• Asked and Answered

Asked and Answered | January 27, 2016

What is your favorite book from childhood? What is your favorite children’s book you wish you had read when you were a kid?

“My favorite book from childhood would have to be Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. The illustrations are so lovely, and the story really spoke to me (as does all of Mrs. Cooney’s work). My favorite book I wish I had read as a child is Harold and The Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. I came to this book later in life when I was a teenager and have been in love with that bald, adventurous baby ever since. I wonder what I would have thought about it as a little kid.” –Shaina Birkhead, Director of Programming, The Children’s Book Council

“My favorite children’s book growing up was Artemis Fowl, which my school librarian recommended to me when I was in the sixth grade. I was so drawn to the mix of fantasy and science, and I remember being sucked into the writing and pacing (which felt like I was watching a movie). It really did stick, because Artemis is one of the influences that led me to a career in children’s publishing.

I wish, wish, wish I had read Garth Nix—specifically, Sabriel—as a child. I remember it was always checked out at the school library, and, to be honest, I was intimidated by that enormous page count. Don’t worry, I grew out of that fear, but that’s one fandom that (sadly) passed me by.” –Orlando DosReis, Assistant Editor, Abrams Books for Young Readers, Amulet, and ComicArts 

“My favorite book from childhood: The BFG by Roald Dahl. My Roald Dahl treasury was one of my most prized possessions when I was a kid! My favorite children’s book I wish I had read when I was a kid: Jack & Louisa, Act 1 by Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Kate Wetherhead. I’ve always been a musical theatre geek, and would have loved reading this book while playing Marta in The Sound of Music in the second grade!” –Hillary Doyle, International Rights Associate, Scholastic (ECC Chair)

“One of my favorite books from childhood (other than Harry Potter) is Willie the Whiner by Mavis Smith, a picture book that I have fond memories of reading with my grandma and brother and us acting out all the whining dialogue. I wish I had read A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett because, for some unknown reason, every time I would start this book, I could never get through it. Still haven’t read it to this day. Am I missing out on something?” –Marissa Finkelstein, Assistant Production Editor, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (ECC Secretary)

“When I was a kid, I mainly read a) fantasy and sci-fi, b) British books with talking animals and/or orphans, c) manga of varying quality, and d) award winners that get dismissed on Goodreads as ‘depressing.’ Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary is probably my favorite of the latter category. Cleary treats protagonist Leigh’s problems with real weight and sensitivity; she takes not only Leigh but her audience seriously. Henshaw may not be intricately-plotted or epic in scope, but its emotional complexity continues to resonate.

I wish I had read Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones as a kid. I don’t know how I missed the boat on that one…I loved Jones’ Chrestomanci series and the Studio Ghibli film! But I take consolation in the fact that this book’s weird, wonderful pleasures don’t diminish with age, but perhaps grow with it.” –Alexa Frank, Office Assistant, The Children’s Book Council (CBC Liaison)

“My favorite book from childhood is Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman. In fact, to this day, when I get separated from my mom in the grocery store, I eventually wander back and ask the all-important question while sneaking something into the cart. My favorite children’s book that I wish I had read when I was a kid is What Do You Do With An Idea by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Mae Besom. It is sweet and inspiring, and I know that it would have been one of my favorites growing up.” –Amalia Frick, Subrights Coordinator, Penguin Young Readers

“My favorite book from childhood — one that carries an enduring sense of nostalgia and warmth — is Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel. The slim paperback contains five stories of amphibian friendship, with illustrations in muted greens and browns. Each vignette was the perfect length for bedtime read-alouds with my mom. Looking back, the stories also marked my transition from picture books to chapter books, from attentive listener to independent reader. And it really is a joy to look back.

One recent series I wish I’d read as a kid is All the Wrong Questions. I’ve always been an armchair detective, and Lemony Snicket’s latest mystery reminds me of my favorite kid-lit sleuths. I envy the new generations of reader-investigators coming of age alongside young Snicket and his ‘associates.’” — Emma Kantor, Communications Coordinator, The Children’s Book Council

“My favorite book from childhood is The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman. My favorite children’s book I wish I had read as a kid is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.” –Jules Kelly, Publishing Coordinator, Random House Children’s Books

“This one’s easy—The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I got the Narnia box set for my eighth birthday and never looked back (as you can tell by my lamppost tattoo, which reminds me to check for magic forests in the back of every cupboard, just in case)! I definitely wish I could have time-traveled as a kid and read Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo. Cranky Flora, trusting Ulysses, and earnest William Spiver (probably one of my favorite middle grade characters ever) would have been perfect reading companions for past-Elizabeth.” –Elizabeth Lynch, Editorial Assistant, HarperCollins Children’s Books

“My favorite series growing up was (and still is) Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, but I equally adored Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I thought she was absolutely brilliant, and I had never encountered a character who babbled and derailed sentences as much as I did. She also taught me that the best way to win an argument was to simply not let the other person speak.

A book I never read but always wished I had experienced as a child is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. From everything I’ve heard, I’m sure I would love it, and I’ve always intended to read it, but it seems like it would’ve been so much better to experience the time-travelling wonder as a kid.” – Brittany Pearlman, Associate Publicist, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group

“My favorite book from childhood is The Ever After War by Michael Buckley, book seven in The Sisters Grimm series. This series puts a great spin on classic fairy tale characters and the idea of the Brothers Grimm. Daphne and Sabrina, descendants of the original Brothers Grimm, must try to save their missing parents while befriending and fighting off fairy tale characters—everyone from Cinderella to Puck makes an appearance. This book is absolutely amazing! I reread the whole series at least once a year, but this is the one I pick up if I just need something to spark my creativity. It’s enchanting, adventurous, and clever, and I owe many of my greatest ideas to this book.

I recently read the picture book The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, and I so wish I had read that as a child! I had a massively overactive imagination because I was an only child and I had to entertain myself quite a bit. Coloring was one of the things I did most, but I got bored of quickly because I always colored everything the way it was supposed to be colored. I thought I would hurt the crayons’ feelings if I didn’t use the colors properly! If I had read this book, I would have felt better about being more adventurous.” –Janine Perez, Marketing Assistant, Simon and Schuster

“My favorite book I read as a child is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. A book [series] that I wish I had read as a kid is Lloyd Alexander’s The Chronicles of Prydain series.” –Nicole Sclama, Editorial Assistant, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers