Which children's books do you remember? | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Kathy Manos Penn is a native of the “Big Apple,” who settled in the “Peach City” – Atlanta. A former English teacher now happily retired from a corporate career in communications, she writes a weekly column for the Dunwoody Crier and the Highlands Newspaper. Read her blogs and columns and purchase her books, “The Ink Penn: Celebrating the Magic in the Everyday” and “Lord Banjo the Royal Pooch,” on her website theinkpenn.com or Amazon.

    Seeing a Facebook post about best loved Golden Books took me on a trip down memory lane as I recalled my favorite childhood books. High on that list was "The Poky Little Puppy," and a bit of research revealed that it ranks as the top-selling children's book of all time. When I tried to call to mind other Golden Books I loved, "The Three Little Kittens" was the only additional one that popped up.

    Never fear, I recall plenty of other books I enjoyed. I have fond memories of Mom taking me to the library, I think on Saturdays. "Angus and the Ducks" is one of the books I checked out repeatedly. It's the story of a little black terrier who discovers ducks one day when he sneaks out of his house. As an adult, I thought of that book every time I saw a friend's dog run into the lake to chase the ducks.

    I have forgotten plenty of books from my early years, but I had a delightful experience surfing Amazon. It took seeing the covers to make me remember my favorites. If my memory of the covers is that vivid, I know I must have read those books over and over. When I clicked on Angus, I was rewarded with the cover of "Make Way for Ducklings," triggering another happy memory.

    The "Curious George" series was another favorite, one that has stood the test of time. This summer I spent the day with my high school friend Beth as she made my dog a royal purple robe-you know about Lord Banjo and his robe, right? I had to laugh when I discovered she'd been making party favors for her grandson's Curious George birthday party just the week before.

    I still have my three Dr. Seuss books. They came in the mail as part of the Beginner Books series by Random House, which also included non-Suess books: "Stop that Ball," "Cowboy Andy," and "The King's Wish."

    Another book I could remember even without seeing the cover was "The Five Chinese Brothers." Before locating it on Amazon, I thought to myself that in this age of heightened sensitivity, it had probably been banned. I couldn't readily remember the story, but the description, "a dramatic retelling of an old Chinese tale," makes it seem harmless enough.

    Trigger warning! The childhood book that has indeed been banned from some libraries is "Little Black Sambo," originally published in 1899. Because the title and illustrations in the original are considered offensive, it was reworked in later tellings. The title and the setting change, but the story remains the same: "[A little boy] encounters four hungry tigers and surrenders his colorful new clothes, shoes, and umbrella so they will not eat him. The tigers are vain, and each thinks he is better dressed than the others. They chase each other around a tree until they are reduced to a pool of melted butter; [the boy] then recovers his clothes, and his mother makes pancakes of the butter."

    To end on an uncontroversial note, I also spied "The Story of Ferdinand," a book that's now been made into an animated movie. What wonderful childhood memories.

    Kathy Manos Penn is a Georgia resident. Her latest book, "Lord Banjo the Royal Pooch," and her collection of columns, "The Ink Penn: Celebrating the Magic in the Everyday," are available on Amazon. Contact Kathy at inkpenn119@gmail.com.