Books That Remain in Our Hearts and Our Minds

by Alana Morgaine

Looking back at the books you read as a child, there are probably always a few that stood out among the rest. Names like The Wizard of Oz and Alice and Wonderland are just a few of the books that have stood the test of time. Without these amazing works of literature, we would have been unable to leave our world behind and explore the fantasy worlds that allowed us to delve deep into our imagination.

Alice In Wonderland
Written by Lewis Carroll, one of the books that immediately comes to mind as an outstanding children's book is of course Alice in Wonderland. About a seven year old named Alice, this book took us to places that we never anticipated. When she fell asleep and plunged down that rabbit hole, we could never have expected the adventures she would face with Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the King and Queen of Hearts.

This book was originally published on July 4, 1865. The story was told by a Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson and Reverend Robinson Duckworth. During a time when both reverends rowed up the River Thames with three little girls. As they journeyed up the river, the reverend shared a story about a girl name Alice who is very bored and goes on an adventure. The young girls asked Reverend Dodgson to write the story down. The young girls who first heard this story were age, 13, 10, and 8.The 10 year old's name was Alice Liddell. Reverend Dodgson gave his first manuscript of Alice's Adventures Under Ground to her sometime around November 26, 1864. It was speculated from Dodgson's diaries that he actually gave the first manuscript to another friend prior to giving one to Alice Liddle. The friend George MacDonald loved it and adviced Dodgson to submit it for publication.

The Wizard Of Oz
Another famous children's book that still today lives on in history is The Wizard of Oz. Still being shown as a movie, there is just nothing like the original book to instill fun, enjoyment, excitement, and even fear in the hearts of little children. L. Frank Baum was the real man behind the curtain, and through his words, we learned of the trials and tribulations of a girl named Dorothy. Although in the book the Munchkins, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion were real and not brought about from a tornado, this book allowed us to feel as if these characters were our friends.

This book was orginally published by George Hill company in Chicago in 1900. The orginal name of the book was The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz. The actual first edition was published in 1901.

The first film of the Wizard Of Oz was in 1908 as a silent film with actress Mildred harris. The most recognized successful film came in 1939 called The Wizard Of Oz where Judy Garland played Dorothy. There were other versions of the film made prior to 1939 as well. One in which Baum produced was called His majesty, The Scarecrow Of Oz in 1914.

Charlotte's Web
A story about animals that talk and a girl who loves them as if they were family, Charlotte's Web was a children's book that especially stays in the hearts of little girls around the world. With a sophisticated vocabulary, Charlotte the spider feels she must save the life of Wilbur the pig in an unusual way. Although they have a love hate relationship in the beginning, Charlotte, as told by writer E.B. White, worked day and night to write messages in her web in order to save Wilbur from slaughter.

First publication of this book was in 1952. The author also wrote the book Stuart Little. The book begins with the story of a litter of pigs with one being a runt that was to be killed. The 8 year old daughter Fern of the farmer John Arable begs to not kill the runt. The runt ends up being given to Fern as a pet and so the story begins.

Little Women
Burned into the mind of young women everywhere was the story of Little Women written by Louisa May Alcott. Based on the life of Ms. Alcott this 19th century family portrayed the best and the worst about growing up in New England during the Civil War. With the beauty of Meg, the talents of Jo, the weakness of Beth, and the spoiled nature of Amy, it is hard not to fall in love with these four women through the dreams, courtships, and growing up.

The Little Women novel was first published in 1868. The book was based on the author's own personal live experiences as a child living in Boston and Concord Massachusetts with her three sisters.

Old Yeller
Finally you have a book that still touches the hearts of many children who read it. Old Yeller, written by Fred Gipson was as much about the Texas Frontier, as it was about the ugly stray dog that kept Travis safe and protected on his ranch. Full of laughter, tears, and heartbreak, this book will always be remembered fondly by any child who reads it.

This book was first published in 1956. The film Old Yeller was made in 1957. The actual title of this book was named after a fictional Mountain Cur dog. The dog in this story is the main character in the book. The actors included in the first film were Dorothy McGuire and Tommy Kirk.

