English and Modern Languages
Susan
Booker
Assistant Professor of English
"I remember reading frequently from the Nursery Rhymes among the children's
editions. I also remember one of the first chapter books I received as a gift
from a great aunt: a biography of Clara Barton. I still have no clue as to why
that book appealed to the giver as a gift for me, but I felt immensely grown up
receiving a hard cover chapter book at the time."
"I love Olivia, her sequels, and even her merchandise! She has a positive spirit and is smart and fun."
Rhonda Brock-Servais
Assistant Professor of English
"My favorite book as a child was an illustrated Homer's Odyssey and an illustrated book of Russian Fairy Tales, because they were wild and crazy take me away kind of stories.I have extremely fond but very fuzzy memories of these books. I think I prefer it that way. If I actually had them now, I might be disappointed."
"I didn't really discover children's literature until college, if you can believe that!"
I probably have a favorite children's book for each decade and age group! Although just for personal fun, I love Coraline, Madelaine L'Engle, Phillip Pullman.
"Chris Raschka is absolutely my favorite illustrator."
Ruth L. Budd
Associate Professor of Spanish
"As an only child living on a farm, books were my best friends. I learned to read at age 4 and read EVERYTHING I could. I loved anything animal--from Bambi to Black Beauty to National Velvet to Call of the Wild. I also loved Heidi and cried each time I read it. Obviously, I enjoyed books with an only-child heroine, because I could identify! But I also loved things like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn because of the adventure aspect. I had all the Nancy Drew mysteries as well."
"My grandma used to say that she couldn't understand how one person could read so much!"
"My tastes today are more discriminating, when I was a child I rarely met a book I didn't like."
"Reading has always been one of my very greatest pleasures, and it is totally
true that it literally changed my life!"
Don Butler
Lecturer in English
"The Secret Garden was my favorite book as a child, because it was all about secrets and overcoming obstacles, believing in yourself and healing."
"I don't have a favorite children's book now. I pretty much don't care for children's lit. Right now, my favorite
book is Reading Lolita in Tehran. I love it because it is about overcoming
extreme obstacles and the triumph of the human spirit."
Raymond
Cormier
Visiting Professor of French
"I
had no books until 8th grade, when I discovered the school library."
Carolyn
Craft
Professor of English
"A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens was my favorite book as a child. I first read it in 4th grade. It had strong emotions, realism but also idealism. I could not put it down when reading it and could not forget it later."
Wade
Edwards
Assistant Professor of French
"There was an Encyclopedia Brown story in my 3rd grade reader. I got hooked and started looking for the books at the library. Even in the 3rd grade, the books felt like brain food. I imagined I was getting smarter than my friends, just by reading E.B. I felt I knew something they didn't; I even started my own book: How to Think Like a Detective."
"I have kids now and am familiar with a bunch more books. I like Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Magic School Bus series; I read these as a parent now and appreciate the lessons they teach my kids. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is another great one for helping my kids think in new ways."
Guillermo
Gray
Lecturer in Spanish
"I first read Robin Hood when I was 7 or 8 in both English and Spanish. I was stuck by the themes of loyalty, class struggle, bravery, and the sadness of loss. I read the book several times between the first time and 12."
Wendy H.
Gray
Adjunct Instructor of English
"All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor was 'the book in residence' at my grandmother's house where I would visit for 2 weeks every summer. It was comforting to have this familiar 'friend' there when I was far away from home."
"Now I prefer Where the Sidewalk Ends, because I love the poetry and
humor in the Silverstein book, or Where the Wild Things Are, because of
the illustrations."
Michael
Lund
Professor of English
"Three Billy Goats Gruff frightened me silly! So, it's not a favorite. When I was a bit older I loved Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas."
Frances
O'Donohue
Adjunct Instructor of French & Spanish
"I loved Woofus, a Woolly Dog because there was repetition and all the illustrations had flocking on them to simulate his coat."
"When our children were small, we acquired an Afghan Hound named Maya. A friend
of mine who is a librarian, introduced us to the What-a-Mess series,
which is about an Afghan puppy who tries to be elegant like his mother but
doesn't quite succeed. His curiosity leads him into hilarious adventures. The
drawings by Joseph Wright are wonderful, too. My children and I vote for
What-a-Mess!"
Geoffrey Orth,
Professor of German/ Director Honors Program
"I liked the pictures and got to memorize the text and repeat the phrases, so I liked The Three Little Pigs as a child."
"I liked reading the Dr. Desoto books to my own kids. As an adult, I like the subtle humor of Dr. Desoto."
"I
guess, in retrospect, each generation has its own favorites. The canon isn't
frozen."
William
Plail
Adjunct Instructor of German
"Dr. Seuss' On Beyond Zebra not only shows fanciful imagination and has brilliant illustrations, but also dabbled in what I would today call "the singular and sonorous beauties of linguistic improbability."
"The Trumpeter of Krakow was suspenseful and deals with the long ago far away. There is alchemy, danger, mystery, and a well-plotted story of the late middle ages in Krakow, Poland."
"I also enjoyed a book on King Arthur and his knights which is still the fundament of my knowledge of the most topical versions of the Arthurian legends, though I recognize today that it is based not on the French and German medieval romances, but on the much later English versions of Malory."
Heather
Rust
Adjunct Instructor of English
"Reading was not a big deal nor was it a fun or favorable experience for me. I liked the pictures."
"I
love to read The Cat in the Hat to my kids, because it's about having fun
while mom is out of the house."
Greg Salyer
Lecturer in English
"Horton
Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss was and still is my favorite children's book. Its
description of another world we were unaware of intrigued me."
Jennifer Sheeler
Adjunct Instructor of English
"My
favorite book as a very young child was Green Eggs and Ham because I was
learning to read. When I got older I liked The Witch of Blackbird Pond
because it's about a girl who chooses to be loyal to her friends despite the
fact that society wants her to behave differently. I have so many favorites, but
I guess The Witch of Blackbird Pond is still my favorite. I have read it
over again the most. I remember reading it once when the electricity went out."
Derek
Taylor
Assistant Professor English
"I loved, and still love, Tuck Everlasting, because of the idea of immortality."
"I
do like My Brother Sam is Dead, we'll call it a co-favorite."
Gordon Van
Ness
Professor of English/Chair
"The Hardy Boys series captured me with the mystery and the way the main characters were able to see 'the big picture' by putting together the clues."
"The Wreck of the Zephur, by Chris Van Allsburg, is now a favorite of mine. It fires the imagination rather than the intellect, enabling a child to see the world from a heightened perspective."