Sunday Funday – Books from my Childhood

Posted by abakersp in Reviews / Spotlights / 7 Comments

Sunday Funday

 

Happy Sunday everyone!

First, I want to apologize for my absence around here and on social media lately. Had some personal stuff going on and just didn’t have the ability to blog. I’d appreciate it if you could pray for me and my family. I’m going to try and get back in the swing of things, starting today!

For our Sunday Funday topic, we are looking at books that we loved as a child, and really began our love for reading. Let me just say that this is a hard list to narrow down! There are so many books that I enjoyed reading as a child, and bring me such wonderful memories.

The first book I ever remember reading is The Teeny Tiny Woman. My grandmother used to read it to me. She was so good at doing the voice of the teeny tiny woman, and read with such character that it made the book so fun. I still have the very book that she read me. It doesn’t look like this, it’s a very small green covered book. And you can tell we read it often – it’s just about falling apart. I read it to my daughter when she was little, and I hope she’ll keep the tradition and read it to her children as well. Think of it as a family book!

 

I cannot tell you the number of times I read The Secret Garden. I got lost in the garden, and it was really the first book that allowed my imagination to run wild. Oh how I wanted to run alongside Mary when she first opened the door and discovered all the magic that was in the garden. I first read this at a young age, and read it even as a teenager. Yes, that is how much I enjoyed it. Don’t judge – I’d read it again today if I had the time!!

 

 

This was one of the first books that really touched my heart. I felt so bad for Sara for being sent off to boarding school, only to later be forced to act as a servant girl. But she had such a great time in her little room. She had a wild imagination, as did I. After reading a couple of times, I was able to watch the movie, starring one of my favorite child actors, Shirley Temple. I loved the movie just as much as I loved the book. And then, like any good reader, I read it again and compared the two.  Kudos to the movie crew, they did a pretty good job. And it’s a movie I still love to watch to the day!

 

 

So, similar to liking a boy band in the music world, this was my go to series as a pre-teen. I just loved their stories, and imagined myself being in their club. My friends and I even started our own baby sitters club. Yes, we were young and silly. The thing I loved about these books was really all the fun they had with the kids they babysat. I read it for ideas for when I was babysitting. Of course, none of the crazy stuff that happened to these girls ever happened to me. But I still loved reading their adventures!

 

Last but not least, Mandy. Mandy was an orphan, and much like Sara and Mary, she had some really cool adventures. My grandmother introduced me to this book. Actually, she introduced me to every book on this list, and I am forever grateful for that! I found that she chose books that would really expand my imagination and allow me to enter a magical world that would make me free from the world. At least for a moment. I still have this book too. Tried to get my daughter to read it, but it just wasn’t her thing. That’s okay though, I can hold out for a future granddaughter!

 

So there you have it. Some books from my childhood that really developed my love for reading. I wonder if I were to do a list in thirty years about the books that continued my love for reading in adulthood, what books that I am currently reading would be on the list? Perhaps that is a post for another day.

Enjoy your Sunday friends. And I do hope that you’ll share in the comments some favorites from your childhood. Until next time!!

 

 

 

 

7 responses to “Sunday Funday – Books from my Childhood

  1. Paula Shreckhise

    Love the Burnett boos! I remember getting The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew for Christmas when I was 10 and the Boxcar Children. A little later I checked The Silver Challis out from the library. Every version of The Little Princess and The Secret Garden are tops in my book! Thanks.

  2. Andi

    Great list! I didn’t read those as a child. I did read Mandy to my girls which I thought was a fabulous read for girls. My girls also loved Choose Your Own Adventure. The Teeny Tiny Woman does sound familiar, I may have read it in school.