By Carolyn Zigmund, ACD

I hadn’t picked up a children’s book in years, and then I got the assignment to write one for Carnival. In fact, the world’s biggest one. (That’s me standing in front of it.)  So I got in touch with my inner-five-year-old by revisiting some of the books I loved most when I was a kid. Here’s my top 10:

10. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
I always liked the simple line drawings and text in this book. It’s the story of a tree that gives everything to a boy: her branches to swing from, her trunk to slide down and her apples to eat from, asking nothing in return. To me, it’s a reminder not to take unconditional love for granted.

9. Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
In this simply told and simply illustrated folktale, a peddler walks around the village, trying to sell caps. After having no luck, he falls asleep under a tree in the countryside. When he wakes up, his wares are gone and the tree is filled with cap-wearing monkeys. The adventure begins as he tries to get all 17 hats back.

8. Corduroy by Don Freeman
Everyday shoppers come into the toy department of the store where Corduroy lives. But once they see that his green overalls are missing a button, they walk on by. One day, a little girl named Lisa sees Corduroy and buys him, giving the little bear the home he’s always wanted and her, a friend for life.

7. Alexander and the No Good Terrible Awful Day by Judith Viorst
Alexander is crabby because he’s having a bad day. He wakes up with gum in his hair. There’s no dessert in his lunch. And the dentist finds a cavity. Through it all, though, he starts to realize that things might not be all that awful after all.

6. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
I so wanted to be Pippi Longstocking, and I still kinda do. She’s a strong, outspoken 9-year-old who lives in Villa Villekulla with a horse and a monkey and no parents to tell her what to do. Everyday is an adventure for this fearless redhead.

5. Bedtime for Francis by Russell Hoban
For any kid who’s ever resisted going to bed, this book is a classic. Frances is a young badger who isn’t ready to go to sleep yet. So, to stall for time, she asks for a glass of water, demands extra hugs and kisses, and volleys endless questions at her always-patient parents.

4. The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop
A retelling of an old Chinese folktale about four identical brothers who use their special powers to slip into the place of the fifth brother who has been unfairly sentenced to death. The imagination in this story (one brother swallows the sea, another can hold his breath forever and the other has a iron neck) is what I always liked most about it as a kid.

3. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Before everyone went green, Dr. Seuss wrote this story warning about how industrialization could harm the environment. This book follows the Lorax, who speaks up for the trees and against the greedy land developer, the Once-ler. “Unless someone like you...cares a whole awful lot...nothing is going to get better...It's not."

2. The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman
I know this book by heart because my mom must have read it to me 100 times. Mr. Bird loves his nest and thinks it’s the best. But Mrs. Bird thinks somewhere out there, there are bigger, better digs. It’s a reminder that the grass isn’t always greener, so it’s good to appreciate what you have.

1. Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo. I love saying it. I love reading it. That’s why this is my all-time favorite children’s book. In this Chinese folktale, Tikki tikki tembo falls into a well. His brother runs to get help, but because Tikki’s name takes too long to pronounce, he almost doesn’t get rescued in time. According to the story, this is why Chinese names were eventually shortened to one syllable.