[Publib] children's books

[Margaret Neill]

I believe I also had those Childcraft books, or a 1980's equivalent. I
loved to read them, but mine was not a very crafty household, so I never
seemed to have any of the materials on hand to actually make anything. I
find it funny now that I spent rainy days reading about what to do on a
rainy day. Looking back, the other thing I loved was the groovy 1970's
layout. Those books were a study in avocado green and goldenrod and it
was almost like spending an hour with Sid and Marty Kroft. 

 

My mother routinely bought me books, but her rule was that it had to
have some sort of gold seal on the front. Caldecott, et al. Those books
were fine, but most of them were kind of a bummer and what I really
wanted to read was the Babysitter's Club or "horror" books by R.L. Stine
and Christopher Pike. I had to get those at school book fairs. Later, I
discovered the library and that the circulation people wouldn't bat an
eye if an 8-year old took out 'Carrie' or 'Rosemary's Baby'. Thank
goodness for the public library, otherwise I would have spent my whole
childhood being bummed out by important social issues couched in a
"child-friendly" context. Bah. 

 

We had a World Book encyclopedia set and I decided one summer to read
the whole thing. I think I got through the As before my admittedly short
attention span kicked in and I ran off to do something else, never to
return. 

 

One author I believe all children should read is Roald Dahl. He is my
absolute favorite and his books define childhood for me. He got it, he
just understood the strange feeling of being a child, especially a smart
child, being surrounded by dumb adults, struggling to find a place. If
there's one thing children can't have enough of it's whimsy. 

 

Margaret M. Neill

Library Manager, Technical Services and Systems

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library

200 E. Picacho Ave. 

Las Cruces, NM 88001

(575) 528-4043

(575) 528-4030 FAX

mneill at las-cruces.org

http://library.las-cruces.org 

 

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