Stephanie Piro's Cartoon Blog: Happy, Happy Birthday Book Portraits

My bestest of all daughters, Nico, has been an avid reader her whole life except for when she was too little to read herself...and then she was an avid listener. She is like the original, real life version of Rory Gilmore, whom we adored for being the bestest of all TV daughters! It is no wonder she grew up to be a Young Adult Librarian, that best of all genres! In honor of her Birthday I am present-ing her with a special blog of portraits of 31 of her favorite books from the past. She has many, many, many other and newer favorites, but these are ones that helped to make her the fabulous well read person that she is!

In no particular order, these books are all special. You can tell by their covers that they were well loved and read often! On a few I added a note. But mostly, the books will speak for themselves!

1. The Alfred G. Graebner Memorial Handbook of Rules and Regulations by Ellen Conford.

2. O Ye Jigs & Juleps by Virginia Carey Hudson . This is such a charming book, it deserves to be re-read every so often. (from a review: Virginia Carey Hudson must have been a remarkable child--one that a teacher has only once or twice in a career. These essay are true events taken from her own life--each with a child's twist and perspective. She was approximately ten years old when these essays were written. They were discovered in 1960 in a locked attic trunk).

3. Moomin Valley in November by Tove Jansson (this one stars Snufkin, so it is, of course, one of our favorites!)

4. I'm With the Band by Pamela Des Barres (Not everyone can (or would want to) sleep with Rock Stars, so Miss Pamela tells us what that's like, among other things!)

5. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos

6. Love, Loss and What I Wore by Ilene Beckerman

7. Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (one of the most hilarious series ever!)

8. The Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

9. Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block (love, diversity and acceptance and so innovative, descriptive and beautiful)

10. Home Sweet Homicide by Craig Rice (Perfect in every way. Plus a King Tut glossary!)

11. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Caroll / illustrated by John Tenniel

12. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

13. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White /illustrated by Garth Williams

14. The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden / Illustrated by Barbara Cooney

15. Eloise by Kay Thompson / Illustrated by Hilary Knight

16. George the Babysitter by Shirley Hughes

17. My Uncle Nikos by Julie Delton / Illustrated by Marc Simont

18. Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer

19. How my Parents Learned to Eat by Ina R. Friedman / Illustrated by Alan Say

20. A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams (will make you go boohoo every time!)

21. Where Did the Baby Go? by Sheila Hayes / illustrated by Eloise Wilkin

The following three books were books I purchased as Weekly Reader books when I was in elementary school and which I loved and shared years later with Nico. They are perfect and eminently re-readable.

22. No Children, No Pets by Marion Holland