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History of Dick and Jane Readers

By Barbara Gardner

Do you remember sitting in your first grade classroom learning to read from one of the Dick and Jane books? We older folks on the planet can just about mark our ages based on which Dick and Jane edition we learned to read from. Learn to read with Sally, Dick, and Jane? Then you are probably a child of the fifties. Remember Mike, Pam and Penny? Then you most likely are a child of the sixties, when black children were introduced into the readers.

The series is called the Curriculum Foundation Series and was authored by Dr. William S. Gray and William H. Elson. The Curriculum Foundation Series evolved out of a set of elementary readers called the Elson Readers. A Dick and Jane collector will recognize some of the same stories in both sets of readers. All serious Dick and Jane collectors should strive to include the Elson Readers in their sets.

The first Dick and Jane book was a 1930 Pre-Reader, a wordless picture book. New titles were introduced in 1940, 1946, 1951, 1962, and lastly in 1965. The illustrators for Dick and Jane books changed, as well as the look of the books through the decades. Mew the kitten became Puff. Happy changed from a Terrier to Spot the Cocker Spaniel. Toys changed, as did clothing, and the cars Mother and Father drove.

The books are based on limited basic vocabulary and the plot of each story is delivered through profuse illustrations. Well-known Dick and Jane book illustrator Eleanor Campbell used photographs of children at play to create vivid colorful illustrations. Richard Childress had his two young daughters model for his Jane and Sally illustrations.

Besides the paper books with staples and cloth tape spines, there were also Dick and Jane hard cover books, workbooks, guide books, posters, puzzles, calendars, napkins, valentines, mugs and teacher manuals. There were picture books without words for pre-readers, and there were pre-primers (We Look and See, We Work and Play, We Come and Go), the Junior Primer (Guess Who), and the Primer (Fun with Dick and Jane). Dick and Jane also taught basic hygiene and health in Good Times with Our Friends.

Along with reading basics, each release of the Dick and Jane series taught values such as sharing, responsibility, health, safety and helping others. Exact copies of the books were published for Canadian schools. Catholic schools also adopted the curriculum and revised the books to include Catholic teachings in the stories. In about half of the Cathedral editions, Dick, Jane and Sally have been renamed John, Jean and Judy.

In the sixties, the perfect family life of Mother, Father, Dick and Jane in their white suburban world began to be questioned. In response, the publishers in 1965 expanded the neighborhood of Dick and Jane to include a black family. Despite this major change, controversy continued to grow. In 1970, Scott, Foresman and Company made the decision to stop publishing the Dick and Jane series.

Many schools ordered all remaining books be destroyed. Teachers, staff, and some students kept some of the discarded books, and these are the books collectors seek today. Dick and Jane pre-primers and primers can still be found, but are becoming scarcer. Teaching aids such as the flashcards, the paper doll cut-outs and Our Big Book (the large easel-supported book) are commanding high prices due to their scarcity.

Millions of children learned to read with the Dick and Jane textbooks. Sally, Dick, Jane, Spot and Puff are a part of our national culture. While there are no books or stories within the Dick and Jane books series titled See Spot Run, it is a sentence used in several early stories of the series. This nostalgic sentence, See Spot run, has even become a part of our cultural background with the release in 2001 of the movie by the same name.

Many of us want a Dick and Jane book because it is a part of our past. Others want their children to learn to read from them. Many baby-boomers remember them well, for they taught us to read, they kept our interest, and they helped us become life-long readers.

The author is webmaster of Book Brigade, where you can buy discount children's books online.

15 Top Christian Books For Children

By Kristina Seleshanko

One way to instill Godly principles in your children is to read them Christian books from an early age. Even babies and toddlers benefit from hearing God's truth on a daily basis, and colorful picture books are a great way to expose them to biblical principles.

As editor of Christian Children's Book Review, I see a lot of books published for children of Christian families. Some are ho-hum at best, but here are a few gems that no family should be without.

