Category Great Books for Children

               Many of you might be familiar with the name Stuart Little because of the animated movie Stuart Little. But, did you know that the character Stuart Little first appeared in a book of the same name? It is a 1945 children’s book by E. B. White. The book was his first book for children, and is widely recognized as a classic in children’s literature. ‘Stuart Little’ was illustrated by the subsequently award-winning artist Garth Williams, also his first work for children.

               ‘Stuart Little’ begins with the protagonist’s unusual birth. His parents must adapt in many ways at home to accommodate a two-inch-tall son who resembles a mouse. Stuart has a brother named George. Their family cat Snowbell, does not like Stuart. When Margalo, a bird, is adopted by the Littles, Stuart intervenes to keep her safe from Snowbell. In return for Stuart’s protection, Margalo saves Stuart when he gets stuck in a trash can.

               Some of Snowbell’s friends want to eat Margalo, and when the bird finds out, she leaves the Little house-hold. Stuart follows, hoping to find her. At the end of ‘Stuart Little’, Stuart still hasn’t found Margalo, but he’s not giving up. He decides to continue his journey to seek her out.

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               Once there was a small duckling. Due to his strange appearance, he is not accepted by the other ducks or by other animals on the farm where he lives. He suffers constant verbal and physical abuse. The unhappy bird finally leaves home. He fails to find happiness anywhere else but briefly becomes excited when he sees some swans flying overhead, considering them to be the most beautiful birds he has ever seen. After suffering a miserable winter, in the spring, the ugly duckling finds that he has grown up to be a swan himself.

               ‘The Ugly Duckling’ is a short story for children by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published in 1843 in the fourth volume of Andersen’s fairy tales. Hans Christian Andersen considered the story to be autobiographical. As a child, he was mocked for his big nose, and large feet.

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            This book tells the story of a hard hearted miser named Ebenezer Scrooge, whose only interest is making money. Scrooge cares nothing for anything from which he cannot make a profit. He hates Christmas in particular, considering it to be a con, or as he calls it, a humbug. He is unaware of the poverty in which his employee Bob Cratchit lives, and the difficulties he and his family face.

            Scrooge has a change of heart after he is visited by four spirits. On Christmas Eve, the ghost of his late business partner Jacob Marley warns him of the terrible fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Afterwards, Scrooge is intermittently visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come.

            ‘A Christmas Carol’ is an 1843 children’s book by Charles Dickens, loved equally by both children and grownups. It is divided into five chapters.

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               There is a naughty girl called Ramona. She is excited because she is starting kindergarten. Although Ramona does not mean to be a pest, she still manages to create trouble without trying to. Ms. Binney is her teacher, and Ramona likes her a lot, especially when she praises Ramona’s interesting drawing.

               Ramona tries to do her best in kindergarten but it isn’t easy, especially during seat work, when she has to sit quietly and keep her eyes on her own work. She’s just too interested in seeing what everyone else is doing.

               One day, Ramona decides to become cross with her new enemy Susan and pulls her hair. Ms. Binney sends her home until she can behave. Ramona decides that Ms. Binney doesn’t like her any more, and she refuses to go back. Finally she receives a letter from Ms. Binney.

               This is how the story of ‘Ramona the Pest’ goes. It is written by Beverly Cleary. The book was first published in 1968 and featured illustrations by Louis Darling.

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               Hugh Lofting’s ‘Doctor Dolittle series’ are stories about Doctor Dolittle.

               The first book ‘The Story of Doctor Dolittle’ narrates Dolittle’s love towards animals he kept. Polynesia the parrot taught him to talk to the animals. His love of animals grows over the years, and his house-hold eventually scares off his human clients, leading to loss of wealth. He was totally unconcerned by how much money he had, once going on a journey to Africa to escape the fact that he had no money.

               This much loved book was written and illustrated by Hugh Lofting. There are 13 books about Doctor Dolittle. Each book has him doing something different with his wonderful collection of animals. It was one of the books in this series that was adapted into the film Doctor Dolittle.

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               One of the most famous and memorable accounts of World War II and the Holocaust, is the story of a Dutch Jewish school girl, Anne Frank, living in Amsterdam. ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’, also known as ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’, is the journal by Anne Frank. In 1942, Anne was given a diary notebook for her 13th birthday, which is when the diary starts. By this time, Germany had already invaded, and occupied the Netherlands for two years.

               The book was first published in 1947, two years after Anne’s death in a concentration camp, and later became a classic. Anne called the diary Kitty. It was her true friend. She addressed many of the entries to “Dear Kitty”. The diary chronicles the next two years of Anne’s life in the cramped annexe, along with her seven co-prisoners. Anne’s last diary entry was written on August 1st, 1944. The work was eventually translated into more than 60 languages, and it was later adapted for the stage and screen.

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