Tell me your favourite children's stories

[John K]

I wanted to share this instagram post of a very empathic baby girl reading a book. I hope it warms your hearts as well as it warmed mine. <3

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Edit: her level of empathy is astounding. She reminds me a lot of INFJ babies.

That's a lovely picture. Have you noticed how kids like re-reading? Mine had their favourite stories they'd insist I read to them over and over. I used to tease them by going wrong with a name or something and they'd protest like mad and put me right

I still like re-reading my favourites and must have read some books dozens of times. It doesn't feel like reading with the very best of these, they just seem to draw you into the world the book creates.

 

[mintoots]

That's a lovely picture. Have you noticed how kids like re-reading? Mine had their favourite stories they'd insist I read to them over and over. I used to tease them by going wrong with a name or something and they'd protest like mad and put me right

I still like re-reading my favourites and must have read some books dozens of times. It doesn't feel like reading with the very best of these, they just seem to draw you into the world the book creates.

Re-reading and re watching movies. My mom said I nearly broke the betamax playing sound of music over and over.

Did you see the instagram post embeded in the link? I was really touched by the way she cried as she was touched by the story in the book. Such empathy! In a baby barely three!

 

[John K]

Re-reading and re watching movies. My mom said I nearly broke the betamax playing sound of music over and over.

Did you see the instagram post embeded in the link? I was really touched by the way she cried as she was touched by the story in the book. Such empathy! In a baby barely three!

Hahaha! My youngest brother was into the Sound of Music. There were no video players then - we’d only had a tv for a few years and that was black and white. He had the lp of the music tho’ and it drove the rest of us mad because he played it over and over - he was only 6 then so he’s forgiven lol.

Yes I saw the Instagram post but not at first. You know - when I was a child I never knew that a lot of people felt the world differently to me. We just think that everyone experiences the world the same as us when we are small. I hope she grows up able to manage her boundaries. She’s lovely.

 

[mintoots]

Hahaha! My youngest brother was into the Sound of Music. There were no video players then - we’d only had a tv for a few years and that was black and white. He had the lp of the music tho’ and it drove the rest of us mad because he played it over and over - he was only 6 then so he’s forgiven lol.

Yes I saw the Instagram post but not at first. You know - when I was a child I never knew that a lot of people felt the world differently to me. We just think that everyone experiences the world the same as us when we are small. I hope she grows up able to manage her boundaries. She’s lovely.

Hahaha same! I was three years old and for a three hour movie, I imagine a day could easily go by with it. My mother must have had it easy. Pop the betamax and you can get to do laundry. LOL. It must have been what today we would call a kid's youtube channel.

I wanted clothes made out of curtains! And brown paper packages tied up with strings.

 

[mintoots]

You know - when I was a child I never knew that a lot of people felt the world differently to me. We just think that everyone experiences the world the same as us when we are small. I hope she grows up able to manage her boundaries.

Right? I used to think something must be wrong with me. She seems to have an awesome mom so I would be hopeful. Anyhow, it's somehow comforting to know that such innocence and kindness exists. Like the world is worth living for and saving.

 

[John K]

Right? I used to think something must be wrong with me. She seems to have an awesome mom so I would be hopeful. Anyhow, it's somehow comforting to know that such innocence and kindness exists. Like the world is worth living for and saving.

Skarekrow and Wyote sent me links to some Mindfulness thinking a few months ago, and one of the main planks is called 'Beginner's Mind'. Are you familiar with that sort of thinking? The idea is to try and hold on to the perspective of being a newcomer to something even when you are familiar with it - to keep a child-like relationship to it. I remember long ago a famous conductor (I can't remember who, but it might have been Beecham) saying that he wished he could hear Beethoven's Fifth Symphony for the first time again - I think that captures the idea.

