Blast From the Past: Books

As a kid, I loved to read. LOVED. I would sit for hours on end and ask my parents to "read it again!" Or so I've been told. So, it only makes since that I grew up to be an adult who loves to read. And a teacher who loves to read to her kids.

Kids today want to read Spongebob books and Captain Underpants. And there is nothing wrong with that - whatever gets them reading! But, as teacher, I feel it's my duty to expose them to some classics. And, by classics, of course I mean books from my childhood! Ha! 

This post is a trip down memory lane to the books I used to curl up with as kid/middle schooler.

Here we go! 

1. The Bear in the Bathtub - As a small kid, this was absolutely my very favorite! Every single time we went to the library at my grandma's house, I chose this book. In fact, my family still teases me today about my love of this book! Ha! But to my little four-year-old self, this book was pretty amazing.

2. Go, Dog. Go! - This was another book that I loved as a little kid. All these different kinds of dogs are traveling all over and then you find out at the end that they're all going to a huge party. As dogs do, naturally. I remember learning to read with this book! 

3. The Monster at the End of this Book - Oh, man. This book was awesome! The whole book, Grover is telling you not to turn the page because there's a monster at the end. And, of course, because you were a three year old dare devil, you just had to do it. And the giggles would ensue as Grover warned you again and again. Really, this book taught you to not listen and just do what you want. And I would think that after the first time you got to the end, the book would lose some of its appeal. But, apparently not! Because it was read in my house about 14 million times! 

4. Little Bear - This was back before Little Bear was a tv show. The adventures of Little Bear and his friends were perfect to read when you were just starting out reading on your own. In first grade, I read every single Little Bear book and became the proud owner of many of them. They were just simple, cute little stories that I loved every minute of.

5. The Berenstain Bears series - I'm pretty sure I had at least twenty of these books. I was obsessed. Now that I'm a teacher and sometimes read these to my class, I realize that every one contained a practical lesson about being a good kid. But, back when I was a kid, I just enjoyed reading about the antics of Brother Bear and Sister Bear. Sure, I realized they were often kinda bratty, but I didn't realize those zany Berestains were teaching me how to be a good person! Sneaky, sneaky... 

6. Little Critter series - We loved these books in my house. I think they were my mom's favorites because she always wanted to read them for bedtime. Which, looking back, was probably not due to their riveting storyline but moreso due to their short storyline. I'll have to ask her about that... 

7. Care Bears series - I had a ton of these Care Bears books. Back in the late 80's when I was 3 or 4, the Care Bears were everywhere. There were lunch boxes, tv shows, movies, etc. So it only makes sense that they made some books, too! Each book featured a different Care Bear. There were always lessons to be learned, of course. Notice the theme?

8. Donkey-donkey - I'll be honest. I remember nothing about this book other than my undying adoration of it. I had this book at my grandmother's and since she babysat me while my mom worked, she read it to me a lot! A LOT. My grandpa recently gave it to me and I added it to my classroom library because I couldn't bare to part with it. Ha!

9. Where the Sidewalk Ends - In elementary school, I remember us begging our teachers to read these poems to us! Begging! And I remember every time I went to the school library, I tried to check this out but it was always already checked out. One day, I got it and it made me soooo happy. I ran back to my classroom to show all my friends, ha! Those little poems were a riot when I was a kid. Whyyyy were they so entertaining? 

10. Sister of the Quints - I was a little older when I read this. Probably fourth grade. But, I read it a bunch of times. This girl's father and his new wife have quints and she moves into their house. At first, she feels left out and cheated and everything. Then, one day, one of the babies gets kidnapped (or something equally frightening) and she realizes how much she loves her brothers and sisters. I've always liked babies, so as a kid, I loved this book. Having quintuplet brothers and sisters sounded like a dream to me!

