This week at Upbeat Authors, the theme is about reading and nostalgia. Specifically, recalling your favorite book or books as a child. I have a few I remember fondly, but the one that came to mind first was Birdsong Lullaby by Diane Stanley.

Yes, I still have my copy!

Diane Stanley wrote and illustrated this children’s book in which an imaginative little girl tells her mother all the things she’d do if she were a bird. The mother indulgently plays along as she tucks her daughter in, listening to how she’d fly to Brazil and sleep with monkeys in a tree then fly through a rainbow and come out full of colors.

It’s just a beautiful little book; I highly recommend it if you have young children and happen to come across a copy. 🙂

The next book I remembered as a fave was The Farthest-Away Mountain, a middle-grade read from the author of the Indian in the Cupboard, Lynne Reid Banks.

I still have this one, too… Don’t judge me! 😀

The Farthest-Away Mountain is a fantasy/quest story, featuring a young heroine as opposed to a hero. Dakin is a bit of an outsider in her village, with a dream to visit the magical mountain and have adventures along the way. The book’s vivid imagery stood out for me, and the main character was smart, courageous, determined, and kind. I suppose I kind of looked up to her. 😉

What was your favorite book as a child?