Old Friends

By Kirsten Scott

Jeanne and Cindy's awesome anniversary post got me thinking about times past. Good times. Times spent on the couch with a book.

Which is to say, half my childhood.

Now I read a lot of great books as a kid, but there are a few that will always stand out. The biggest and the best? The Black Stallion. I recently bequeathed my 30 book set of Black Stallion books to my son, but he didn't really get into it (SOB!). I'm holding out hope for my daughter. What's not to love about a boy and his horse? A deserted island, the fiercest creature of them all? And he tames it with his love? Oh man, it doesn't get any better than that.

Then there's Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. If you've never read her, you've really missed out. She's a wacky, zany lady that kids adore. Her house is upside down, the kids dig in the backyard for buried treasure, and all the parents call her to figure out how to "fix" their kids when they have a problem. It's all totally tongue in cheek and I love these books as much now as I did then.

Still in my animal phase, in about sixth grade my dad turned me onto Albert Peyson Terhune. He wrote back in the early 1900s, but his books about collies are still fantastic. Jeanne, our resident dog lover, if you haven't read Lad, you really must. Terhune's collies don't just have personalities -- they have souls.

And then there were the great fantasy books. I know there are lots of McCaffrey fans out there -- well, my favorite book of all time is still Dragonflight, the first Pern book. But I also went through a Piers Anthony phase. Loved those Xanth books. Couldn't get enough.