Monday, August 19, 2013

Favorite?

In my mixed media life, I've copied some of the comments I got on my Facebook page about children's books into the comment stream here on the blog, posting them all anonymously.  Check out the comments on the post "What is your favorite children's book?"  Is your list the same or different?

Most of the comments focused on the need for additional categories or a longer list. Only two people provided a title and author with no cavats.  A relative:  A Girl Of The Limberlost, by Gene Stratton-Porter;  A friend: Winnie The Pooh.

The use of language is so critical to our understanding and thought processes that the word 'favorite' seems to have created conversation -- but not about books.   The implication of choosing a favorite is that all those not picked are somehow less important to you than the chosen one.    Sometimes you do need to choose a single thing, but often the person asking the question really means not, which thing in this category do you love above all things, but, which thing in this category do you really like a lot.

Feel free to list your top 20 or 100 Children's Books in the comments, or comment on choosing favorites if you prefer. 
One of my favorite cities
I'm rephrasing my question -- or rather, asking more questions:

Was there a book that you read over and over again as a child? 

A book your child asked for again and again?

What memories are attached to books or reading?  What do you hope the children or students in your life will remember about reading?

Allowing the list to be as long as you like, which children's books are among your favorites?

Thanks for continuing the conversation.

 

Fortune Cookie

Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth.
Truth is not beauty.
Beauty is not love.
Love is not music.
Music is the best.
Frank Zappa