Parents' Coalition Third Annual Summer Reading List

This year thanks to the laudable efforts of the Montgomery County (MD) Council, and of course, Friends of the Library and its supporters, our libraries will once again have the funding to participate in Maryland’s Public Library Summer Reading Program. Those actions notwithstanding, Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD presents its third annual summer reading list for parents and children. This year we asked our elected representatives, what books did you love to read when you were a child?

Here are the responses.

Councilmember Nancy Floreen told us her favorite book was Lad, a Dog, written by Albert Payson Terhune. Terhune ran a kennel and bred and worked with collies. This book is a collection of stories about one of his own dogs, Lad.

Councilmember Hans Riemer told us he read “a phenomenal series” called The Great Brain. According to him, it tells the story of a young boy's Sawyeresque adventures in frontier Utah. He says that these books made chicken pox a little less miserable! The ‘Great Brain’ series was written by John D. Fitzgerald who grew up in Price, Utah during Frontier days. These stories are about his childhood in the west.

Councilmember Phil Andrews wrote to say his favorite books from childhood are: The Wind in the Willows (Kenneth Grahame), Green Eggs and Ham (Dr. Seuss), Winnie the Pooh (A.A. Milne), and Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White). He says these are some of his favorites because they teach understanding of others, empathy and they root for the underdog!

Councilmember Roger Berliner told us that he loved Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis) when he was young and enjoyed reading them to his kids as well. He loves the element of adventure in them and the notion that kids can be a powerful agent of change in the world and make it a better place.

Councilmember George Leventhal said, “I liked stories about imaginary worlds with multiple volumes to which I could return again and again: the Oz series by L. Frank Baum, the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander and the Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien. I enjoyed the continuity between books, the epic nature of the stories covering the history and geography of imaginary places, and the moral challenge to young children to develop character and courage in the face of adversity. It was wonderful to be able to share these stories with my own children when they were at the appropriate ages.”

Our Congressional representative Chris Van Hollen wrote to tell us that, “As a child, I liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, about a boy who wins a contest to tour a fantastic chocolate factory owned by the eccentric Willy Wonka, and The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, an adventure story about a bored young boy who is transported to the Kingdom of Wisdom where he meets a number of colorful characters.

“When I was a teenager, my favorite book was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, about a young girl in Alabama during the Great Depression, and her father, who takes a principled stand against racism and prejudice. I also enjoyed 39 Steps by John Buchan, a spy thriller about a man who has to solve a murder and stop a conspiracy in order to prevent a world war.”

We also asked our Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, for his favorite books. We received a quick response, and were directed to the annual summer ‘Let’s Read, Let’s Move’ Program. While Mr. Duncan can't provide a list of books because of the possible influence such a list of preferences may have, we looked up the books read at the Let’s Read summer program offered by DoE. Here are a few: Let’s Play Catch, by Chris Draft; The Napping House, by Audrey Wood; Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak; and My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza. And I am sure the Secretary would want me to tell you that, according to DoE, reading five books over the summer prevents learning loss.

Finally, my own child highly recommends The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, by noted author Daniel Pinkwater.

Thanks to everyone who responded to our request. Have a wonderful summer.

Tell us the books you loved to read as a child, and which books your children and grandchildren love to read over the lazy days of summer. Post a comment here.

And have a wonderful lazy summer.