Book Meme!! I got it from Heather. I love her answers – it’s always fun to see what other people were into, if they’re big readers.
1. How old were you when you learned to read and who taught you?
My parents will have to confirm this. I was probably 3. I don’t remember being taught – but my parents read to me all the time. So I guess I just picked it up – but I believe the story goes that I had learned to read without them even realizing it. The story is: I was in my car seat in the back seat of the car. They were driving to the Cape. Anyone who knows the Cape – knows about the big rotary that you have to go through to get onto the Cape. There is a huge A-frame liquor store on that rotary – where everybody stops to get booze before going out onto the Cape (I mean, I know that NOW – I didn’t know it then.) The liquor store has a huge sign above the A-frame: LIQUOR. But anyway – my parents were circling the rotary, I was 3 years old in the back – maybe even younger – and I suddenly announced:
“LICK-WAR.”
It took my parents some time to decipher this. What did she say? What is “lick-war”? Is she trying to tell us something? They finally realized that I had actually been READING. I read the sign on top of the A-frame.
2. Did you own any books as a child? If so, whats the first one that you remember owning? If not, do you recall any of the first titles that you borrowed from the library?
We were very big on going to the library (naturally) – but I do remember that we owned some books. My sister Jean will probably remember better than I can. In terms of borrowing books – here were the favorites (and I’m sticking with books for much younger kids – once I get to about 7, 8 – we’re into Anne of Green Gables land, and Narnia, and Beezus and Ramona … but before that??)
I loved When the Sky is Like Lace
Other favorites which I remember we took out of the library:
Harold and the Purple Crayon 
Frog and Toad Are Friends
A Bargain for Frances (I Can Read Book 2)
Anything and everything by Ezra Jack Keats. I STILL love those books – and have since bought all of them – just because I need to have them. The Snowy Day
The Madeline books were huge favorites – and my favorite, in particular, (big surprise) was Madeline and the Gypsies
When Will It Snow?
Oh, and despite his creepy photo on the back of all of his books: Shel Silverstein. Anything and everything Shel. My dad used to read us The Giving Tree
Rosemary Wells is a HUGE O’Malley favorite. Max? PLEASE. Who is funnier than Max? And his big sister Ruby (only we called her “Rubby”). We loooooved Morris’ Disappearing Bag
3. Whats the first book that you bought with your own money?
I have no idea.
4. Were you a re-reader as a child? If so, which book did you re-read most often?
Every single book above was totally pawed over and read a BAZILLION times.
As I got older – my reading list expanded. Oh and here too!! I read all of those books 100 times apiece.
5. Whats the first adult book that captured your interest and how old were you when you read it?
Well, I was always very advanced in terms of language comprehension (uhm – lick-war?). I guess Oliver Twist counts as an adult book and I read the entire thing when I was 10 years old. I remember carrying it around with me. That’s probably the biggest leap – in terms of how young I was and how advanced the book was.
6. Are there childrens books that you passed by as a child that you have learned to love as an adult? Which ones?
Hmmm. Bridge to Terabithia
Oh – and also – The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Bonus Question: Are there books you remember reading as a child that you either cant find now or cant remember the title?
Well – the bimulous night book was the biggest mystery – but as I mentioned earlier – I did end up finding it. I had been looking for it under the wrong title for, oh, 20 years? 25 years??? It’s called When the sky is like lace – and I had been keeping my eye open for Bimulous Night.
I can’t think of too many more lost books.
I even tracked down The summer sleigh ride,
Loved the Madeline books… esptecially the circus one. (I can still recite the entire first Madeline book. Along with a few other choice children’s books – The B Book, Bears in the Night, Spooky Old Tree, Dr. Seuss’s ABC, and a large chunk of How the Grinch Stole Christmas).
2 – I also loved the Frog and Toad books. The musical (came to Broadway a couple years back) is good as well – it originated at my local Children’t Theater. And, I had a friend in college who was Toad to my Frog :-)
melissa – Oh, I love that!!!
And I remember the musical coming to Broadway but I didn’t see it – that’s so cool it originated in your town. Pretty wild!
Oh man – and I just had a flashback of how much I love Bears in the Night. Those illustrations were captivating.
But … remind me of the plot of Bears in the Night?
What exactly were they doing in the woods? Why did they gather? For some pagan dance ritual? For a drum circle? … or … I can’t remember.