Adeline by Kathryn Rathke. In this delightful tale, a little girl who loves Valentine's Day learns a lesson about the ultimate Valentine: God. For kids 4 and up. (Baker Books, 2004)

Bible Animal Friends by Matt Mitter. With vivid illustrations, googly eyed animals, and rhyming text reminiscent of well-loved nursery rhymes, infants, toddlers, and preschoolers will love this volume. This book is a great way to start introducing Bible stories like Balaam and his donkey, the Egyptian plague, how ravens fed Elijah, and more. (Multnomah, 2007)

Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers by Joey Allen. This is actually a series of four books: The Scripture, The Gospel, The Trinity, and The Mission. Here is intelligent talk about what the Bible and specific Christian tenants are, explained in a way that young children (ages 3 to 7) can understand-and enjoy. (New Leaf Press, 2005)

God's Wisdom for Little Girls by Elizabeth George. If you have a girl, one of the key things you can teach her is what a Proverbs 31 woman is. George does an excellent job of explaining this important passage to 5 to 8 year old girls. (Harvest House Publishers, 2000)

I Can Talk with God by Debby Anderson. When it comes time to teach your children how to pray, this book is an excellent tool. The pictures are bright and colorful, and the truths of how to pray (and how God might answer) are told in an engaging, fun way. For kids 2 to 5. (Crossway Books, 2003)

I'd Be Your Hero and I'd Be Your Princess by Kathryn O'Brien. For children 4 to 8 years old, these books (one designed for boys, the other for girls) explain Godly characteristics and how important they are. I'd Be Your Princess won the Gold Medallion Book Award in recognition of excellence in evangelical Christian literature. (Standard, 2004 and 2005)

Little Girl's Bible Storybook and Little Boy's Bible Storybook by Carolyn Larsen are excellent choices for kids 6 to 9. Each tells Bible stories in an appealing fashion, and there are study sections throughout to help kids understand important biblical concepts. Best of all, there are ideas for parents on how to discuss these concepts with their children. (Baker Books, 1998)

Little One, God Made You by Amy Warren Hilliker. I began reading this book to my daughter when she was an infant. Now she's two, and she still loves it! The text is extremely simple and establishes one important fact: God made you and loves you just the way you are. For children 4 and under. (Zonderkidz, 2004)

Little One's Bible Verses by Stephen Elkins is a superb way to introduce even the youngest babies to God's word. With sweet illustrations of children and babies, plus notable quotes from Psalms, this is an excellent first "Bible." (Broadman & Holman, 2003)

Parables Jesus Told by Ella K. Lindvall. In simple words and colorful images, this book retells five parables, ending each with a brief explanation of how to apply the story to real life. The book is designed for 4 to 8 year olds, but many younger children will enjoy it, too. (Moody Publishers, 2000) Sidney and Norman, the Tale of Two Pigs by Phil Vischer. Pigs Sidney and Norman are opposites. One is messy, the other neat. One seems to always succeed, the other never does. Then they both meet God. One pig learns that God loves him just the way he is, while the other learns that God loves everyone...even messy neighbors. (Tommy Nelson, 2006)

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones is an ideal Bible for kids 4 to 8, detailing 43 stories from Genesis through Revelation. Each story in some way relates to Jesus and who he is, giving children the big picture of what God is all about. The text is engaging, as are the illustrations. (Zonderkidz, 2007)

The Lord is My Shepherd by Hans Wilhem. The greatness of this book is its simplicity. The text of Psalm 23-one of the most beautiful and comforting passages in the Bible-is paraphrased in kid-friendly language that clings closely to a modern translation. This book is another great way to introduce even the youngest children to the Word of God. For babies on up. (Scholastic, 2007)

Wait Until Then by Randy Alcorn. Any parent who wants to explain what happens to us when we die, how to deal with the death of a loved one, and how to cope with serious disappointment will want to read this book with their child. Beautifully written and illustrated, for kids 9 to 12. (Tyndale, 2007)

Will: God's Mighty Warrior by Sheila Walsh. Very few Christian books are targeted specifically to boys, so Will is a welcome addition. For 4 to 8 year olds, this book teaches children about the armor of God in a kid-friendly way. (Thomas Nelson, 2006)

Kristina Seleshanko is the editor of Christian Children's Book Review (http://www.ccbreview.blogspot.com/), which won two Litty Awards in 2007 (Best Christian Litblogger and Best KidLit Litblogger). She's also the author of 16 books.

Great Moments In Hardy Boys History

by Robert Gould

Long before reading was fundamental or Harry Potter and Captain Underpants burst onto the scene with magic and scatological humor (respectively), there were The Hardy Boys - the well-groomed, good-natured, parent-friendly siblings who attracted heinous crimes like Curious George attracts malfunctioning candy factories.

