I am working on a couple of booklists, similiar to the 175 Cool Boys from Children’s Literature and 200 Cool Girls from Children’s Literature put together by uber organized Jen Robinson and could use some help building up my lists.
Here are the lists I am putting together:
Mother’s in Children’s Literature (if someone has already done this master list, please let me know.)
Fathers in Children’s Literature (yes, I have a list of fathers and daughters in kidlit but I’d like to broaden the list to all sorts of fathers in children’s literature.
And what the heck – grandparents too!
Here is the list so far:
MOTHERS
The mother in The Runaway Bunny (Margaret Wise Brown)
Homily Clock The Borrowers (Mary Norton)
The calico cat in The Underneath (Kathi Appelt)
Marmee from Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
Mrs. Frisby of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Robert C. O’Brien)
The mother in Are You My Mother? (P. D. Eastman)
Sarah in Sarah Plain and Tall (Patricia Maclachlan)
The mother in Love You Forever (Robert N Munsch)
Mrs Walker from the Swallows & Amazons books (Arthur Ransome)
"Moms" from the Trixie Belden books (Julie Campbell and Kathryn Kenny)
Molly Weasley from the Harry Potter books (J K Rowling)
Mrs. Sowerby in The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
Caroline Ingalls in The Little House on the Praire (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
Katherine Krupnik from the Anastasia series (Lois Lowry)
Mrs. Murry from A Wrinkle In Time (Madeleine L’Engle)
Mrs. Darling from Peter Pan (J. M. Barrie)
Mrs. Milton from Spud (John Howard van de Ruit)
Mrs. Quimby from the Henry Huggins and Ramona series (Beverly Cleary)
Mrs. Tillerman from Homecoming (Cynthia Voigt)
The Other Mother in Coraline (Neil Gaiman)
The mother in So B. It (Sarah Weeks)
Mrs. Coulter in His Dark Materials series (Philip Pullman)
Mrs Connor from Evolution, Me and Other Freaks of Nature (Robin Brande)
Mama from the "All-of-a-Kind-Family" series (Sidney Taylor)
FATHERS
Pod Clock The Borrowers (Mary Norton)
Charles Ingalls in The Little House on the Praire (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
Ted Walker from the Swallows & Amazons books (Arthur Ransome)
Peter Belden from the Trixie Belden books (Julie Campbell and Kathryn Kenny)
Arthur Weasley from the Harry Potter books (J K Rowling).
Mr. Melendy from the Melendy books (Elizabeth Enright)
Mr. Darling from Peter Pan (J. M. Barrie)
Mr. Murry from A Wrinkle In Time (Madeleine L’Engle)
Mr. Milton from Spud (John Howard van de Ruit)
Mr. Quimby from the Henry Huggins and Ramona series (Beverly Cleary)
Myron Krupnik from the Anastasia series (Lois Lowry)
Fenton Hardy from the Hardy Boys series
Carson Drew from the Nancy Drew series
Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
Elrond in Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
King Theoden in Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
The preacher father in Because of Winn Dixie (Kate DiCamillo)
Pa Faulstich in Just Juice (Karen Hesse)
Henry Swann in Protecting Marie (Kevin Henkes)
Jakob in Family Tree (Katherine Ayres)
Mr. Penderwick in The Penderwicks (Jeanne Birdsall)
Mortimer Folchart in Inkheart (Cornelia Funke)
Isaiah Goodspeed in The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed (Heather Vogel Frederick )
Mr. in Mr. And Me (Kimberly Willis Holt)
Mr. Peck in Boston Jane (Jennifer L. Holm)
Bill Casson in Saffy’s Angel (Hilary McKay)
Ben Sills in Words By Heart (Ouida Sebestyen)
The father in Hugging the Rock (Susan Taylor Brown)
Saul Naumann in Bee Season (Myla Goldberg)
The father in Tender (Valerie Hobbs)
Whip in One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies (Sonya Sones)
GRANDMOTHERS
Mrs Oldknowe (sp?) from the Green Knowe books (Lucy M Boston)
Abigail Tillerman from the Tillerman books (Cynthia Voigt).
She may be a mouse, but Mrs. Frisby of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH has got to be up there among the bravest and most awesoem moms in children’s lit.
Oh yes, what a very nice start! Thanks.
Thanks for putting this together
Are You My Mother–a duckling tries to find his mommy.
Sarah Plain and Tall, in which a pioneer family searches for a new mother.
