Zoe and Ziya just had their first quarter final exams in school last week. The results haven’t been released yet but I’m pretty confident that they did well like they usually do. I normally reward them when their exam results are good. The rewards don’t need to be something huge. Most of the time, I give them books. I LOVE books and I am so happy that I was able to pass on this passion of mine to my tweens.
The girls’ bookshelf is already full of books they love, most of them are modern titles they have chosen on their own. However, what I really want to encourage them to read are some classic children’s books that I read when I was a kid. These books are responsible for starting my love affair with reading. I truly learned so much from them. I don’t want my kids to read purely for entertainment. I want them to learn valuable lessons in life by reading too. So, my mission now is to find these titles soon. Here are some of the books I want to buy for my tweens:
1. Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret by Judy Blume
This book will be perfect for my tweens because they would be able to relate to Margaret’s story. Like Margaret, my kids have also moved from the city to the suburbs and have transferred schools. The books tells the story of how Margaret deals with this change, which includes making new friends and just generally, facing the realities of growing up. I like how Margaret has a personal relationship with God. I am hoping that my girls will develop a very personal and close relationship with God as well.
2. It’s Not The End of The World by Judy Blume
Now, you can obviously see that I love Judy Blume books. Well, I think they’re great because kids can really relate to the stories. This particular book tells the story of how Karen deals with her parents’ separation and plans to get a divorce. My kids would definitely relate to this since it has only been four years ago since their dad and I separated. I am hoping they learn that even though it happened and that a lot of things have changed, it’s not the end of the world. Life will go on and they should learn to move on from heartaches.
3. Number The Stars by Lois Lowry
This is probably one of the most serious children’s books I’ve read as a child. The story takes place during World War II and it tells the story of what happens to 10-year-old Annemarie Johansen when her Jewish family was relocated and she had to come live with her best friend and pretend she was part of their family. My kids can learn a lot about history in this book. Most importantly, it will show them the effects of discrimination and war. Hopefully, it will make them more appreciative of their life now and be more conscious of treating others with respect, even if they’re different.
4. Little House In The Big Woods (and the whole Little House series) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Oh, how I love this series. I even love the TV movie versions. The Little House series tells the story of a child named, Laura, and how she and her family survived the pioneer life. I want my girls’ to read this so that they can have an idea how hard life was in the olden days, without technology, and how lucky they are they were only born in the 21st Century. This series is also full of fun and adventure and I’m sure my girls will love that.
5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
This is undoubtedly my most favorite book of all time. As a kid, I used to have an old hard bound copy, something I inherited from old relatives. However, over time it got lost and that broke my heart. To this day, I haven’t found a hard bound version quite like my old one. Little Women follows the lives of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, and was set at a time when girls were bound by certain constraints and expectations of what’s proper. I love that the book is a story of family, sisterhood, love, virtue and following your dreams. I hope that this book will help my girls realize that one does not have to be rich to be happy, that family is of utmost importance and that dreams can come true if you work hard on it.
What are your favorite children’s books? Share them with me.
Thanks for sharing, Chris! The only E. B. White book my kids have read so far is Charlotte’s Web. I should add the other books to my list as well. I loved A Little Princess too. 😀
Oh, I wasn’t able to keep my copy of the book either. Have been trying to find one in the bookstores. Hope I find one soon. I loved Archie and Sweet Valley High too though my daughters are still too young for SVH. I would have let them read my Sweet Valley Twins collection but unfortunately I don’t have them anymore. 🙁
We loved E. B. White’s books. My daughter enjoyed The Little Women and A Little Princess too. We will be reading the Little House in the Big Woods soon.
I read Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret! I loved it! Bad thing I didn’t keep it for my daughter to read when she turned to be a tweener like your daughters. I also had Archie Comics & Sweet Valley High! 🙂
I sold mine when I was a struggling fresh college graduate. 🙁