National Young Reader's Day: Some of My Favorite Childhood Books

Source: breathingbooks.tumblr.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Today is National Young Reader's Day--"... a special day to recognize the joys and benefits of reading."

I've been a voracious reader since I was able to string words together. Interestingly, I don't have much of a memory of the books that were read to me before I could read myself, but I vividly remember the books I loved as a child.

Here is a nod to some of them.

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott, is the first full-length book I remember reading. I was eight years old.

This is a picture of the actual version I read. It was an abridged version, but I loved the illustrations. In my mind, that is still what Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy look like.

My Aunt Jean (sadly no longer with us) had recommended it to me, saying "You'll cry your eyes out and back in again!"

This was just before my family went to Beirut, Lebanon as missionaries. We were in New York City for several days before our ship sailed, and my parents bought me beautiful hardbound copies of "Little Men" and "Jo's Boys." I was in heaven.

Source: search.swagbucks.com via Cindy on Pinterest

This book laid the foundation for my lifelong love of The Chronicles of Narnia. I saw British friends reading it at Manor House School in Beirut, and that sparked my interest.

Even as a child, I was able to see the spiritual parallels. Years later, I made sure my own children read them.


I received this book as a Christmas gift when I was a little girl, and it was a treasure trove for me! I also loved Blyton's "Mallory Towers" series.

Source: google.com via Cindy on Pinterest

This was the first Noel Streatfield book I read, but I think I probably ended up reading all of them. They were all about children who were very talented, either as skaters, dancers or actors. I enjoyed them immensely.

I was delighted when the books were actually mentioned in the movie, "You've Got Mail."

Those are just a few. You can read here about my other favorites, Auntie Robbo and Red Knights from Hy Brasil...and here about what my love of a childhood book has to do with a murder in an English village!

Reading enriched my childhood and continues to do so today!

What were YOUR favorite books as a child?

Musing Mondays: Movies from Books?

UK poster for 2011 Jane Eyre movie

I'm participating today in Musing Mondays, hosted by Should Be Reading!

The question:

Do you like movies made from books? Which ones do you think have been done well — kept mostly to the plot of the book, etc?

Well, I never like the movie as much as I did the book. As you know if you love to read, you have a mental image in your mind of what's going on in the book--what a certain character looks like, etc. My vision of what the book "looks like" rarely matches the movie.

Also, having to squeeze a story into two hours of film time means much of the book gets omitted. Which is why I often enjoy the BBC mini-series of books more than movies made from them.

What really bothers me is if the movie takes major liberties with the plot, or even changes the author's philosophy or views. For example, although I enjoy seeing the Narnia books brought to life, C.S. Lewis's Christian worldview seems diluted or put on the back burner to me.

I thought the recent Jane Eyre movie did a very good job of condensing the book into a film while still being as true to the book as possible. Mia Wasikowska is my favorite movie Jane yet. As I've said before, she managed to be plain while still radiating a certain beauty.

Gone With the Wind was probably one of the best movies made from a book. It did an amazing job of capturing the book on film...and I did read the book before seeing the movie.

Below are some pictures from movies made from books. And if you're interested, you can go here for a list of the Top 100 Movies Based from Books.

via

via

via

I'm not a Harry Potter of Twilight fan, but it seems to me most fans are happy with the way the books translated to film.

How about you? Do you have a favorite movie made from a book?

Go here to participate in Musing Mondays!

The Dawn Treader is Coming

I have to admit I haven't been thoroughly pleased with every aspect of the Narnia movies so far--although I have loved many other aspects of them.

The Chronicles of Narnia are some of my favorite books of all time, and I don't appreciate it when Hollywood plays fast and loose with them.

But I must say, if this trailer is any indication, the movie version of Voyage of the Dawn Treader looks pretty good! (hat tip to Robin Lee Hatcher)