For graduation (sniff!) I gave my son a special copy of one of his favorite books, Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. He came across it at Powell’s on a trip home to Portland when he was around ten. He devoured it and re-read it over and over. I finally read it with him (when we still read books aloud, sniff) and adored it too. And have read her others since, which are all so good.
But it also made me think last night about the books I read to him that we re-read and re-read when he was young. Charlotte’s Web and Long Way have something similar in that they share endings that so bittersweet and beautiful, I was unable to read aloud the end without sobbing (I think of the five or so times we read Charlotte’s Web I finally made it through once).
Charlotte’s Web is such a perfect jewel of a book. The Hobbit too—they both are told and end exactly when they should, just brilliant storytelling. And then we also read and re-read Gerald Durrell’s My Family and Other Animals throughout his childhood—I had never read it and was looking for books we could read aloud on a trip to England, and I will never forget his six-year-old laughter as we first read it through a jet-lagged night, both crying for laughing so much in places, marveling at the gorgeous descriptions of Corfu in others. Just pure joy to read aloud.
So I was curious what books you feel are so sparklingly done that you read and re-read, always finding them so satisfying, joyful, bittersweet? Books that are so satisfying because they are so well-crafted, stand-alone perfection. I’m thinking of books that so often get overlooked or dismissed as children’s books, or sci-fi, or travelogues. (I love Austen, for example, but her books are so well known for their genius craft and dialogue, etc.)
Thank you for sharing these precious little memories with us Freya. I can imagine you and your baby crying from laughing reading a book, and that image brings me so much peace in its everyday slice of life kind of way 💜
I have always loved The Velveteen Rabbit, no matter how old I am. I feel like it has the kind of wisdom that can be returned to and pondered upon again and again. So many timeless quotes, but specially this one, when the horse tells the rabbit about the magic of make-belief and becoming real
“You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”
Nearly anything by T. Kingfisher, but especially her "Saint of Steel" series (starting with Paladin's Grace). Her characters are real people reacting like real people do when faced by absurd, difficult situations, and coming through with hope and grace and dignity and the occasional face-full of mud.
Also, Ursula Vernon's "Digger." (Same author as above, different publishing name for different audiences.) A multi-year webcomic collected in print form (though still available online) following the adventures of a thoroughly practical wombat who gets mixed up with magic, a dead god, and a tribe of hyenas. There's something about the eponymous Digger that eases my soul...and I discover new things in the b/w art every time I re-read it. I followed it while Vernon was actively publishing it online, and it had the most sane, compassionate, and altogether lovely commenting community I had ever encountered.
Read aloud to my daughter doing all the different 'voices': Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, all the Harry Potters
Read for my own enjoyment: Tolkeins as abovr, Tolstoy's War & Peace, Dostoyevsky's The Gambler, Notes from the Underground, Kafka's The Castle, Salinger's Catcher in the Rye
Patricia C. Wrede's Lyra novels are ones I've been returning to more frequently in recent years, especially "Caught in Crystal," which I first read when I was maybe 10, in the mid-1980s. I'm always surprised at how few sci fi and fantasy fans seem to have read her.
Alan Garner’s trilogy, ‘The Weirdstone of Brisingamen,’ ‘The Moon of Gomrath’ and (written 50 years later!) ‘Boneland.’ The characters who are children in the first two are grown-ups in the last one, and his writing is luminous.
I think any novel by Robin McKinley also bears re-reading, but my absolute favorite is ‘Sunshine.’
Ah I almost started writing the Moomins too--we read those over and over. Moomintroll Midwinter is another absolute beauty. I re-read it each December most years. 💜
O! I love Frog and Toad! So great. Did you ever come across Owl at Home by Lobel? Omygoodness I love it so much. There's a small section where he asks winter to come in and warm itself by his fire only to face flood. And Owl makes tear water tea--spoons that have fallen behind the stove! (sniff) pencils too short to use any longer (sniff). And then he puts the kettle to boil and says how it's a wee bit salty but tearwater tea is always very good. :) And then Moon follows him home and he yells to her Moon! What a good round friend you are. It's just a beauty too, very similar in feel to frog and toad. 💜
Oh, this sounds wonderful. I rarely daydream about being a different age than I am in the present. These last days of spring though, these long days, I can feel my seven year old self.
