The Boxcar Children

This month for our Children's Classics carnival over at 5 Minutes for Books, we're talking about our favorite classics that we've recently re-read.

I chose to re-read the Boxcar Children which I have been slowly collecting for our children at our local Goodwill. I've managed to find most copies for $0.49 or $0.99 so I'm building this series fairly cheaply!

When I was growing up, my best friend and I frequently made a habit of pretending and playing like we lived in boxcars or were out making our own way in the world and I was curious to see if these books would still be appealing to me "after all of these long, long years."

Gladly, I can report to you that these books hold even more appeal for me now (if that is possible) than they did back then. Maybe I just realize how much more difficult it is to find clean and imaginative, fun literature for children these days, I dunno!

If you are unfamiliar with the Boxcar children, it is the story of four orphans who we meet up with as they are running away from all that they have ever known because they are afraid that they will be turned over to their stern and mean ol' grandfather. They find an old boxcar to live in while the oldest boy, Henry, finds a variety of yard work to do for a kindly doctor in the town. You might wonder how it is that four children living alone in the woods (and in an abandoned boxcar!) might have escaped the notice of many of the adults in the story. The kindly doctor was aware of their living conditions and kept a secret, to see how the children would fare. However, when young Violet becomes sick, the doctor quickly steps in and the children discover a grandfather that is not so much the mean ogre as he is the kind and benevolent - and loving! - grandfather that they've always wanted. It all ends well.

The books were originally penned by Gertrude Chandler Warner who was a school teacher. She was having trouble finding quality reading material that would interest her students and so she wrote the first book in the Boxcar Children. It was welcomed into the world of literature with much enthusiasm, so that Warner went on to write an additional 18 books. There are countless numbers of books in this series today, but Warner only wrote the original 19. The rest were penned by various others.

Interesting facts about Warner:

1. She was called in to teach first grade during World War I, when most of the men were being called on to fight for their country and women were needed to move into employed positions outside of the home. She was a teacher, despite (ironically) the fact that she became too ill to complete high school and took a private tutor to complete her education.

2. She came from a very musically talented family. Warner herself played the cello.

3. Her first story was called, "Gollywog at the Zoo." She wrote it at age 9.

4. She was a volunteer for the American Red Cross.

5. There is now a Boxcar Museum in her honor. It is located in Putnam, CT.

After reading the first book in the story and remembering my delight of it, I went on to read the next two titles as well: Surprise Island and The Yellow House Mystery. Both were a delight and I literally had to stop myself from continuing to read on further. Someday I look forward to going back and rereading the first nineteen books in the series with my own kids. For now, I am just affirming that they are still just as charming and imaginative as they ever were and yes, I love them.