11. The. Ramona series - Everybody knows about these books. In fact, I read the one pictured above to my class this year and last and both classes have LOVED it! Ramona's family is just like your family: they fight, they aren't rich, they have problems. I read every single Ramona book as a kid and loved them all. Ramona was the original Junie B. Jones: spunky, precocious, and always a little sassy.

12. Blubber - this book was about a little girl who was kind of fat. That's all I remember. But, I know enough about Judy Blume to know that it wasn't necessarily the story that sucked me in as a 5th or 6th grader, it was how impeccably it was written. We all know Judy Blume was the best. This wasn't the only book of hers that I read, but it's the one that stands out most in my mind.

13. Superfudge - Here's another Judy Blume classic! In fact, I'm reading this to my class right now and they are obsessed! They can't wait for the last ten minutes of the day when they get to curl up and here the latest adventures of Peter, Fudge and Tootsie. I'm actually considering reading another book from this series to them because they're enjoying it so much! And I have to admit, I'm enjoying it too because it reminds me of my one childhood. I was always thankful that Farley Drexel Hatcher, aka Fudge, was not my brother! Whew!!

 

14. The Babysitter's Club and Little Sister series - I started off with the Little Sister books and first got to know Karen and Andrew. And, then, when I got a little better at reading, I moved on to the hard stuff! Ha! When I started reading them in fourth grade, I became obsessed. I read them ALL over a few years. I would harass my mom to take me to the library and I would get about 6 Babysitters Club books, 2 Judy Blume books and Sister of the Quints. Every. Single. Time. 

15. Popcorn - I always enjoyed this book about a little Bear who makes too much popcorn and it takes over his house. It always made me hungry for popcorn, too!

16. The Poky Little Puppy - I adored pretty much all Little Golden Books. I had a ton of them. But this is the one I remember the most. That cute little puppy made quite an impression in my mind, apparently! 

17. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - Ohmygosh. Y'all. These books were so good! This old lives in a neighborhood full of children and they all love her. Every chapter focuses on a different family whose children are suffering from a common childhood problem: like, never wanting to go to bed or talking back. These mothers just don't know what to do so they call Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and she gives them practical advice. If they don't want to go to bed, let them stay up all night, every night. So these weary parents do what she says and hilarity ensues until those pesky children finally give in and behave themselves. I loved these books, and there were several. I read this one to my class last year and they loved it, too! 

18. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark - I was never a fan of scary stuff. Still aren't. But, I liked this book. It was perfect for sleepovers! One story stands out in my mind, about a girl with a red ribbon tied around her neck. She finally unites it one day and her head falls off. I,told that story at every camp out I ever attended, ha! 

19. The Outsiders - We read this in 8th grade. I'm including it because it stands out to me. My reading class absolutely fell in love with this book. Our teacher told us NOT to read ahead and I think every single kid in the class read the whole book WAY before we finished it in class! We were all talking about it. It's just one of those books that makes a lasting impression on you. If you can't get attached to characters like Ponyboy and Sodapop, there's no hope for you as a reader...

20. Pippi Longstocking - Here's another one that I've read to my class this year! Notice a theme? Ha! They loved this, too! As a kid, Pippi is just so whimsical and silly! I will say that, as an adult reading this aloud, I thought it was very weird and boring. But, my kids were engrossed. And I adored it as a kid. And that's all that matters.

Honorable Mentions: Corduroy, The Chocolate Touch, The Twits, Clifford, The Boxcar Children, Little House on the Praire and Where's Waldo. 

I hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane! I know I did! If you want to read more of my Blast from the Past series, click on the tab to the right under the Labels sign. 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Blast from the Past: Movies

A few years ago, I came across a blog called Children of the Nineties. I don't remember how I found it, but I do remember that it was the week we got snowed out of school for the whole week. I literally spent half the week reading this blog about all the things that I loved as a kid. And, I got my friend reading it, too. We kept texting each other with "oh man, remember pogs?" Ha!

