Category Great Books for Children

               Toseland, who prefers to go by Tolly than any other nickname, comes to live with his great grandmother in their ancient family home one rainy day. Tolly has a great imagination to occupy his time, and soon, he looks for ghosts from the past. All the while, he listens to stories of the three ghosts: Toby, Alexander, and Linnet, and even finds some of their belongings and makes friends with them.

               ‘The Children of Green Knowe’ is the first in a series of six children’s novels written by Lucy M. Boston. It was published in 1954.

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               Katy is a girl on the cusp of adolescence. She has all kinds of plans for what she wants to do when she grows up. She thinks of ways in which she can be a good person, and a credit to her family, but when it comes to implementing them in her day-to-day life, she generally just gets into trouble.

               After an accident leaves her bed-ridden, Katy is forced to rethink her ambitions and her relationship with her family. Katy finds the courage to remember her daydreams and the delightful plans she once schemed. How she achieves this is the plot of the much-loved book, ‘What Katy Did’.

               At the end of the book she becomes the heart of the home, beloved by her family for her unfailing kindness and good cheer.

               ‘What Katy Did’ is an 1872 children’s book written by Sarah Woolsey under her penname Susan Coolidge.

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               ‘Little House in the Big Woods’ is the first book in the Little House book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It was published in 1932 and was illustrated by Helen Sewell. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s story begins in 1871 as a four-year old girl living with her mother, father, older sister Mary, and baby sister Carrie.

               In the course of this story, she celebrates Christmas with her family, Aunt Eliza, Uncle Peter, and three cousins Alice, Peter, and Ella.

               She and her family go to visit her grandparents’ house after they harvest maple sap. Her parents even take her and her siblings on a trip to the town of Pepin, a few kilometres away from their house.

               At night, her father plays the fiddle for Laura’s younger siblings to send them off to sleep. He also tells them stories.

               ‘Little House in the Big Woods’ has captivated generations of readers.

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            The book tells the story of a young boy named Diamond. He is a very sweet little boy who makes joy everywhere he goes. His family is very poor, and he sleeps over the stables where the horses are kept.

            One night, he is visited by North Wind, who is a beautiful woman, a breeze, or a storm, as she chooses. Diamond befriends the North Wind She lets him fly with her, taking him on several adventures. Though the North Wind does good deeds and helps people, she also does seemingly terrible things. On one of her assignments, she must sink a ship. Yet everything she does that seems bad, finally leads to something good.

            ‘At the Back of the North Wind’ is a children’s book written by George MacDonald. There is also a ‘story within a story’ in this book, which is worth reading on its own. It was serialized in the children’s magazine Good Words for the Young beginning in 1868 and was published in book form in 1871.

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            ‘The Trumpeter of Krakow’ is the story of a young boy’s admiration for the bravery of a long-dead youth, and of how this encourages him to remain loyal to his country, in the face of great danger.

            Forced to abandon their farm to the invading Tartars, Joseph Charnetski and his parents flee to Krakow with the only thing that they managed to salvage, a priceless family heirloom called the Great Tarnov Crystal.

            Tarnov Crystal is reputed to have magical powers and will guarantee victory to anyone who possesses it. So, the Crystal should be delivered to the king only, before it falls into the wrong hands. Destined to fulfill the task, Joseph was inspired by the young trumpeter of Krakow, who met his death when he alerted the city to an invasion by the Tartars.

            ‘The Trumpeter of Krakow’ was written by Eric P. Kelly.

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             ‘The Little White Horse’ narrates the story of Maria Merry-weather.

               The events of the novel begin in 1842. After her father dies in debt, Maria Merry-weather and her governess Miss Heliotrope go to live at Moonacre Manor with Maria’s uncle Benjamin. Maria soon finds that the castle is more like home than anywhere else she has lived.

               While there, Maria learns all about her family’s history. She uncovers the identity of the dog Wrolf, and the beautiful apparition of the Little White Horse, first seen on her way to the castle.

               ‘The Little White Horse’ is a classic book written by Elizabeth Goudge. It was first published in the year 1946.

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