I know what you mean--I amassed a huge library of favorite older children's books and maybe it's time to start reading them again, now that my own son is headed to college soon. There's such poetry in them, it's such a shame we don't make time for them in the same way. Owl always makes me laugh at his droll humor--like many good ones.💜
This is the one I was thinking of too, Stephanie! Oh, Toad. Oh, Frog. To this day I can conjure images from these books being read to me in my childhood—Toad covered in ice cream and twigs running up a mountain; a to-do list etched into sand, make list crossed off; cookies in a box with a string tied into a bow high on top of a shelf. And of course, the way true friendship molds our hearts.
The Little Prince! I keep my childhood copy front and center on my bookshelf as an adult, and thumb through it if things are feeling especially challenging. It's one of those perfect examples of a book that is great as a child, but even more profound as an adult.
Omy goodness yes! I've been thinking about reading it again. One of those that always meets you where you are in life. I love his other writing too. Poignant, clear-sighted, bitter-sweet. 💜
Freya, this part made me cry. “and I will never forget his six-year-old laughter as we first read it through a jet-lagged night, both crying for laughing so much in places, marveling at the gorgeous descriptions of Corfu in others.” This is such a gorgeous memory for you both. I will never be out of awe for the magic mothers create in and around their children. Thank you for sharing this moment. Congrats on his graduation!!! Although devastating, I love returning to The Velveteen Rabbit. 💗
Ah, it makes me a little weepy too honestly--I'll never forget the joy in that child laughter, or the time we shared both discovering joy in a new book together. Thanks for seeing that. 💜 and yes, joyful and devastating, watching them become their own people for sure. 💜 Velveteen Rabbit is definitely one of those beauties--another that's hard to finish reading out loud but so much love in it.
Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea books are often described as fantasy and young adult books. Beautifully written and profoundly true, they hold up so well to being read and re-read at various stages of my life.
O Earthsea! Yes--that quiet beauty and magic in that book knocked me out flat. I hadn't read it as a kid but did as an adult with my son and was just blown away by it. Some of those scenes will always stay with me, so haunting just gorgeous. Thanks for the reminder. 💜
Ah Cold Comfort Farm is so great! I want to go back and read it again now! And I never read I capture the castle and have always meant to. Perfect timing. 💜
It wasn’t when I was a child, but when I was in my 20s and 30s, I read and reread Kate Braverman’s “Squandering the Blue”. A series of semi linked stories, they reflected my reality or what I saw as my future and which resonated with me deeply. The beautiful, sparkling prose landed deep in my gut. This was no doubt a reflection of Braverman’s being a poet first. It was perfectly belle et triste and usually had me sobbing at the beauty of it. Unable to find it in print, I liberated a copy from the public library, which I have mixed feelings about, knowing I’m depriving another mostly lost soul the succour of it, but it remains one of my most treasured possessions and a poignant reminder of who I was all those years ago. If you can find it — I highly recommend it!
Oh wow! I’m glad to hear it’s back in print! Maybe I’ll get a copy and give it to the library! I hope you enjoy it!! ( my life didn’t go that way, by the way!) 😊
I was just talking about The Phantom Tollbooth yesterday with my best friend over coffee and decadent chocolate chip cookies in our favorite coffeeshop. I hadn't thought about this sweet story in years, and here it is again. Such sweet memories of reading and sharing it with my students as a middle school teacher. ❤️
I love the Phantom Tollbooth! My son did too--what a delight, I feel that too--makes me want to go back and read it again to visit old friends. So so good! 💜 I want to look up Return of the Mummy now--haven't read that one! ;)
I often re-read Susanna Kearsley’s The Winter Sea. I also love The Girl Who Drank The Moon by Kelly Barnhill.