First authored by Leslie MacFarlane (and then by a legion of ghostwriters), the Hardys have become a world-wide phenomenon in their 80-plus years of existence.

Here are a few great and not so great moments from the history of the Hard Boys:

The Tower Treasure released

Even now, cynical and crusty at the age of 54, seeing the cover of this book gives me goose bumps. It was cool then and it's cool now. In a preview of themes from just about every book in the series, The Tower Treasure begins with the boys chasing a stranger who is up to no good and ends with the somewhat death-defying hope that "another mystery would soon come their way." And indeed it did. The 57 volumes that followed would represent the canon of classic Hardy Boys mysteries, as well as one of the greatest selling literary series of all time.

The boys go "PC"

After 1959, editors, concerned about the rather WASPy nature of the lead characters, gave Frank and Joe a couple of ethnic sidekicks to help out the crew in a more socially acceptable way. Young readers growing up in Middle America were now exposed to the Italian and Jewish cultures via new side-kick characters Tony Prito and Phil Cohen. Elie Weisel it wasn't, but it still represented an admirable effort, during that time, to expose young minds to different American cultures.

Giving birth to a genre

The success of the Hardy Boys paved the way for additional popular youth-oriented titles. The Hardy's original publisher, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, went on to sell tens of millions of copies of The Bobsey Twins, Tom Swift, and of course Joe and Frank's female counterpart, Nancy Drew (with whom the Boys would team up in countless popular stories over the years).

The Boys become a world-wide phenomenon

As of 2007, The Hardy Boys have been translated into over 25 different languages, including Spanish, German, French, Dutch, Russian and Japanese - thus proving the universal appeal of a sinister figure, a hidden key and a creaky grandfather clock.

An important place in education

Perhaps the most prominent place the Hardy Boys hold in history is that they have kick-started a love of reading with generations of boys. In a world where boys lag significantly behind girls in reading skills, these simple mystery books geared towards young males have stood out like beacon. One can only imagine how many great students and authors have achieved success thanks to their entry - via the Hardy Boys - into the world of reading. There's no denying their place as one of the best literary on-ramps for young men who have gone on to bigger and better things.

What does the future hold for the frères Hardy? One can only hope that, like Lincoln Logs and Raggedy Ann, this is a timeless childhood classic that will never truly go away - even in the face of PlayStation 6's or Virtual Rubik cubes. The Hardy Boys are a classic, and classics never go out of style.

Robert Gould is a children's literacy advocate and the Creator/Author of 19 books for boys, including the popular new "movie-style" Time Soldiers® adventure books and "Father and Son Read Aloud Stories." You can find more information on books and reading for boys at http://www.bigguybooks.com/ For a FREE dinosaur book to get your reluctant reader jump started on a life-long love of reading, go to http://www.freedinosaurbook.com/

Evolution of Children's Horror Literature

by Sarah Todd

Titled "Welcome to the Dead House", the book was an instant bestseller and became the first in the highly successful "Goosebumps" series. "Welcome to the Dead House" tell the story of a town called Dark Falls, a place hiding a secret - all the residents are the living dead, and need fresh blood to sustain their "lives". Whenever a new family arrives in the sound they move to The Dead House. The heroes, Josh and Amanda, learn this secret and proceed to save their parents, send the townspeople back to their graves and escape Dark Falls.

Author Robert Lawrence Stine wrote 62 books in the series, as well as a number of spinoffs. Stine, who's been called "The Stephen King of Children's Literature", has said a lot of his books were inspired by classic science fiction and horror stories, with influences also drawn from classic fairy tales. "Night of the Living Dummy" is a variation on the "Pinocchio" theme - twin sisters Lindy and Kris find a discarded ventriloquist's dummy, and Lindy decides to keep him. As she develops comedy routines with the dummy Kris obtains her own dummy. One night the girls go into their room, finding the dummies lying on the floor, the new dummy's hands around the older dummy's neck. Coincidence? No - the younger dummy is alive, and malicious. After a string of unpleasant events the girls manage to dispose of the dummy, but then discover the other one is also alive.

