Books, Books, Books

I can remember a lot of books in my childhood. I was read to, and I enjoyed reading to myself as I got older.

Of course there were Dr. Suess books. I have an early memory of the book Ten Apples Up On Top! by Theo Le Sieg and pretty much every Berenstain Bears book that was available in the early-to-mid-80s. I was very much into Richard Scary and his pencil cars and apple vans. Lowly Worm and Huckleberry Cat made me happy (and Mom, too, I think).

As I got a bit older I started reading more chapter books, like Bunnicula and it's many sequels. I enjoyed books like James and the Giant Peach and the poetry of the immortal Shel Silverstein.

For Christmas when I was nine, my aunt sent me a box set of Judy Blume books: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Superfudge, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, Starring Sally J. Friedman As Herself, and the best one of all, Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret.

I had the book Free To Be You and Me, and remember enjoying it for the poems and songs.

In the late 80s, came the inevitable fascination with the popular series books of the time: Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High, The Babysitter's Club, The Saddle Club.

I went through the "must have a horse!" phase (never did get a horse) and read every horse story I could get my hands on--the above-mentioned Saddle Club series, a series called Thoroughbred, Misty of Chincoteague, Black Beauty, and a slew of lesser-known horse stories. If it had a horse on the cover, I'd give it a try.

I loved books as a child. Not much has changed, there.