Top Ten Tuesday (12-6-11)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week, 

they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. This week's topic:

Childhood Favorites

(I did this one a few months ago when it was a freebie week, but I will repost what my original choices are)

1) Berenstein Bears - I LOVED these bears! Each picture book focused on a topic that I could relate to as a child (jealousy of a sibling, wanting candy from the grocery store, helping your elders) and made it so easy to understand the moral without being preachy. They were wonderful and I usually always had one with me when I was little.

2) Amelia Bedelia - another great series. I always liked seeing how Amelia would do things in that story. I also wondered how she still had a job (I was pretty smart for a 5 year old). But they were always funny and made you realize how silly somethings in the grown-up world sound.

3) The Babysitters Club - Such well-written, easy chapter books that were also so addictive! I remember that I would check out one from the school library, read it that nite at home, and return it the next day so I could get the next one! The girls were real and well-written ... I just wish that there weren't so many books in that series so that I could have finished it!

4) Goosebumps series - another easy chapter book that was so great to read! I love that they were scary (at least they were to me, way back then!) and made me feel like a grown-up reading such a scary book. It was also great because it was something that boys and girls would read, and so few books can do that!

5) Goodnight Moon - I remember reading this book before bed (as I'm sure many people do). Such a simple book but one that was comforting. I look forward to the day when I have children and read this to them.

6) Nancy Drew series - really my first introduction into the world of mysteries, Nancy Drew was a series that I could dive right into and not put down. I remember reading these books and having my heart race at the excitement and tension (looking back at them now, they are really tame). But they ignited my passion for reading and always had me looking forward to getting the next one from the library.

7) The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - my mom bought me this book when I was younger and I thought that it looked lame. However, after reading it, I learned one of life's most important lessons: never judge a book by it's cover (or title). I remember reading it and then thinking how I could have a similar adventure with my sister. Luckily for my mother, we never ran off.

8) American Girl books - now, I realize that there are different girls in these books, but I read them all when I was growing up. My favorites were probably Molly (my love for WWII started young) and Felicity (American Revolution). They were a great way to introduce me to historical fiction and it made history seem so much more interesting.

9) Dear America series - another historical fiction series, these books were all written from the point of view of a young woman during a certain time in America's history and published as if they were a young girl's diary with a bookmark ribbon included in the book to make it really seem like this was a diary that you stumbled upon. I loved reading about these girls' adventures through some of the most dangerous times in our nation's history.

10) Santa Mouse - this was a Christmas tradition in my house growing up. Every year when we dragged out the tree and ornaments, out came Santa Mouse. Mom would read it to us before bed and each year, at the end of the Christmas season, we were sad to put the book away until the next year. It's a cute little board book and something that I still like to look at during the holiday season.

So, what were your childhood favorites? Let me know!