I've had a hard time picking a book for this month. Should I go with a classic of African-American literature like Their Eyes Were Watching God? Or should I go with a tragic romance, like Possession? Nothing seemed right. And then it hit me. Since February is the "love" month (more on my disdain for that later) why not make it a mini list of the books I loved as a child? So here they are, in no particular order.
1. The Ramona Books by Beverly Cleary (some more than others of course, but no series is equally strong for every book).
2. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild (I read this so many times the pages of my copy are falling out).
3. Dancing Shoes, also by Streatfeild. (This one also has the pages falling out).
4. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. (My copy of this, that was inscribed by my mother, got ruined in our move to North Carolina. That year for my birthday she replaced it, complete with identical inscription. I burst into tears).
5. The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright. (This is the second book in a series of four and I just love it, and will re-read it now when I need a pick me up. I always wanted to be Miranda.)
I was a very girly girl when it came to reading material, but I loved playing with Legos, and the G.I. Joes and/or He-Man action figures that my friends (or their brothers owned). Odd child, that was me.