Can't wait to read these, thanks for the recommendation!
Thank you for sharing these precious little memories with us Freya. I can imagine you and your baby crying from laughing reading a book, and that image brings me so much peace in its everyday slice of life kind of way 💜
I have always loved The Velveteen Rabbit, no matter how old I am. I feel like it has the kind of wisdom that can be returned to and pondered upon again and again. So many timeless quotes, but specially this one, when the horse tells the rabbit about the magic of make-belief and becoming real
“You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”
Nearly anything by T. Kingfisher, but especially her "Saint of Steel" series (starting with Paladin's Grace). Her characters are real people reacting like real people do when faced by absurd, difficult situations, and coming through with hope and grace and dignity and the occasional face-full of mud.
Also, Ursula Vernon's "Digger." (Same author as above, different publishing name for different audiences.) A multi-year webcomic collected in print form (though still available online) following the adventures of a thoroughly practical wombat who gets mixed up with magic, a dead god, and a tribe of hyenas. There's something about the eponymous Digger that eases my soul...and I discover new things in the b/w art every time I re-read it. I followed it while Vernon was actively publishing it online, and it had the most sane, compassionate, and altogether lovely commenting community I had ever encountered.
I’m so intrigued—I’m going to have to look her up! thanks for the rec!
So many!
Read aloud to my daughter doing all the different 'voices': Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, all the Harry Potters
Read for my own enjoyment: Tolkeins as abovr, Tolstoy's War & Peace, Dostoyevsky's The Gambler, Notes from the Underground, Kafka's The Castle, Salinger's Catcher in the Rye
💜
Patricia C. Wrede's Lyra novels are ones I've been returning to more frequently in recent years, especially "Caught in Crystal," which I first read when I was maybe 10, in the mid-1980s. I'm always surprised at how few sci fi and fantasy fans seem to have read her.
Hmmm…
- Sputnik Sweetheart
- Love in the time of cholera
Alan Garner’s trilogy, ‘The Weirdstone of Brisingamen,’ ‘The Moon of Gomrath’ and (written 50 years later!) ‘Boneland.’ The characters who are children in the first two are grown-ups in the last one, and his writing is luminous.
I think any novel by Robin McKinley also bears re-reading, but my absolute favorite is ‘Sunshine.’
Beautiful post (sniff). Great prompt. Thanks, Freya!
💜
All of the Moomintroll books.
Bulgakov's Master and Margarita (I was in my early teens when I first got to know it, and have re-read it many times since.)
Ah I almost started writing the Moomins too--we read those over and over. Moomintroll Midwinter is another absolute beauty. I re-read it each December most years. 💜
Frog and Toad are Friends. The most special memories of book reading are those I read to my sons.
O! I love Frog and Toad! So great. Did you ever come across Owl at Home by Lobel? Omygoodness I love it so much. There's a small section where he asks winter to come in and warm itself by his fire only to face flood. And Owl makes tear water tea--spoons that have fallen behind the stove! (sniff) pencils too short to use any longer (sniff). And then he puts the kettle to boil and says how it's a wee bit salty but tearwater tea is always very good. :) And then Moon follows him home and he yells to her Moon! What a good round friend you are. It's just a beauty too, very similar in feel to frog and toad. 💜
Oh, this sounds wonderful. I rarely daydream about being a different age than I am in the present. These last days of spring though, these long days, I can feel my seven year old self.
I know what you mean--I amassed a huge library of favorite older children's books and maybe it's time to start reading them again, now that my own son is headed to college soon. There's such poetry in them, it's such a shame we don't make time for them in the same way. Owl always makes me laugh at his droll humor--like many good ones.💜
This is the one I was thinking of too, Stephanie! Oh, Toad. Oh, Frog. To this day I can conjure images from these books being read to me in my childhood—Toad covered in ice cream and twigs running up a mountain; a to-do list etched into sand, make list crossed off; cookies in a box with a string tied into a bow high on top of a shelf. And of course, the way true friendship molds our hearts.
