLLECTIONS!

Kelly's Korner is hosting a carnival for personal collections and it has compelled me to chime in. As a kid I collected agate rocks with ruby bands from our stone driveway (I would sit out there for hours with an ice cream bucket!) I also collected stickers. What 6-year-old girl growing up in the 1980's did not collect stickers? It was the thing to do! Collect and trade...although my mom hardly ever let me actually trade any of my stickers with my friends. I'm grateful now because I have successfully kept both collections of agates and sticker books to this day, a few things leftover from my carefree childhood.

My mom also held onto several of my favorite children's books, which are even more precious to me! Shortly after we moved into our house last Spring I couldn't resist setting up a children's bookshelf in our spare room (now our very soon to be nursery! *squeal*). I had to split my Little Golden Book collection with my brother but all of my old favorites are on this bookshelf!



















I have a likely suspicion this one little shelf isn't going to cut it! One thing I've always said is that I won't spoil my kids with toys, but I will happily spoil them with books! One of my favorite places to shop is a used bookstore. Can I get an "Amen"?! Although I usually peruse all sections the first place I run (and if you're talking library book sales, I mean run literally!) is to the children's corner.

I don't have too large of a picture book collection, but I have recently started picking up Newberry and other classic chapter books that I loved as a child. Old Yeller, The Secret Garden, Little Men, Huckleberry Finn, Hatchet, Christy, The Yearling, Brighty of the Grand Canyon, Five Little Peppers, and series' like Little House and Betsy Tacy, etc.















One children's book collection I sort of "fell into" is old schoolhouse readers from the 1950's and 1960's. My great aunt Goldie used to teach in the Minneapolis school district and had a bunch of them saved in her basement. When she heard I was learning to read she gave me a few from her stash. I fell in love with them, especially the Ginn Basic Reader and New Basic Reader collections. They are filled with stories made up of simple, ordinary life mixed with timeless morals and a little imagination. No scary villains or over-the-top quirky characters. No dumbed down vocabulary to accommodate this society's ill-educated generation of American kids, myself included. (Sorry, it's true.) And no sarcasm or slangy disrespect like pollute so many children's book offerings today. (Captain Underpants, anyone??)

I just want to instill in my kids an appreciation for all the great classic books! They don't need a shiny cartoon cover to prove they are interesting! I used to read some of these stories to my former nanny charges and it warmed my heart to hear, a year or so later, that they had grown to love to read. So even before officially a parent I am a huge advocate of reading to your children - and at any age. Read often and choose your selections with meaningful care!















One of my favorite memories as a nanny is reading through The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with an 8-year-old boy. This was before there was any rumor of a movie. I purposely did not preface the story with any of the Christian undertones or symbolism with which C.S. Lewis filled this book. I first wanted him to get wrapped up in the well-developed characters and climaxing drama. We got to the part where Aslan was going to sacrifice himself for Edmond and I asked my charge if this scene reminded him of anything. Something from even his Lutheran Sunday School perhaps? And I'll never forget watching his eyes perk up as the light bulb went on! It was a wonderful teachable moment that I look forward to repeating with my own children someday.




















As I became an adult I couldn't shake my endearment of these old readers. In fact, if I see one anywhere, be it a yard sale or antique shop, I must buy it. I cannot wait to share this collection with my own children in hopes that they will grow to love these same stories. In many ways they let the reader transport back to 1962 homelife, and despite the lack of our modern day technology and other conveniences, I think it would have been a terrific age in which to grow up! A time when parents actually believed in the philosophy of the public school system - imagine that!! Were it not for the turbulence of the late '60s and horrible fashion and music in the 70's (sorry to offend those of you born a decade or two before me - ha!) I wouldn't have minded growing up in the latter half of the baby boomer era myself! So maybe it is because of the wholesome nostalgia of these stories I am so fond of them.

I mean, is the following passage adorable or what!