I was very lucky with my parents. I'm pretty sure mum was INFJ and dad probably INFP. My mum was the most affirmative person I've ever met. It's only really years later that I can see we were a rather unusual family lol. I think the wee lassie will do just fine with her mom

 

[mintoots]

Skarekrow and Wyote sent me links to some Mindfulness thinking a few months ago, and one of the main planks is called 'Beginner's Mind'. Are you familiar with that sort of thinking? The idea is to try and hold on to the perspective of being a newcomer to something even when you are familiar with it - to keep a child-like relationship to it. I remember long ago a famous conductor (I can't remember who, but it might have been Beecham) saying that he wished he could hear Beethoven's Fifth Symphony for the first time again - I think that captures the idea.

I was very lucky with my parents. I'm pretty sure mum was INFJ and dad probably INFP. My mum was the most affirmative person I've ever met. It's only really years later that I can see we were a rather unusual family lol. I think the wee lassie will do just fine with her mom

I have never heard of it. It's a refreshing departure from impostor syndrome or dunning kruger. I can get on board with that. It sounds very humbling, too. In fact I like it.

 

[John K]

"Pettson and Findus" by Sven Nordqvist
(actually a series of books and stories for young kids to look and be read to)

These have reminded me of a book I found among my mother's things when I cleared the house after dad went into care. It's rather different to Findus, but shares that magic association of story and art. It's this:

Helen Bradley was an artist who created a number of books to go with her paintings, and this one tells some of the stories of her childhood around 1007-1912 ... she was born in 1900. They are anecdotes of her family life and they would be quite ordinary, but the pictures bring it all to life and make it magic. She paints in a style that looks a bit like Lowry, but you feel he was very alienated when you look at his pictures, wheras Helen's pictures are full of intimate warmth and belonging. I think these would be lovely books for a sensitive child. The copy I found has been signed by Helen a few months before she died, so mum must have met her.

 

[Impact Character]

These have reminded me of a book I found among my mother's things when I cleared the house after dad went into care. It's rather different to Findus, but shares that magic association of story and art. It's this:

Helen Bradley was an artist who created a number of books to go with her paintings, and this one tells some of the stories of her childhood around 1007-1912 ... she was born in 1900. They are anecdotes of her family life and they would be quite ordinary, but the pictures bring it all to life and make it magic. She paints in a style that looks a bit like Lowry, but you feel he was very alienated when you look at his pictures, wheras Helen's pictures are full of intimate warmth and belonging. I think these would be lovely books for a sensitive child. The copy I found has been signed by Helen a few months before she died, so mum must have met her.

1900 is so my time.

L. S. Lowry reminds me alot of my grandfather's paintings. They had a huge house (with 12 children), that was more of a complex of three houses of some kind. Anyhow, it was full of his drawings that were a mixture of simple perspective to non-existing perspective, from daily scenarios mixed in with lots of (usually very creepy and war/devil associated) metaphors.

Your mom was just awsome. I must admit I've saved those pieces you posted so I can look at them every now and then.

 

[MoonFlier]

Corduroy. This little bear set my imagination soaring for the first time I can recall.


I remember going to the town library and sitting for hours in the children's room in their beanbags every summer. We had no AC at home, but the library did, so that's where we spent many days. Used to belong to the summer reading group where we'd read books and earn sticker dots to put on our cards hanging on the wall there. I read a lot, but my cards never filled up the way other's did. The winner was always given a prize, like a bike, coupons for free ice cream cones or one time there was a Corduroy bear that I wanted so bad. I didn't have a chance at winning though as I stuck to the rules and read at or above my age level.

 

[jn56uytrx]

Couldn't read this to my kids when they were little without breaking down into tears myself.



I made up a tune and would sing the refrain to them every time we'd read this when my kids were little. I can still sing the tune.



This was my kids' dad's favorite book when he was a child and it became a favorite of our kids as well.



Versions of this sing-song story still pop up in our day-to-day lives. If you give a X a Y, he's gonna want a Z to go with it...


A huge part of me recoils at the word "lazy" and wants to say, "describe the behavior you're labeling," but....it was a favorite in our house when the kids were little. I can't deny I liked little Ozzie's cleverness in finding an unexpected way to get to the ground. I did reward my own son when he was in high school for completely avoiding the intent of an assignment, but still meeting every rubric so perfectly his teacher couldn't deny him an A grade. I like subversive cleverness, I guess. Even if it leads to a different kind of problem in the end.

