Ten most influential books:
1.
Happy Hollister series when I was very young. My
sister, Carol, subscribed to the series for me, and it is one of my earliest
memories of owning a book.
2.
Farmer Boy, in 3rd grade, which was
read aloud to the class every day after recess. It planted the seed of how
important it is to read aloud to children, even after they are old enough to
read to themselves. I have read this book and many others to both my children
and grandchildren, all of whom I am proud to say are avid readers.
3.
Rufous the Red-tailed Hawk, by Helen Garrett.
Another book that I believe I was introduced to by my 3rd grade
teacher, and which I later searched far and wide to find to buy for my own children.
To this day, I can’t see a hawk without remembering that book.
4.
Bulfinch’s Mythology – I can’t tell you how old
I was when I read this, elementary school, I think, but reading mythology (and
the Bible) forms the basis for understanding all sort of literature as you get
older.
5.
ELLSWORTH AND THE CATS FROM MARS, NOBODY, DON'T
TOUCH MY ROOM, OH, BROTHER! by Patience Brewster – books I bought my children
from an author/artist who visited our local library when they were small. I
believe they all still have theirs, or if not, their sister is caretaking it.
6.
The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. I owned
and marked up a copy when my children were young, and we read many, many books
from it.
7.
The Silent Knife by Estner and Cohen, my bible
during my childbearing years
8.
Euell Gibbons, Stalking the …. books. They
influenced my love of nature and self-suffiency.
9.
Christy
by Catherine Marshall. I read this when it came out in 1968, and I have loved
it ever since. How fitting that we will
move to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee in a few years.
10.
Alex
Wade’s 30 Energy Efficient Homes You Can Build, and someday I hope we will.
11.
Bernard
Clayton’s Complete Book of Breads, given to me by my best friend, Vicky, in the
late 1970s, and still in use in my kitchen today.