So so good! 💜
The Little Prince! I keep my childhood copy front and center on my bookshelf as an adult, and thumb through it if things are feeling especially challenging. It's one of those perfect examples of a book that is great as a child, but even more profound as an adult.
Omy goodness yes! I've been thinking about reading it again. One of those that always meets you where you are in life. I love his other writing too. Poignant, clear-sighted, bitter-sweet. 💜
Freya, this part made me cry. “and I will never forget his six-year-old laughter as we first read it through a jet-lagged night, both crying for laughing so much in places, marveling at the gorgeous descriptions of Corfu in others.” This is such a gorgeous memory for you both. I will never be out of awe for the magic mothers create in and around their children. Thank you for sharing this moment. Congrats on his graduation!!! Although devastating, I love returning to The Velveteen Rabbit. 💗
Ah, it makes me a little weepy too honestly--I'll never forget the joy in that child laughter, or the time we shared both discovering joy in a new book together. Thanks for seeing that. 💜 and yes, joyful and devastating, watching them become their own people for sure. 💜 Velveteen Rabbit is definitely one of those beauties--another that's hard to finish reading out loud but so much love in it.
Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea books are often described as fantasy and young adult books. Beautifully written and profoundly true, they hold up so well to being read and re-read at various stages of my life.
O Earthsea! Yes--that quiet beauty and magic in that book knocked me out flat. I hadn't read it as a kid but did as an adult with my son and was just blown away by it. Some of those scenes will always stay with me, so haunting just gorgeous. Thanks for the reminder. 💜
Dodi Smith’s ‘I Capture The Castle’ and Stella Gibbons’s Cold Comfort Farm. Oh, and The Princess Bride. They would see me through forever.
I loved I Capture the Castle too! A wonderful story.
Ah Cold Comfort Farm is so great! I want to go back and read it again now! And I never read I capture the castle and have always meant to. Perfect timing. 💜
It wasn’t when I was a child, but when I was in my 20s and 30s, I read and reread Kate Braverman’s “Squandering the Blue”. A series of semi linked stories, they reflected my reality or what I saw as my future and which resonated with me deeply. The beautiful, sparkling prose landed deep in my gut. This was no doubt a reflection of Braverman’s being a poet first. It was perfectly belle et triste and usually had me sobbing at the beauty of it. Unable to find it in print, I liberated a copy from the public library, which I have mixed feelings about, knowing I’m depriving another mostly lost soul the succour of it, but it remains one of my most treasured possessions and a poignant reminder of who I was all those years ago. If you can find it — I highly recommend it!
I just added that to my cart! What fantastic things, to find such revelatory words in another's writing. Thanks so much for sharing that. 💜
Oh wow! I’m glad to hear it’s back in print! Maybe I’ll get a copy and give it to the library! I hope you enjoy it!! ( my life didn’t go that way, by the way!) 😊
Oh wow! I’m glad to hear it’s back in print! Maybe I’ll get a copy and give it to the library! I hope you enjoy it!! 😊
I was just talking about The Phantom Tollbooth yesterday with my best friend over coffee and decadent chocolate chip cookies in our favorite coffeeshop. I hadn't thought about this sweet story in years, and here it is again. Such sweet memories of reading and sharing it with my students as a middle school teacher. ❤️
Thank you. I truly miss reading stories like this aloud and watching their faces as they find pieces of themselves in each character. A true gift.
I love the Phantom Tollbooth! My son did too--what a delight, I feel that too--makes me want to go back and read it again to visit old friends. So so good! 💜 I want to look up Return of the Mummy now--haven't read that one! ;)
I came here to say Phantom T! Such a special book, every time I read it felt like I was walking back through the tollbooth to see my friends
I also came to say Phantom Tollbooth! My kids, sadly, could not connect with it, but for me it was magical and remains so.
Hooray for Phantom fans! 💜