 

[April]

Twins! They're gonna need your help John! Hehe how cute. There's a few books I liked to be read as a child, including Bambi and Danny and the Dinosaur, but when I got old enough to read myself, I quickly graduated to novels. One book that was my favorite read about a cat titled SOCKS. Another about a cat named Snot Soup I think. I loved animals, can you tell? Oh, and Call of the Wild! White Fang! HARRY POTTER!!! Theres more lol.

 

[John K]

A huge part of me recoils at the word "lazy" and wants to say, "describe the behavior you're labeling," but....it was a favorite in our house when the kids were little. I can't deny I liked little Ozzie's cleverness in finding an unexpected way to get to the ground. I did reward my own son when he was in high school for completely avoiding the intent of an assignment, but still meeting every rubric so perfectly his teacher couldn't deny him an A grade. I like subversive cleverness, I guess. Even if it leads to a different kind of problem in the end.

Haha! I remember learning that a smart lazy person often finds the most efficient solution. I love your son's rebellion by turning the system on itself

 

[John K]

Twins! They're gonna need your help John! Hehe how cute. There's a few books I liked to be read as a child, including Bambi and Danny and the Dinosaur, but when I got old enough to read myself, I quickly graduated to novels. One book that was my favorite read about a cat titled SOCKS. Another about a cat named Snot Soup I think. I loved animals, can you tell? Oh, and Call of the Wild! White Fang! HARRY POTTER!!! Theres more lol.

My middle brother and I went onto comics once we were old enough to read. We used to have great stacks of old Beanos and Dandys - UK specific these I expect. We had a great stack of DC comics too - Superman/boy/girl, Flash, Green Lantern, Batman all dating from abot 1959 to 1965. All long gone now sadly because they were entertaining and are probably now worth a small fortune. Of course the adults all thought these were an utter waste of time which made them all the more appealing to us lol. The Jack London books - yeah great! I enjoyed Swiss Family Robinson too, but Robinson Crusoe and Alice In Wonderland I could never get into as books.

 

[mintoots]

My middle brother and I went onto comics once we were old enough to read. We used to have great stacks of old Beanos and Dandys - UK specific these I expect. We had a great stack of DC comics too - Superman/boy/girl, Flash, Green Lantern, Batman all dating from abot 1959 to 1965. All long gone now sadly because they were entertaining and are probably now worth a small fortune. Of course the adults all thought these were an utter waste of time which made them all the more appealing to us lol. The Jack London books - yeah great! I enjoyed Swiss Family Robinson too, but Robinson Crusoe and Alice In Wonderland I could never get into as books.

LOL I stuck editions of Archie in between my Physics books when I was supposed to study. Hahahaha.

Then Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High destroyed me. LOL

 

[Skarekrow]

And yes.... Philip Pullman “His Dark Materials”!! whoever said that!

I could go on forever and ever...
​

 

[seeofheart]

Beverly Cleary's Ramona series was so comforting to read during the 80s - 90s. I wish I still owned them all.

 

[John K]

Beverly Cleary's Ramona series was so comforting to read during the 80s - 90s. I wish I still owned them all.

I’ve never come across this series but then I only have brothers and sons which explains why - though these days we probably wouldn’t be so gender typical lol. I like the sound of these, they sound charming, and I can see why they’d leave memories. The most special kids books are the ones you take into adulthood with you, don’t you think?

I see this is your first post so a very big welcome to the forum seeofheart .

 

[sassafras]

LOL I stuck editions of Archie in between my Physics books when I was supposed to study. Hahahaha.

Then Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High destroyed me. LOL

lol! I did the same with my Archie's in middle school. They were really popular in my class one year. We were all reading and trading them and the librarian at our school even donated her kids' collection to the library.

I remember Sweet Valley High, and Boxcar Children. Stewart Little too!

Anne of Green Gables, Black Beauty and Secret Garden were the ones I read over and over again.

And then there was the Three Musketeers...I was the only one I knew who read that not just once, but obsessively

 

[G4RiiM]