Our All-Time Favorite Reading Books

Awhile back, one of my first cousins was looking to purchase a book for her nephew for Christmas. She wanted to give him a book that was popular with her age group and asked for our advice.  We thought her suggestion was too mature for his age and level of understanding, so we told her of several other books that we thought would be more appropriate.  That's when I decided to compile a list of our all-time favorite chapter books and I'm finally getting around to it. 😄

(Pssst! Many of them have been made into audio books and movies too. A book and the corresponding CD or DVD  would make an excellent birthday or holiday gift. They can listen to, read and/or watch and compare the story lines. And I was able to find a few free e-books for your I-Pad, Kindle, Lap-Top, Nook, or Smart Phone. They are linked in. Our favorite bookstore is Half-Price Books. We discovered it during our homeschooling days. We also visit our local library and thrift stores for books.)

Author - Book Title(s).
(Many of the books may be appropriate for both boys and girls.)

for boys 

1. Bender, Esther  - Thank God for Rocks.
2. Bowen, Robert Sidney  - Dave Dawson (book series); Dave Dawson on Guadalcanal (audio)
3. Burgess, Thornton W. - The Adventures of Bob White (audio); The Adventures of Buster Bear (audio); The Adventures of Bobby Coon (audio); The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel (audio); The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse (audio); The Adventures of Grandfather Frog (audio); The Adventures of Jerry Muskrat (audio); The Adventures of Johnny Chuck (audio); The Adventures of Lightfoot the Deer (audio);  The Adventures of Mr Mocker (audio); The Adventures of Old Man Coyote (audio); The Adventures of Paddy Beaver (audio); Adventures of Peter Cottontail (audio); The Adventures of Sammy Jay (audio); The Adventures of Prickly Porky (audio); The Adventures of Unc' Billy Possum (audio);  The Adventures of Poor Mrs Quack (audio); The Adventures of Reddy Fox (audio); The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk (audio); The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad (audio);  Bowser the Hound (audio);  The Burgess Animal Book for Children (audio); The Burgess Bird Book for Children (audio); Blacky the Crow (audio); Buster Bear's Twins (audio); Happy Jack (audio); How Old Mr. Crow Lost His Double Tongue (audio);  How Old King Eagle Won His White Head (audio); How Old Mr. Mink Taught Himself to Swim (audio); Mother West Wind's Animal Friends (audio); Mother West Wind's Children (audio); Mother West Wind "How" Stories (audio); Mother West Wind When Stories (audio);  Mother West Wind 'Where' Stories (audio); Mother West Wind 'Why' Stories (audio);  Old Mother West Wind (audio); Mrs. Peter Rabbit (audio); Old Granny Fox (audio); Tommy and the Wishing Stone (audio);  Whitefoot the Wood Mouse (audio); Why Hooty the Owl Does Not Play On the Green Meadow (audio)
4. Burroughs, Edgar Rice  - Moon Maid (audio); The Princess of Mars (audio), (book); Son of Tarzan (audio);  Tarzan (book); Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (audio); Tarzan the Terrible (audio); The Land that Time Forgot (audio); 
5. Chesterton, G. K.  - The Wisdom of Father Brown (audio)
6. Cooper, James Fenimore - The Last of the Mohicans (book)
7. Defoe, Daniel  - Robinson Crusoe (audio)
