Children's Literature Challenge: Post 1

Here is my first check-in post for the Classic Children's Literature Challenge.  There is still time to sign up!  Check out this post at Simpler Pastimes for event information.

 Anne of Green Gables (L M Montgomery).  This classic tale of an orphan girl who finds love and a home in the idyllic Avonlea is the first of the beloved series by Lucy Maude Montgomery.  Published in 1908, Anne of Green Gables recounts Anne's arrival at Green Gables, her early hijinks, friends, and foibles.  Reading this book for the first time as an adult, I was by turns exasperated and charmed by Anne.  Her chatterbox, daydreamy personality in the first half of the book matures into resolution and determination by the book's end.  Recommended.

The Wizard of Oz  (Frank L. Baum).  The Harry Potter of its day, The Wizard of Oz really needs no introduction.  Also the first of a series, The Wizard of Oz introduced young readers to Dorothy and her friends, the Emerald City, flying monkeys, and the idea that witches can be killed by falling houses and buckets of water.  Recommended, of course.  (Post for the Book To Movie challenge coming soon.)

 Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (T S Eliot).  This collection of poems by T S Eliot has been famously transformed into the musical theater piece Cats by Andrew Lloyd Weber.  Published in 1939, each poem tells the story of a particular cat, its personality, and its adventures.  Fun reading for any age.