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Asked and Answered: Kid Lit You Adore! | March 30, 2015

The ECC Board asked some of their favorite authors and illustrators about children’s books that they loved growing up and/or adore today. See what they have to say and stock your shelves with these favorites from kid lit, past and present!

“In sixth grade, I fell in love with Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted for its humor, but when I reread it the following year, I loved it for a completely different reason: It taught me that even if you’re cursed with obedience, you can still figure out a way to be who you are and do what you need to do.” —Shelby Bach, author of The Ever Afters series

“One of the first books I reread until the spine broke in two was Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp. It’s an immersive, Gothic New England ghost story; the atmospheric prose and romance beguiled me, and the focus on female relationships helped establish values that I try to include in all of my own writing.” —Betsy Cornwell, author of Tides and the forthcoming Mechanica

“One of my favorite books as a child was The Boxcar Children. I loved reading about the many ways in which the kids used the resources and the ingenuity they had to create all the things that they needed. I am a huge fan of books with kid power, and the kids in The Boxcar Children definitely showed how capable kids can be when they tackled all of the really big (and the really little) problems that adults usually solve. When I read it as a child, it awoke a power in me and gave me the courage to tackle really big things myself.” —Peggy Eddleman, author of the Sky Jumpers series

“East dragon, West dragon by Robyn Eversole and Scott Campbell. It’s the only picture book I have that Scott did, but I’m sure all the books he’s done are awesome. When his genius is surpassed, the event will likely be so amazing that it will punch a hole into another dimension.” —Stephen Gilpin, illustrator of What to Do When You’re Sent to Your Room

“One of my favorite books in third grade was Charlotte’s Web. I loved Charlotte, which was surprising because spiders had always been scary and ugly to me. But she was beautiful in her own unique way—both inwardly and outwardly. She cared about Wilbur and threw herself into making his life better, in spite of how weary or busy she was. E.B. White gave me my first experience with a selfless character and taught me to seek out beauty in unusual places. And when Charlotte died, my love for the bittersweet ending and all things morbidly lovely was born. ;)” —A.G. Howard, author of the Splintered series

“The first book in English I remember finishing, after looking up just about every word in the dictionary, was Where the Red Fern Grows. I loved how hard the boy worked to get his hounds; the adventures they shared; and how the fern watched over their graves when he had to leave. I read it years later and realized I had missed the religious angle, the farm setting, the socioeconomic status—everything except the core story of a boy and his dogs. Then again that was all I needed to know.” —Thanhhà Lại, author of the Newbery Honor Book and National Book Award-winner Inside Out & Back Again, and Listen, Slowly

“No childhood book has ever meant as much to me as Rascal by Sterling North. It is a humorous, heartfelt, and beautifully-illustrated memoir about a motherless boy’s love for his pet raccoon. I may have been a girl and he a boy. I may have had a cat instead of a raccoon. But Sterling North and I both knew what it was like to feel adrift in the world without a mother. For me, that book was, and always will remain, a gift.” —Judy Schachner, creator of Skippyjon Jones

“I love everything Roald Dahl! He’s my favorite author and I think Matilda is my favorite Roald Dahl hero.” —Suzanne Selfors, author of the Ever After High series

“Huh? What? Just ONE favorite book? You know that’s impossible. Okay, at this very moment I’d say Ramona the Pest. But if you were to ask me in 27 minutes, chances are I’d give a different answer. Ramona the Pest could make me laugh and cry when I was seven years old. It still does. I admire Ramona’s utter lack of self-control, and it’s something I aspire to even to this day.” —Lisa Yee, author of Millicent Min, Girl Genius: Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time, and the forthcoming The Kidney Hypothetical

“I am 60 years old but still remember with fond memories the books that I most loved as a child. I remember getting a copy of Caroline and Friends by the French author Pierre Probst. I loved this book so much! Caroline was a young, spunky girl who had exciting adventures around the world with her menagerie of animal friends. I related to how independent and strong Caroline was, and her assortment of animal friends was always up to mischief!” —Toni Yuly, author of Early Bird and Night Owl