Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wish I Had Read As a Child

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

What a neat topic this week. I've always been a huge reader, but even back then it doesn't seem like popular stories were my thing. I look at classic children's books now and wonder why I never read them.

Top Ten Books I Wish I Had Read As a Child

I also didn't read the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder as a kid. I tried in the fifth grade and couldn't make it through the first book. At the age of 21, I finally appreciated Wilder's keen eye for detail and how she captured life as a pioneer.

What are some books you wish you had read as a child? 

March Special Feature - Giving Up, Little House Style

Some of my Little House friends are rereading the Little House books in order. These beloved children's stories by Laura Ingalls Wilder have been my favorites for years--though I admit they did not interest me as much when I was a child as they do now.

We are currently reading and discussing On the Banks of Plum Creek, the fourth in the series. The most recent dicussion centers around Chapter 12 - Christmas Horses. In this chapter, Ma talks to Laura and Mary about what Pa wants for Christmas - a set of horses to help him harrow and harvest the wheat. The girls want things too, but horses aren't on their lists.

But after talking with Ma about Santa Claus and being unselfish, the girls soberly agree that they will ask Santa for horses. And in the next chapter they are pleasantly surprised to find that while Santa Claus did bring horses, he also managed to bring a few treats for Laura, Mary, and their baby sister Carrie; so the girls have a wonderful Christmas after all.

It is this type of sacrifice for the good of the family that endears the Little House books to generations of fans. The way in which the Ingalls family always ends up pulling together and helping one another is inspiring and makes you want to have that type of family too.



When the classic televison series Little House on the Prairie aired in the 70's and early 80's, it is exactly that pull together and help each other, our love and faith will get us through type of mentality from the books that Michael Landon and the crew captured week after week. While over time the storylines were based less and less on the material from the books, the essence and tone of the television series never changed. This is what I fondly remember about watching the show on the one television our family owned.

My children live a life much better than the one I lived. Growing up we had few material possessions and our family is what would now be called dysfunctional, at best. There are few things that my children want for, though it seems their list increases by the day, and I often wonder if, as parents, we have been successful in teaching them to think of others. And then I ponder the meaning of the sacrifice made by two young girls living on the banks of Plum Creek, and hope that our family could pull together in such a crisis, where our livelihood and our future might depend on it.

The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder might have taken place during the 1800's, but for those of us living now, they not only entertain, they teach the values that will make our world a better place.

March Special Feature - Giving Up, Lucy Maud Montgomery Style

Anne of Green Gables is the first book in an eight-book series by Lucy Maud Montgomery. These books feature Anne Shirley, a feisty red-headed orphan girl who usually finds herself in a spot of trouble. Anne comes to Green Gables--the home of Marilla Cuthbert and her bachelor brother Matthew--by mistake. The Cuthberts had sent word to the orphanage for a boy to help with the farm work now that Matthew is getting on in years.

Little did they know how much that tiny mistake would change their lives.

Through this classic series for young girls, Anne grows and changes, but always remains true to the spirited young girl readers meet in Anne of Green Gables.

At the behest of Rachel Lynde--the Cuthbert's nosy neighbor--Marilla enrolls Anne in school. On the first day, Anne breaks a slate over Gilbert Blythe's head because the boy dare to call her "Carrots". And from this moment on, Anne and Gilbert's lives would always be connected, whether in rivalry or love.

But what has all that to do with our March theme of "Giving Up"? Well, both Anne and Gilbert will do a great deal of giving up as they travel through this series.

In the second book, Anne of Avonlea, Anne has grown up and done so well in her studies that she must leave Green Gables to go and study at Redmond College. Gilbert would also be going to Redmond, as he hopes to become a doctor. In Anne of the Island, Anne makes many friends during her time at Redmond and also attracts a few potential suitors. Her friends are all off getting married, but Anne's proposals are embarrassing affairs. After graduation, she returns home to Green Gables, leaving behind all the fun of college, but open to the future laying before her.

And then there is Gilbert, who Anne believes may have feelings for her; but their days at Redmond are often spent in the company of others, and Anne must admit he isn't her idea of the perfect suitor. Besides, there is talk that he and Christine Stuart will be engaged any day now, so what's the point of thinking on it any longer. But when Gilbert becomes gravely ill, Anne is forced to reveal her true feelings for Gil to herself, even if she may never have him.

The remaining books in the Anne series bring many more disappointments for Anne and Gilbert, but also many moments of joy and triumph. And when World War I threatens to change their lives forever, the faith and loyalty of Dog Monday is an example to all.



Many years after these books were written, Sullivan Entertainment, captured some of Montgomery's books on film. Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, were followed by Anne: The Continuing Story and Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning. While Sullivan totally went away from Montgomery's beloved books with the last two movies, the first two captured the essence of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne perfectly, even when the storylines were decidedly different.

Anne of Green Gables has remained one of my all-time favorite series of books. Through the work of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Institute, Sullivan Entertainment, and the many Anne fans worldwide, the feisty red-headed orphan girl lives on and will continue to attract new fans for generations to come.