#6 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Date read: 6/21/2009
Rating: 4*/5 = great

My thoughts:

I enjoyed reading this childhood favorite. I liked how Mary "blossomed" as she started caring about others and let others care about her. I also liked how she and Dickon showed Colin a new way to live.

#5 The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban

The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban
Date read: 6/16/2009
Rating: 4*/5 = great

My thoughts:

Although it's been many years since I had read this book, I still found it as poignant, funny and moving as I did when I was a child. I enjoyed the interactions between the tin mouse and his son in their quest to find a home and a family.

#4 The Book of Three

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
Date read: 6/14/2009
Rating: 4*/5

My thoughts:

I enjoyed rereading this childhood favorite featuring the characters Taran, Eilonwy and Fflewddur Fflam. I especially liked how Taran learned that being a hero takes more than swinging a sword and looking handsome. I look forward to rereading the next book in the series, The Black Cauldron.

Book #3: Mandy

Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards
Date read: 4/13/2009
Rating: 3*/5

My thoughts:

I enjoyed re-reading this book as it was one of my favorite books growing up. As I read, I smiled at remembering Mandy's climbing over the wall, and even though I knew how it would end, I still worried when she was in the cottage while she was sick.

Book #2: Stuart Little

Stuart Little by E.B. White
Date read: 4/2/2009
Rating: 5*/5

My thoughts:

I don't know how many times I've read this book, but reading it again for the Childhood Favourites Reading Challenge was a joy. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I still laughed when I read about Stuart inside the piano, and I felt sad when his friend Margalo the bird left home.

Book #1: Little Bear

Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
Date read: 1/2/2009
Rating: 5*/5

My thoughts:

I read this book for the Childhood Favourites Reading Challenge. When I learned about this challenge, I immediately thought of this book. It was the first book I ever read, so it holds a special place in my heart. I stood in the children's section of our local library today and read it, chuckling to myself as I read the text and enjoyed the pictures, especially of Little Bear and his "space helmet" made from a box and his mother surprising him and his friends with birthday cake!

My list!

1. Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
2. Stuart Little by E.B. White
3. Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards
4. The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban
5. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
6. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett