Book Talk: Five Books I'd Like to Pass Down to My Future Children

23:32 Cilla 4 Comments

I have talked a lot on this blog about how my parents passed their love of reading down to me and that I've read books based on their recommendations. On my shelf, there are copies of Famous Five, Secret Seven, and Little House that belonged to my mother and aunt when they were children. I've always loved those old books, even if they smell of dust and the pages are yellowish, because there's something rather special about books that someone has loved enough to preserve for so long.

I was looking at my shelf as I was trying to come up with a topic for this post, and it occurred to me that I never thought about which books I'd love to pass down to my future children. So I am now thinking about it! Here are the books I want to keep for my kids:



1. The Harry Potter series. Shocking, I know. I want my children to read this series not only because I love it so much, but also because I feel there's so much wisdom in it. You could discuss a plot point without realising that it's about a bigger topic, whether it is PTSD, discrimination, genocide, or slavery. I don't want to use it as a teaching tool - I've always rather resented it when my parents recommend something to me because they want me to learn some sort of moral lesson - but I do want my kids to open their minds.

I'd wait until they're old enough - nine or ten years old maybe? - before I get them started, because while Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets may be for kids, I hardly think the rest of the series is.



2. Famous Five. Given my mother loved these books and I loved them too, it only makes sense for me to pass them down to my kids. Enid Blyton's language may feel archaic by the time I have kids old enough to read this, but I'm sure the characters and the adventures will still be able to strike a chord with kids decades from now. (Side note: I saw that one of my eight year old students had a copy of Famous Five in her bag and I was so excited.)




3. Anne of Green Gables series. As with Famous Five, my motivation for wanting to share this particular series with my hypothetical children is because my mother and I shared a love for Anne. We actually discovered the first book together when I was about 12, so it was a rather different experience from the other books she'd given to me before, because we were going through the story together and we could discuss the plots in details. If I could have that much in common with my own kids, I think we'd be alright. Anyway, even without that sentimental value attached though, a little bit of Anne Shirley in your life is never a bad thing.




4. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. I didn't start reading Nancy Drew and then the Hardy Boys until the 2000s, but I was quickly hooked. I want my kids to read them too because I think stories like these can encourage curiousity, independence, and resilience. After all, how many times did Nancy or the Hardy Boys nearly die in the book? Yet they went back and did it all over again. (It can also be argued that that would also encourage recklessness and stubbornness, but I'll be there to make sure my kids don't go too far in that direction.)


It is entirely possible too that my future children won't love the same books that I do, but if they grow up to be readers, I'd still be pretty happy.