Christopher Pike is another successful children's horror story writer. He includes references to Egyptian, Hindu and Greek mythology in his novels, and quotes authors like Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Agatha Christie and Stephen King among his influences. His "Spooksville" series of 24 books includes one titled "The Wicked Cat", in which Adam and his friends find a black cat during a walk in the local woods. Strange things begin to happen in the town; a house burns down and a tree suddenly falls down. At every strange occurrence the cat is in attendance, watching everything with its strange green eyes. Then it turns its supernatural powers on Adam and his friends...

Another noted children's author is Lee Striker, the pseudonym of Australian Children's author Margaret Clarke. She chose her name after hearing about Stine's "Goosebumps" series, and decided she wanted her children's horror fiction placed next to his books on the bookshops. She has 12 books in her "Hair-Raiser" series, which contains titles such as "The Revenge of the Vampire Librarian" (remember to get your library books back on time...) and "Curse of the Mummy", where a man brings back a new wife after a business trip to Egypt. But what kind of MUMMY is she, because she smells odd and uses a lot of bandages and band aids, and cats behave strangely when she is near.

Children's horror writing is not a new concept, and it didn't start with fairytales. Originally fairytales were not originally intended to be read by children. The Brothers' Grimm's writing was aimed at adults, and met the then increasing demand for literature based around local folklore in the early 19th century. Anyone who has seen the film "The Brothers' Grimm" will probably back me on this - that film is most definitely NOT for children! As the Horror genre evolved "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" made the average fairytale appear somewhat childish, so the different stories were reworked and rewritten by adults so they would be more suitable for children. By the Victorian era the average Grimm fairy tale was far less graphic and violent than the original, and Disney's handling of the stories has "tamed" them still further.

While the Grimms were compiling their collection of adult fairytales other writers were already producing children's stories, many of which contained elements of horror. Hans Christian Andersen's "Tales Told For Children" was published in 1835, and some of the stories in that book are excellent references for children's horror literature:

"The Red Shoes" are a pair of beautiful, cursed slippers which force their wearer to dance continually. A vain young girl slips them onto her feet, and finds herself unable to stop dancing. So bad is the problem she cannot go to church, and is unable to attend her adoptive mother's funeral because she cannot stop dancing. Condemned by and angle to dance forever as a warning to all vain children, she begs an executioner to cut off her feet. For the rest of the story she is haunted by the animated shoes, which dance before her as she moves on wooden feet with the help of crutches.

"The Little Mermaid", yearning to be with a handsome human prince with whom she has fallen in love, gives a witch her tongue in exchange for a potion that turns her tail into legs. She must get her prince to marry her to give her a soul, and she sets out to find her love, even though every step she takes is as painful as waking on sharpened knife blades. Even though she is mute the prince does fall in love with her, and is enchanted by the way she dances for him, never knowing the agony she suffers at every step. The course of true love never did run true, and the prince marries someone else. The heartbroken mermaid throws herself into the sea and turns into foam.

"The Little Match Girl" sells matches on the icy streets to keep warm. One New Year's Eve, she lights her matches to keep warm. In their light she sees wonderful warm banquets with tables full of wonderful food and a sparkling Christmas tree. Looking up she sees a shooting star, and remembers it means someone is about to die. Lighting her last match she sees her grandmother, the only person who ever treated her kindly. Her grandmother has come to take her to Heaven, and the following morning her frozen little body is discovered, surrounded by burnt out matches.

Charles Kingsley's "The Water Babies" features a chimney sweep named Tom, who meets a young girl called Ellie at her house. After he is chased away he falls into a river and drowns. He is turned into a water baby, and experiences several adventures while learning life's lessons under the tutelage of the fairies. Once a week he is allowed to see Ellie, who had the misfortune to fall into the river just after Tom. Eventually he proves himself worthy to return to human form, and lives a full life. He is reunited with Ellie, but they never marry.

Children's horror writing is a challenging genre, and although the stories may have changed slightly over the years there's still a demand for these kind of books from a young, enthusiatic audience. It's a genre that's going to be with us for many years to come.

The writer was born in Africa, and lived there for the first 38 years of her life. She worked in the world of public relations for over five years, running her own PR company and dealing extensively with the world of journalism and the print media. She is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/, a site for Writers. Her blog can be visited at: http://www.writing.com/authors/zwisis/blog