When I’m perusing the picture book shelves and come across a favorite book from my childhood, it’s like crawling under the blankets, snuggling up with a stuffed animal, and sipping a cup of cocoa. With mini marshmallows. Those tiny pillows of delight. Spongey icebergs in a sea of chocolate. Morsels of fluffy happiness.

Ahem. Reading my old favorites brings instant security and comfort. And I can’t seem to get any perspective on them from my adult, writer brain. It’s too busy building a pillow fort.

So this week is dedicated to those books that highjacked my imagination and my filled my room with friends.

Miss Nelson is Missing written by Harry Allard and illustrated by James Marshall
The best part about this book is that the truth about Viola Swamp isn’t revealed directly in the text. It only hints (though not subtly) about the relationship between the two teachers and the pictures give you additional clues. As a result, you feel extremely clever and pleased with yourself for figuring out something that the characters in the book couldn’t. The writer and illustrator nudge you and wink, including you in their joke.

Bread and Jam for Frances written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by Lillian Hoban
“I do not like the way you slide,
I do not like your soft inside,
I do not like you lots of ways,
And I could do for many days
Without eggs.”
To this day, Frances’s quiet song about soft boiled eggs and her determined attitude about what she likes and dislikes, bonds me to her. Rereading this book after so many years brought no disappointments, only joy and the distinct sensation of childhood.

Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
Ignore the movie. This book is vivid and thrilling. I remember reading it with my sister and feeling the danger and excitement of a game gone wrong. The hot breath of the lion. The destruction wrought by the monkeys. Chris Van Allsburg knows the way into the depths of our imaginations, even if Hollywood doesn’t.

SPECIAL MENTION: George and Martha by James Marshall
George and Martha is clever, funny, touching, ridiculous, and so very reassuring. These two hippopotamus friends cover the breadth of human experience, jealousy, pride, irritation, loneliness, vices, love, all within the context of compelling mini-stories. If you haven’t read the George and Martha stories they should be first on your list. And like mini marshmallows and cocoa, they’re best when shared with a friend.

Want to see what other books I’ve been reading?