8. Dickens, Charles - A Christmas Carol (video); Oliver Twist [note: video may be disturbing for young children] (video), 
9. Dixon, Franklin W. - the Hardy Boys (mystery series). (video)
10. Douglas, Lloyd C.  - The Robe (book), (video clip)
11. Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan - The Lost World (book); Sherlock Holmes
12. Dumas, Alexandre - The Count of Monte Cristo (audio), (book) ;  The Three Musketeers (audio)
13. ENGLISH FAIRY TALES - Jack & the Beanstalk (video); 
14. Fleming, Ian - Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang 
15. Field, Eugene = The Poems of Eugene Field (book)
16. George, Jean Craighead - My Side of the Mountain
17. Gipson, Fred  - Old Yeller
18. Grahame, Kenneth - The Wind in the Willows (audio), (book) 
19. God - The Holy Bible (book), (audio)
20. Guest, Edgar Albert - Just Folks (book)
21. Haggard, H. Rider  - King Solomon's Mine (book), (audio), (video)
22. Hamner, Jr., Earl  - Spencer's Mountain,  The (Walton's) Homecoming: A Christmas Story (video)
23. Herriot, James (pen name for James Alfred Wight) - All Creatures Great and Small (series); Dog Stories; 
24. Hope, Laura Lee - The Bobbsey Twins (book); The Bobbsey Twins in the Country (audio); The Bobbsey Twins on the Deep Blue Sea (audio); The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore (audio); Merry Days Indoors and Out (audio); 
25. Lawhead, Stephen R. - the Pendragon Cycle (series)
26. Lewis, C.S.  - The Chronicles of Narnia (series). 
27. London, Jack - The Call of the Wild (audio), (book) (video); Sea Wolf (audio); White Fang (audio); 
28. Kipling, Rudyard  - The Jungle Book (audio)
29. Malory, Sir Thomas  - Le Morte Darthur: King Arthur & His Round Table (book)
30. Marzollo, Jean  - I Spy: A Book of Picture Riddles
31. McSpadden, J. Walker - Robin Hood (audio)
32. Munsch, Robert - Love You Forever.
33. Lofting, Hugh - The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle (audio).
34. Nesbit, E.  - The Railway Children (audio)
35. O'Dell, Scott - Island of the Blue Dolphins
36. Pyle, Howard  - Robin Hood (book)
37. Rawls, Wilson  - Where the Red Fern Grows
38. Sayers, Dorothy - Lord Peter Wimsey (adult mystery series) (book)
39. Scott, Sir Walter - Ivanhoe (audio), (book) 
40. Sheldon, Charles M. - In His Steps (book), (video-1) (video-2) (video-3)
41. Stevenson, Robert Louis (some of his writings are on the dark side, but these are okay) - A Child's Garden of Verses (book);  The Black Arrow (audio);  Treasure Island (audio);  
42. Swift, Jonathan - Gulliver's Travels (book)
43. Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel  - The Hobbit; The Lord of the Rings (the movie is too intense for little ones)
44. Travers, Pamela Lyndon  - Mary Poppins
45. Twain, Mark (Clemens, Samuel) - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (audio); Huckleberry Finn (audio), (video), The Prince and the Pauper, Tom Sawyer (audio), 
46. Verne, Jules - 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas (audio); Journey to the Center of the Earth (book) 
47. Wallace, Lewis - Ben Hur (book)
48. Warner, Gertrude Chandler  - The Boxcar Children (audio)
49. White, E. B. - Charlotte's Web; Stuart Little.
50. Wright, Harold Bell - The Shepherd of the Hills (book); 
51. Wyss, Johann David - Swiss Family Robinson  (audio), (book)

for girls

Beautiful Girlhood by Mabel Hale. 