Then, Pinterest happened. And, people are always pinning stuff from their childhood. So, of course, I did too. I love looking back on all those good memories that I had. 

So, I'm going to do a little series of posts of things from my childhood. Just because I want too. And, because I always appreciate a little variety on any blog that I read. Ha! 

So, today, I'm going to post my favorite childhood movies. And, just to warn you, it's a pretty long list. Because when I started thinking about the movies I vividly remember, I couldn't stop! Apparently, I spent a lot of time in the late 80's and 90's watching movies. I am including only movies that I enjoyed as kid, not a teen. And, I'm not including the classic Disney movies because there are too many of them and they were all good. Although, if you're curious, my favorite was Beauty and the Beast. 

So, in no particular order, we shall begin!

1. Free Willy - Okay, I said no particular order, but this was probably my favorite. If I had to pick. And, clearly I do have to pick! Maybe it was the big lovable whale. Maybe it was the awesome music. Maybe it was the message - even if you're homeless, you can still save a whale! Maybe it was the fact that I thought Jessie was the hottest boy ever. No really. I did. Whatever the reason, this movie was the one I wanted to watch all. the. time. And, I still get a tiny bit nervous when I go to an aquarium....

2. The Sandlot - I have a brother, so you're going to see a lot of sports movies on this list! This one is probably the best. I watched this recently and it's still just as good today as I remember it being then. I still don't know how any person could not know who Babe Ruth is, but it sure made for a good story. And, if I thought Jessie from Free Willy was hot? Well, to my 3rd grade mind, Jessie was nothing to Benny, the Jet, Rodriguez!

 

3. To Grandmother's House We Go - I can't really say why, but I just loved this movie! The twins run away from home to go to their grandma's house because they think they're a pain to their mom. Which, they totally are! Ha! But, they get kidnapped by this couple who tells them that they're Santa's elves (or something like that?) Riveting stuff, truly. 

4. A Goofy Movie - I was never really a Disney character fan. I mean, Donald Duck? Who cares? But, you know I'm right, this movie was awesome! It had some of the BEST music. I vividly remember singing along with this movie every time I watched it. Plus, it's an entertaining story and was actually pretty relatable. Who hasn't been totally mortified by their parents at least one point in their lives?

5. Mrs. Doubtfire - I remember watching this at practically a million sleepovers during my late elementary school years. Apparently, this movie was that good. Kids do love men who dress as women and speak in a weird voice. Adam Sandler is proof of that!

6. Home Alone - It was tough trying to decide between this and Home Alone 2, but I went with the original. I think it's funnier. I defy anyone to sit and watch this movie and not laugh when the two bandits encounter all the traps that Kevin has set up around his house. You can't do it. That's why this movie is one of the best!

7. D2: The Mighty Ducks - I really liked the original movie, too. But, the sequel is the one that stands out more in my mind. Never before has such a ragtag group of kids won the hearts of so many. It's pretty easy to see why the Mighty Ducks movies were such a hit with kids.

8. The Parent Trap - I remember watching the Lindsay Lohan version of this movie. And, it really doesn't even compare to the original. This movie was just so pretty to look at! The house in California, especially. Plus, who can forget " let's get together, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

9. The Wizard of Oz - I've spoken before about my love of this movie! It's one of my all time favorites. I remember my mom's friend coming over to sew with her. After dinner, all the kids would watch this movie while our moms sewed. Whenever a song would come on, they would come into the den with us and we'd all sing along and dance. Ha! I will say that the wicked witch and monkeys terrified me as a kid! I would pretty much watch up until that point and then leave the room because I was a big chicken :)

10. Heavyweights - Because, who doesn't love a movie about a crazed man who terrorizes kids at fat camp?

11. Man of the House - You know we all loved us some JTT back in the 90's! This movie was about a kid whose mom starts dating a new guy. And, the guy wants to get closer to the kid so they join the Indian Guides and wackiness ensues. I just remember laughing my head off at this movie.