Love You Forever–the circle of love between a boy and his mother. (Although…I have to say, the last set of pictures creeped me out.)
Re: Thanks for putting this together
I think I may have misread your objective. I was thinking about famous–not necessarily favorite–mothers in children’s lit.
*cue Emily Litella*
Never mind.
Re: Thanks for putting this together
No no no – you didn’t misread.
Famous or favorites. It’s all good. Thanks! Maybe I’ll just do mothers and then have you all vote on your favorites?
Ted Walker and Mrs Walker from the Swallows & Amazons books (Arthur Ransome).
Peter Belden and “Moms” from the Trixie Belden books (Julie Campbell and “Kathryn Kenny”).
Arthur and Molly Weasley from the Harry Potter books (J K Rowling).
Mr Melendy from the Melendy books (Elizabeth Enright).
Grandmothers? Mrs Oldknowe (sp?) from the Green Knowe books (Lucy M Boston).
I suppose you could consider Fenton Hardy and Carson Drew….
RM1(SS) (ret)
Wonderful entries, thank you.
Mrs. Sowerby in The Secret Garden
The father in Arthur Ransome’s Swallows & Amazon series who barely makes an appearance, but who gives permission for his kids to sail their boat ’round the lakes by themselves with a telegram that says: BETTER DROWNED THAN DUFFERS IF NOT DUFFERS WON’T DROWN
Caroline Ingalls (and I mean the one in the books NOT in the TV series!)
🙂
Thanks! What a father!
Anastasia Krupnik’s parents from Lois Lowry’s series.
Mr. & Mrs. Murry from A Wrinkle In Time.
I was going to mention Mr. and Mrs. Murry (Murray?) too.
Thanks!
Anastasia Krupnik, oh yes. thanks
The Weasleys from Harry Potter
The Darlings from Peter Pan
Spud’s manic parents from the book of the same name
Thanks, I always liked the Darlings!
If you’re going to allow grandparents-in-lieu-of-parents (or would you prefer to start a separate list for grandparents?), Abigail Tillerman from the Tillerman books (Cynthia Voigt).
RM1(SS) (ret)
The Old Coot
Oh yes, we need grandparents too, don’t we? thanks.
I *loved* Ramona and Beezus Quimby’s parents!
Also, for most memorable, the Tillerman’s mom with her sad moon face from Homecoming etc.
Oh gosh, how could I forget the Quimbys? Thanks!
Mothers in children’s lit (mind you, many of them are not GOOD mothers):
1. The Other Mother in Coraline by Neil Gaiman
2. The mother in So B. It, whose name I don’t recall.
3. Mrs. Coulter in His Dark Materials series.
4. Mrs. Weasley in the HP series.
LOL on not being GOOD mothers. Thanks!
Mrs Connor from Evolution, Me and Other Freaks of Nature (Robin Brande).
Thanks!
My OWN father!!
Okay, sorry for this blatant self promotion, but I have to mention my OWN father, because he is in my book! But he’s a kid in my book, so I don’t think he can count as a father for your list. But his father (my grandfather) is also in my book – so I vote for my grandfather – W.P. Cannon in When the Whistle Blows (Philomel/Penguin, June 2009)!!
Re: My OWN father!!
🙂
that’s neat to know even if I can’t add it to the main list.
Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird
(When I was a kid, Lord of the Rings was considered kid/early teen lit, and Elrond was one of my favourite fathers, as well as King Theoden.)
Good ones, thanks.
My favorite parent set is actually Mother Bhaer (Jo) and Father Bhaer in Little Men also by Alcott
memorable mothers
Peter Rabbit’s mother (Beatrix Potter)
Lily and James Potter!
This may have been said (no time to go through 30 comments right now), but what aboutthe mom in “Make Way for Ducklings?”
I love Mrs. Ray, Betsy’s mom in the Betsy-Tacy books. Young & lighthearted, always singing & playing the piano, great sense of fun.
As for fathers in literature, after Atticus Finch my favorite has got to be Taxi from Bruce Brooks’s MIDNIGHT HOUR ENCORES. What a guy.
mothers and fathers
The Watson parents (and Grandma Sands) from *The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963*. Herman E. Calloway from *Bud, Not Buddy*. (Both by Christopher Paul Curtis.) How about a great-grandmother: *Becoming Naomi Leon* (Pam Munoz Ryan). Max’s mother in *Where the Wild Things Are* (Sendak). Peter’s mother in *The Snowy Day* (Ezra Jack Keats). Mrs. Rabbit in the *Tale of Peter Rabbit* (Potter). Marmee (Mrs. March) from *Little Women* (Alcott). The actual parents in *Coraline* (esp the dad) are also memorable.