But I LOVED the shadowy woods with the lanterns and all the bears trooping to meet up … for what nefarious purpose, I have no recollection.
Bears in teh Night:
In Bed
Out of Bed
Out of Bed, To The Window
Out of bed, to the Window, at the Window
Out the Window
Out the Window, Down the Tree
Down the Tree, Over the Wall
Over the Wall, Under the Bridge
Under the Bridge, Around the Lake
Out the Window, Down teh Tree, Over the Wall, Under the Bridge Around the Lake
Between the rocks
Through the Woods
Around the Lake,Between the rocks, Through the Woods
Up. Spook. Hill.
WHOOOOOOOOOO (*the owl on Spook Hill)
Down Spook Hill, Through the Woods, Between the Rocks, Around the Lake, Under The Bridge, Over the Wall, Up the Tree,
In the Window
Back in Bed.
Bascially, the little bears hear an owl, sneak out of bed, and investigate. Then get scared witless!
Ah, and the Frog and Toad musical. You might really enjoy some of hte music from it. (The Cookie Song and Toad Looks Funny in a Bathing Suit, especailly)
Now that I have totally hijacked this comment thread :-)
I do have an advantage with kids books having 2 sisters, one 8 and one 12 years younger, and a 12 and 4 year old of my own. I’m right in these books again!
Melissa – you are one of my favorite hijackers.
You also completely amaze me with the Bears in the Night recitation.
And of COURSE – it all came back to me as I read that!
The part I loved best was all of them snuggled up in the bed together and everything was blue and nighttime – it looked so cozy!! This comes from the girl who thought it would be great to sit in the back of the covered wagon with my older sister who eventually would go blind – and stare out of the little opening at the world outside.
And oh God, the whole scene with Toad in the bathing suit is SO funny – I can’t remember which of the books it comes from, though. I think I need to own those as well. For those mythical children that I must have someday. (Uhm – soon? Birthday coming up. Time running out.)
:)
exactly – except I always wanted to live in the Big Woods….
Ha!! I was always a Silver Lake girl myself.
Now here’s a weird thing – I am sure you can remind me of the details: but there’s a scene in the Big Woods where Laura has an earache – is it Laura? And it gets so bad that she is literally screaming – and the doctor pierces her eardrum? To relieve the pressure or let out the fluid or something?
I didn’t have chronic earaches as a kid – like my brother – but when I did have them, I would lie in bed, in agony – dreaming about being in that little house and a doctor piercing into the gook in my ear and making me all better.
Forget antibiotics. Gimme the eardrum piercing method!!
I don’t actually remember that part… But I know the book is upstairs… somewhere….
I have vivid memories of Laura’s Pa smoking the pig (and Laura and Mary playing with the pig bladder), making maple syrup candy, and the hornet’s nest.
I loved all the Laura books, though. Was never a fan of the TV show….
mmmmmmm Maple syrup candy!!!
I was certain it was in that book – sadly I do not have it in hand. I’ll be in a bookstore tomorrow, I’ll take a look.
There was something about the description of the earache – and its agony – and then the description of the child who had the earache (it was one of the girls) crying out when the doctor did whatever he did – and then silence … meaning RELIEF … it just really impressed itself on me as a youngun.
I loved the scene in Little House with the blizzard – and their Christmas with little candies and shiny pennies in the woolen stockings. God – it really changed my perspective as a kid. That was their Christmas – and they were PSYCHED about it. Candy and pennies. And a roaring fire and a blizzard outside.
Yeah, the books were absolute magic.
MY GOD! With the exception of the bimulous book, I have every one of your childhood books in my classroom!! Yea me!!
My mother had and kept much of the collection we three had, because she spent some time teaching preschool. Total classics of childhood: Where the Wild Things Are, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Curious George, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, The Little Engine that Could… I read them to my brother and sister while they were small, as I’m sure our folks read them to me.
One I remembered that has been OOP for years was by Roger Duvoisin, “The Christmas Whale.” All the reindeer get the ‘flu just before Christmas, and Santa is at his wits’ end until the Whale volunteers her services. The Ladybug tracked down a copy online and got it for me for my birthday. I’m the luckiest boy alive, donchaknow!
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel is seriously an awesome awesome book. I love it to this day.
And I LOVE tracking down books I once had – to just have them nearby – so yes, good for Ladybug for finding it – what a great surprise!