tsurara

When I was small, my family had a library, a whole wall just covered in book-cases filled with books my parents had collected over the years. I remember spending hours... maybe even months just looking at the books before I was even old enough to read them.

I still remember my favorites ~ a animated-comic adaptation of "The Hobbit", all of my father's old 60s fantasy novels (though I couldn't do anything but look at the covers and imagine what was inside), a volume of old illustrated Bible stories (violence) and my mom's 13 volume illustrated medical encyclopedia set (sex). Of course, I had a shelf of two for my own books... but my parents' were always more interesting!

Later, after learning to read: I started to appreciate other things on the shelf -- "The Lord of the Rings", "The Last Unicorn", "Clan of the Cave Bear", my mother's old poetry collections...

When I think of who I am now... a lot of it came from those shelves. Of course, my parents never said a thing about the books... they never picked what I would read or limited what I could look at. If it was there: it was fair game.

I often think about those shelves and how I want to have some just like them for my own kids...

Will you/do you keep a library for your children? What will be/is in it and why?

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Titanofdeath

I think that it will not bew a libary but it will be books that I have know and books that i will buy for them. It will be more of a bookshelf I am not that big on books but the books i have and read I think are good.

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"Be the change that you want to see in the world." "A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people. " "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." Quote Mohandas Gandhi

manlock32

i tihkn that's a great story. It makes me want to create a library just for my kids. If i do do that then the books would be a whole variety of books. not just kid books. Of course I won't give them inappropriate books when their at the age of 6-9 but when they turn ten i think that it would be a good idea to reveal the world to them a little early. I have always felt that the more your parents hide things from you, the more you would want to experience it.

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Bringing out the big guns has it price...But jail is only temporary

mofugga

I want to have a libraly for my children to have an insight or a more philosophical view of life, to get a better understanding. I have books right now that im planning on keeping for future references -- "Sophies World" "Lord Of The Flies" Phantom Of The Opera" "Art Of War" "Mein Kampf" the "Bible" "Stiff" and some other insightful books.

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Hassun

I remember that when I was little I got to read a lot of classic fairytales (some accompanied by cassettes to listen to) and a children's bible. Religious or not a combination of these two will greatly help your development in my opinion.
If I ever have children of my own I'll make sure they read plenty of fairytales (and not the sweetened versions either) and the bible.

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tsurara

Keeping my own experiences in mind: I'll probably invest in a nice picture-Bible... not to mention whatever picture-heavy reference books I can aquire at garage sales. I'll also make sure there are a ton of comic books: "Pride of Baghdad" will absolutely be on that shelf, so will "Elfquest" and "Runaways", plenty of comics in Japanese (my kids will be bilingual one way or another). For novels: "His Dark Materials", "The Lord of the Rings", "Anne of Green Gables", "Wizard of Earthsea", "Life of Pi", "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" etc.

What will be missing from my shelf: Harry Potter.

I'm pretty sure it's something they'll end up reading anyway... why bother? O-o; I don't care for the books or think that they promote reading quite so much as they promote consumption of merchandising and hardcore fanboy/girlism.

If the kids want them: they'll get them. But they'll have to be additions to their own shelves.

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Eria

I wanted to have a big library for my kids but after moving a couple of times I have decided to wait until I buy my own home, books are heavy and take up a lot of space. My kids, however, get to go to the public library all the time and we do have a nice small collection.

As for what would be in the collection I think it would be what interests my kids and me. I like taking them to the book store and letting them look through all the books and find the ones that interests them.

Right now I have Jasper Fforde, Robert Asprin, Stephen King (I do live in Maine) varies fantasy books, The Princess Bride, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy collection, The hobbit and Lord of the Rings and lots and lots of Manga. I also have some Manga that is in Japanese and English, the were a gift from a friend who lives in Japan.

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I'm just me.

Abu Dhabi

well, Soshi and i have already been collecting lots of books for our kids to read! like the Phantom Tollbooth, the Giving Tree, and all those types of books! we have a good array of kids books, but i like to read those myself!

i'd also like to have a pretty good stack of American classics, as well as some Foreign works too~! especially Toto-Chan! but i suppose having some reference books would be good too~! maybe that really popular picture Bible, that would be a good idea~!

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supersonico

its interisting the theme about a library just for kids, i would like to help but i have no books for kids in my shelf. only text books, manga and some mexican comics books.

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