The Little Engine That Could - Books That Made Me Love Reading

The Little Engine That Could

by Watty Piper

The story of a train filled with toys and gifts for little boys and girls that breaks down before reaching the children. After asking several passing trains for help over the hill, a little blue train agrees to help the stranded toys. Even though she is small, the blue train tries her best to bring the toys to the children on the other side of the hill.

My short but sweet "re-review"

I loved this book when I was little, and I still love this book. This is just a timeless classic. It has the sweetest little train as the main character, and it is such a beautiful story of perseverance and determination. This is an excellent way for children to learn to believe in themselves and to work hard for what they want to accomplish. This book quite possibly contributed to my stubborn steak as a child, but maybe that is a story for another day. 

"I think I can. I think I can." Excellent motto to live by.

*Read for The Books That Made Me Love Reading Challenge*

The Boxcar Children - Original & Graphic Novel - Books That Made Me Love Reading

The Boxcar Children 

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny, four orphaned brothers and sisters, suddenly appear in a small town. No one knows who these young wanderers are or where they have come from. Frightened to live with a grandfather they have never met, the children make a home for themselves in an abandoned red boxcar they discover in the woods. Henry, the oldest, goes to town to earn money and buy food and supplies.

Ambitious and resourceful, the plucky children make a happy life themselves--until Violet gets too sick for her brothers and sister to care for her.

This story will delight any child who has fantasized about being on his or her own and overcoming every obstacle.

My review:

Once again, when I signed up for the Books That Made Me Love Reading Challenge, I knew I would be reading The Boxcar Children. I remember reading and re-reading this book many times when I was a child. I loved the whole dangerous, adventurous aspect of the children being on their own, and I thought it would be amazing to live in a boxcar like they did! Now when I read it, I think how sad it is that they were on their own in the first place and were barely getting enough food to survive. I still enjoyed reading it now as an adult, even though I most certainly didn't experience the same emotions while reading. After all these years, it still remains an excellent book for young children.

While in the library, my son was looking through their section of graphic novels for kids. I happened to see the graphic novel copy of this book. Since I had planned on reading it for the challenge anyway, I decided now would be a good time, and I also picked up the graphic novel. Now, I should point out here that before now I haven't been the biggest fan of graphic novels. (But that's a story for another day.) Upon reading this graphic novel, I was pleasantly surprised by how true it is to the original. Obviously, the story is somewhat condensed, with parts being combined or left out, but the main point of the original story still comes through in the graphic novel. Plus, it is beautifully illustrated, much like a comic book, to help bring the imaginations of young kids alive. The Boxcar Children graphic novel would be a perfect book to give to a young, reluctant reader.

*Read for the Books That Made Me Love Reading Challenge*

Little House in the Big Woods - Books That Made Me Love Reading

Little House in the Big Woods
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
First published 1932
Read for the Books That Made Me Love Reading Challenge

Laura Ingalls's story begins in 1871 in a little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Four-year-old Laura lives in the little house with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and their trusty dog, Jack.

Pioneer life is sometimes hard, since the family must grow or catch all their own food as they get ready for the cold winter. But it is also exciting as Laura and her folks celebrate Christmas with homemade toys and treats, do the spring planting, bring in the harvest, and make their first trip into town. And every night they are safe and warm in their little house, with the happy sound of Pa's fiddle sending Laura and her sisters off to sleep.

And so begins Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved story of a pioneer girl and her family. The nine Little House books have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America's frontier past and a heartwarming, unforgettable story.

My Review:
I knew when I signed up for the Books That Made Me Love Reading Challenge that I would be reading some of the Little House books, and I might as well start with the first one. I owned this entire series when I was a child and loved reading them over and over. I was devastated when my books were destroyed even though I was already grown at the time.

This book, as well as the others in the series, gives you a glimpse into a time that was more simple but a lot more difficult. Family was always more of a priority than it sometimes seems to be to most people today. Laura's favorite times were spent listening to her father tell stories or play his violin. Life was very hard and much different from the way we live today. The majority of their time was spent hunting, doing the wash, baking, making clothes, and other things that were needed just to survive, and the children had to improvise for toys by using the pig's bladder as a balloon, a corncob as a doll, and making paper dolls.

Upon reading this again, my thoughts centered around how this is such a different kind of book than what I read today and the kinds of books that are most popular now. However, I still think this is such a classic, iconic book that all little girls should read.

The Velveteen Rabbit - Books That Made Me Love Reading

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
*Read for the Books That Made Me Love Reading Challenge*

This was not the book that I had planned to read first for the challenge, but it suddenly hit me that it is almost the end of the month and I haven't read my book for this month yet. Since I didn't even have time to go the library, I searched for books from my childhood that I could get downloaded to my Kindle for free. So the picture shown isn't the actual edition that I read.

My review:
I loved this story as a child, and I still think it is very sweet. I think reading this when I was younger may have been part of the reason I never wanted to throw away any of my toys. My only complaint now is that I read the Kindle version, which is not illustrated. But that has nothing to do with the beauty of this classic children's story. There is a reason this story has been popular since first published in 1922.

About the challenge:
The Books That Made Me Love Reading Challenge is hosted by Emlyn Chand. She has challenged participants to read one book from their childhood each month in 2012. You can find out more about this challenge and prizes available by visiting Emlyn's site. 

Books That Made Me Love Reading Challenge

As soon as Emlyn started talking about this challenge, I knew I would be participating. Even before signups were open, I was ready. I have loved reading from the time I learned how to read, so this seemed to be the perfect challenge. Of course, it took me forever to find time to get this post up! I am not participating in many challenges, because I just don't have time to keep up with them. And I have no idea how I am going to have time to re-read books from my childhood when I have so many new books staring me in the face, but here goes nothing.

So, what books did make me love reading? When I was a child and a teenager, I would read anything and everything. No joke. If there wasn't anything else new in the house to read, I would even read my grandmother's True Story magazines and Reader's Digest. I am sure that all of the books I read as a child contributed to my love of reading, so I will just mention some of my favorite ones that I can remember.

The Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I received this series as a boxed set when I was very young. I probably read each one of them a gazillion times. Loved this series. I may not have time to read this entire series again during the challenge, but I plan to at least pick up the first one to read.

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude C. Warner. I didn't own this series, but I remember checking many of them out at the library. I would also like to read at least one or two of these during the challenge.

Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene. Who can resist Nancy Drew? What could be more fun than running around with your friends solving mysteries? Yes, I am aware that there isn't actually a Carolyn Keene, but I still love Nancy Drew.

The Baby-sitters Club by Ann M. Martin. I'm not sure when I started reading these, but it was also a favorite to get from the library. Even though I was sometimes disappointed when the "paranormal" element turned out to have a rational explanation after all. I'm sure some of these will appear on my list this year.

So, while I don't know exactly what I will be reading yet, these are just a few of the many books that made me love reading. Since this month is already half over, I guess I better get started with the first one!

Do you want to participate?
All you have to do is re-read one old favorite a month, and then write a review about it. Then you add the link to that month's challenge post on Emlyn Chand's site, and you will be entered to win that month's prize package. Click on the following link or the image above for more information:

Books That Made Me Love Reading Challenge