I’m sure there are more, but that’s a start.
here’s another
Great lists btw
the mother in the PB THE KISSING HAND
best adoptive mother and father: Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables
Anne Shirley Blythe in the latter Anne books, esp Rainbow Valley
Mr Crewe in A Little Princess
Christopher Robin’s dad (i.e. A.A. Milne as narrator) in the early Pooh stories… best storytelling dad ever
Frank and Lillian Gilbreth in Cheaper by the Dozen. I’ll keep thinking …
Mothers and fathers
How about the real mother and the father in Coraline? And the pseudo other father. And while we’re on all things Gaiman, Silas is a pretty awesome father figure in The Graveyard Book, and then there’s the father who was swapped for two goldfish!
Keely
Moms
I love the mom in “Mama, Do You Love Me?” by Barbara M. Joosse.
Great book father
The dad in Danny, The Champion of the World, by Roald Dahl. Loved this book when I was a kid.
Re: Great book father
Fun idea. Sorry if these are repeats:
Father – big nutbrown hare in Guess How Much I Love You (Mcbratney)
berenstain bears could be father and/or motherThe “pirate mommy” in bubblebath pirates (Jarett Krosoczka)
This one might be a little obscure in the US but I like the young mom in A Lion In The Meadow (by Margaret Mahy, a new Zealand author)
Mother – Kanga in the Winnie the Pooh stories
Re: Great book father
Oops, didn’t mean to be anonymous in my last comment – 🙂
Lynn
(http://infantbiliophile.blogspot.com)
from Paula S.
My favorite mother ever:
Trotter in The Great Gilly Hopkins (K Paterson)
and as far as grandmothers, how about:
Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs(from the book of the same name by Tomi De Paola)
She looks like an eager muse! Tess? Tessie? Laura? (ha! I always suggest that!)
Mothers
I’m a children’s librarian and I am compiling great mother moments from children’s literature. This list is a great help!
Might I also suggest the unforgettable mom from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series?
-Rebecca
That sounds nice. I’m not good at making plans or sticking with them. =( Maybe I’ll give the making a plan for the plan a try. That might work better for me. =)
Best wishes for yours!
Health
Grypa
przeziebienie
cholesterol
choroby serca
witaminy
tradzik
bol brzucha
grzybica paznokci
sok noni
Health
Grypa
przeziebienie
cholesterol
choroby serca
witaminy
tradzik
bol brzucha
grzybica paznokci
sok noni
How too tunign kia
Kia has recently started installing the 2.0 liter turbo engine from the Optima turbo in the 2011 Sportage. Jason asked me if I would attend the press preview on his behalf, and I’d like to present the above photo as evidence that I did a proper job of testing the Sportage SX’s 256 horsepower engine. Details of both the Sportage and my financial contribution to the great state of Arizona will be coming soon on About.com’s SUVs and Minivans site.
opony terenowe
How too tunign kia
Kia has recently started installing the 2.0 liter turbo engine from the Optima turbo in the 2011 Sportage. Jason asked me if I would attend the press preview on his behalf, and I’d like to present the above photo as evidence that I did a proper job of testing the Sportage SX’s 256 horsepower engine. Details of both the Sportage and my financial contribution to the great state of Arizona will be coming soon on About.com’s SUVs and Minivans site.
Opony terenowe
ellie
I just love wing-wrapped hugs in your poem, and the entire beautiful, comforting image.
I also want to thank you for your kind comments about my poem. I am planning to tweak it into something I can submit somewhere and it helps so much to know what people like.
I am intrigued by your comment about some poems coming without a whole lot of thought. I have noticed with Laura’s 15 WOL exercise that when poems just fall onto the page, they typically fare better than those I slave over. Usually I have no title, so for me, titles must come last.
I think titles may be the death of me. I tend to be boring, humdrum, or totally impotent when it comes to finding just that right combination of words.
This is so funny! I love the bird hanging on the ragged edge of yonder in the last photo.
Oh–beautiful, Susan! I like that you got both the traditionally beautiful things and the not-always-considered attractive ones, like insects/eggs.
Thanks for reminding me of some of my favorites and introducing me to a few new ones. I feel a kid lit reading binge coming on!
Thanks for stopping by.