12. Angels in the Outfield - I considered this movie and Rookie of the Year. But, I ultimately chose this one because I spent many a night standing on the couch with my brother and our friends flapping our arms in support of the Angels. Admit it, you did too.

13. Space Jam - A cross between animation and live action, this movie was just the coolest thing to me as kid. Plus, it was really funny! The sad thing? Kids today have no idea who Michael Jordan is. Believe me, I'm a teacher. They have no idea. 

14. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - This is another movie that you can just totally sing along with. And as a kid (and adult), there's really nothing better. 

15. Miracle on 34th Street - I won this VHS at a Christmas Party and it quickly became one of my favorites. So much so that I continued watching it long past the holiday season. Ha! I always enjoyed Mara Wilson and the scenes are just very pretty visually. A total classic!

16. My Girl - As a kid, we went to my grandma's a lot. And, she had a town library. They had movies, but not very many. So, my cousins and I got this movie a LOT! It's soo good, but soo sad! I think it's one of the only kid movies that just kills off a kid, right? 

17. The Land Before Time - To this day, I still see leaves that I think are tree stars! Ha! I also remember playing this on the playground with my friends. We would reinact the whole movie! Kids are so weird. Yep, yep, yep!!!

18. The Brave Little Toaster - My brother and I watched this all the time! We loved it! I honestly can't remember what really happens, but I remember a  bunch of appliances that could talk who maybe got separated from their family? I don't know. But, I know I adored it as a kid.

19. Beethoven - Tell me you didn't beg your mom for a puppy, or four, after seeing this movie for the eight millionth time! 

20. Homeward Bound - Y'all. This movie. So much love. I always liked Chance the most. Sassy was too, well, sassy. And Shadow was too serious. But, Chance? Awesome. Plus, this movie had that cute little boy from The Santa Clause, right?

21. The Santa Clause - Speaking of The Santa Clause, it might be my all-time favorite Christmas movie. Ever. It's funny, it's magical and it has Tim Allen. Enough said. 

23. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids - Seriously, just a great movie for kids. It's wacky. It's heartwarming. It's funny. It's totally unrealistic. It has children riding around on an ant, sliding on a ablaze of grass and almost being eaten by their parents, for goodness sake. What more could a person ask for? 

24. The Jetsons Meet the Flinstones - Oh, man. I'd pay money to watch this again. Two of the best cartoons meshed into one? Amazing. I feel like I was very young when I watched this. Like, four or five. But, I remember begging my mom to let me watch it again and again.

25. Three Men and a Baby - I don't really know if this is considered a kid movie or not. But, I watched it  a lot. Like, every time I went to Blockbuster, I wanted to get it. I probably just enjoyed the cute baby and the funny guys who took care of her. I also enjoyed the sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady. 

26. Baby's Day Out - This was the slap-stickiest (I'm a thousand percent sure that's not a word, but I'm leaving it) movie ever. It was very funny to me as kid. A cute baby gets kidnapped by some baby photographers and then they loose him in New York City. Wackiness! 

27. Richie Rich - I mean, it's every kid's dream to have a McDonalds in their house, right?

28. Problem Child - This was a filthy movie. I'm shocked my parents let me watch it. But, I really liked it. I thought that little redheaded devil was hi-larious! I really liked the sequel, too.

29. The Little Rascals - Never before and never since have so many adorable children been in one movie. I loved me some Spanky amd Buckwheat! 

30. Cool Runnings - Has John candy ever been in a bad movie? Nope, he hasn't. This movie was the funniest thing ever. Watching Jamaicans learn to bobsled? What can be better?

Honorable Mentions: Rookie of the Year, Uncle Buck, The Flinstones ( the one with Rosie O'Donnell and Halle Berry), ET, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Curly Sue and It Takes Too. 

Well, that's my list! What movies did you love as a kid?? 

And, be on the lookout for more Blast from the Past posts coming up.