6 Children's Books That Changed My Life
1. Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon written by Patty Lovell and illustrated by David Catrow
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| Photo from Amazon |
So the book opens with all of this amazing advice for young people, and as someone who had serious buck teeth growing up, I fully related. Even today going back and reading the book, I can remember certain lines that have stuck with me ever since I was little. One of them is, "Believe in yourself and the world will believe in you too." That's such a powerful thing to be told and reminded of when you're a kid, and I'm really grateful to have had that instilled in me at such a young age.
Anyway, she ends up moving to a new school and there's this one kid named Ronald who picks on her from day one. He starts out calling her "shrimpo" and "bucky-toothed beaver" and tells her she sounds "like a sick duck" but each time he does, she proves these aren't things to be ashamed of and he ends up feeling very foolish. On the fifth day of school, Ronald is actually nice to her and gives her a stacking penny for her teeth. So Molly goes home from school to write her grandma to say that everything she told her was exactly right.
10/10 stacking pennies
The moral of the story is that even if other kids don't think it's cool or they tease you, live your life. If you like lima beans, eat lima beans. Who gives a toot if other kids think it's weird? This is something that definitely stuck with me from a young age. It's ok to be different and to like different things. To this day, I still think about it and remind myself it's ok to want to stay in and read books even if people think you're a nerd or boring. What do I care? I love to read! Live your life
10/10 lima beans
To be honest, I didn't actually have the chance to read this when I was a kid. I actually read it my senior year of high school in French class, but it was no less impactful because of that. Rather than summarize the whole story here, I strongly recommend you go watch the new Netflix original of it because it's adorable and lovely. In short, it's the retelling by a pilot of his encounter with a little prince while he was stranded in the desert and the lessons he learned about what's truly important in life.
My personal favorite quote from this book, and one that has stuck with me since we read it with Madame Pace (who by the way, is an absolute saint and one of my favorite teachers that I've ever had) is, "Voici mon secret. Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essential est invisible pour les yeux." This translates roughly to "Here is my secret. It is very simple: One sees clearly only with the heart. The essential is invisible for the eyes." What a great message to send to children and even young people going off to college as the case may be.
10/10 étoiles (stars)
Odds are you've probably read this one. It's a classic that's been around for more than 50 years. There are many different ways to interpret this story but I always viewed it as the tree playing a motherly role to the boy. The boy goes to the Giving Tree throughout different stages in his life and she happily provides everything the boy needs until she is merely a stump. But even then, when the boy returns as an old man, all he needs is quiet place to sit and rest, which she still provides.
I think it reminds children that their parents will always be there to love them and to be a resource when they need it. I could be totally mistaken, but I always viewed it as a reminder that my parents will always be there to help me out. Maybe I'm just lucky because my parents have been around to help me whenever I've needed it (Thanks mom and dad!)
9/10 apples
Ok you probably know this one too, but it definitely impacted me when I was young. The story of The Lorax is essentially a commentary on commercialism and the importance of caring for the environment. I honestly think it's part of the reason I'm more conscious of my impact on the environment and do my best to reduce my footprint. Ultimately, the thing that has stuck with me from this book is the Once-ler's realization that, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." This is so important to keep in mind in so many ways, but especially in the current political environment (please, please, please vote)
9/10 Truffula trees
This one tugs at the heartstrings. It's about a boy and his mother and each night the mother sings him a lullaby, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living, My baby you'll be." No matter what he's done during the day to bother her or cause trouble and now matter how old he gets, she still comes to sing the lullaby to him. Eventually the tables turn, and the mother gets old and frail, so the boy visits her and sings the lullaby to her. He even changes the words slightly to suit the reversed roles. It's implied that the mother then passes away and he goes on to sing the song to his own daughter. It's adorable and full of love. No matter how old I get, I always have that quote memorized. I don't fully know why, but it definitely stuck. In any case, shoutout to my parents again. You guys are the best!
8/10 lullabies
10/10 stacking pennies
2. A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
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| Photo from Amazon |
Ok this one was a little bit out there. It was about a girl named Camilla Cream who loved lima beans but decided not to eat them because all of her friends thought they were gross. So one day she wakes up to a bad case of stripes all over her body. The doctors can't figure out why they're there or how to make them go away but decide she's healthy enough to go to school. So she goes to school and all of the kids make fun of her and call out different patterns and colors and her body starts to transform to match what they say. Afraid she might be contagious after all, they send her home, where she goes through some even more extreme transformations, such as turning into a pill after taking a pill. After a multitude of ridiculous transformations and treatments, an old lady tells her she needs to eat lima beans, so she does and she's cured.
The moral of the story is that even if other kids don't think it's cool or they tease you, live your life. If you like lima beans, eat lima beans. Who gives a toot if other kids think it's weird? This is something that definitely stuck with me from a young age. It's ok to be different and to like different things. To this day, I still think about it and remind myself it's ok to want to stay in and read books even if people think you're a nerd or boring. What do I care? I love to read! Live your life
10/10 lima beans
3. Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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| Photo from Amazon |
My personal favorite quote from this book, and one that has stuck with me since we read it with Madame Pace (who by the way, is an absolute saint and one of my favorite teachers that I've ever had) is, "Voici mon secret. Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essential est invisible pour les yeux." This translates roughly to "Here is my secret. It is very simple: One sees clearly only with the heart. The essential is invisible for the eyes." What a great message to send to children and even young people going off to college as the case may be.
10/10 étoiles (stars)
4. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
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| Photo from Amazon |
I think it reminds children that their parents will always be there to love them and to be a resource when they need it. I could be totally mistaken, but I always viewed it as a reminder that my parents will always be there to help me out. Maybe I'm just lucky because my parents have been around to help me whenever I've needed it (Thanks mom and dad!)
9/10 apples
5. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
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| Photo from Amazon |
9/10 Truffula trees
6. Love You Forever written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Sheila McGraw
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| Photo from Amazon |
8/10 lullabies
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