1. Alcott, Louisa May  - Eight Cousins (audio); Jack and Jill (audio); Little Men (book); Little Women (audio), (book), (video);  Rose in Bloom (audio), (audio 2); Spinning Wheel Stories (audio)
2. Barnes, Emilie - Sharing a Cup of Kindness with Treasured Friends, The Spirit of Loveliness: Bringing Beauty, Creativity, and Order to Your Life; If Teacups Could Talk: 
3. Brink, Carol Ryrie  - Caddie Woodlawn; The Pink Motel
4. Brown, Ruth Alberta  - At the Little Brown House (book); The Lilac Lady
5. Buck, Pearl S. - The Good Earth.
6. Burnett, Frances Hodgson  - A Little Princess (audio), (book), (video);  Little Lord Fauntleroy (audio),  (book); The Secret Garden (audio), (book); The Shuttle (audio)
7. Childs, Laura =  Cackleberry Club; Scrapbook; Tea (adult cozy mystery series)
8. Finley, Martha - Elsie Dinsmore (book series); Elsie's Children (audio); 
9. Field, Rachel -- Hitty, Her First Hundred Years.
10. Frank, Anne - The Diary of a Young Girl (video)
11. Gates, Doris - The Blue Willow
12. God - The Holy Bible (book)
13. Hale, Mabel - Beautiful Girlhood (audio) 
14. Hill, Grace Livingston - (abt. 100 novels); The Enchanted Barn (audio); The Girl from Montana (audio)
15. Keene, Carolyn  - Dana (mystery series); Nancy Drew (mystery series)
16. Keller, Helen - The Story of My Life (book)
17. Landon, Margaret  - Anna and the King of Siam (video clip; The King and I); Never Dies the Dream
18. Lindgren, Astrid - Pippi Longstocking.
19. MacLachlan, Patricia  - Sarah, Plain and Tall (video)
20. Marshall, Catherine - Christy; Julie
21. Montgomery, Lucy Maud  - Anne of Avonlea (audio); Anne of Green Gables  (audio), (book); Anne's House of Dreams (audio);  Anne of the Island (audio); Emily of the New Moon; Further Chronicles of Avonlea (audio);  Jane of Lantern Hill; Rainbow Valley (audio); 
22. Norton, Mary  - The Borrowers (series)
23. Oke, Janette  - Love Comes Softly (series);
24. Page, Patti  - Once Upon a Dream; This is My Song: A Memoir. 
25. Perrault, Charles - Cinderella (book)
26. Porter, Eleanor H. - Pollyanna (audio), (video clip); Pollyanna Grows Up (audio), (book)
27. Porter, Gene Stratton - Freckles (book); Keeper of the Bees; Laddie (book), (video); The Girl of the Limberlost
28. Potter, Beatrix -  Great Big Treasury (audio);  The Tale of Peter Rabbit (book); Miss Potter (video)
29. Sewell, Anna - Black Beauty (audio), (book) 
30. Shaw, Bernard -Pygmalion (video) (My Fair Lady; Audrey Hepburn version is my favorite)
31. Sidney, Margaret  - Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (book) (video) 
32. Smith, Hannah Whitall -  The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life (audio)
33. Spyri, Johanna - Heidi  (audio), (book), (video)
34. ten Boom, Corrie - The Hiding Place; Tramp for the Lord. 
35. Tudor, Tasha - A Tale for Easter.
36. von Trapp, Maria - The Story of the Trapp Family Singers  (video); (movie: Sound of Music) (video clip)
37. Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith - Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. (book); Rose O' The River (audio)
38. Wilder, Laura Ingalls - Little House on the Prairie (series). 
39. Williams, Margary - The Velveteen Rabbit (audio)

MORE:

YouTube Audio Book Playlist. 

Avoid the Pitfalls of Sloppy Work

If you want your work as a family historian to be taken seriously, then avoid the pitfalls of Sloppy Work (F-) 

like the plague.

I know compiling your family tree is a work in progress, however, 

you must think logically and use some of those skills you learned in school! 

Everything you do in life, whether it is employment or a hobby, 

has its own protocol and vocabulary.

"through the rules we become conscious of wrongdoing." 

~ Romans 3:20.

To begin, gather your supplies. It is GOOD (A+) to have supplies and tools to work with. Go shopping if you must. Sign up for a library card at your local library or genealogy center and obtain copies of their pre-printed charts and forms or print your own! Purchase a file box for copies of printed records and photos. It's good to have access to a basic set of an encyclopedia. As you graduate from elementary research to intermediate and expert, you can add to your tool-bag as needed. 

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL =  Begin your genealogical education with a tutor or by reading everything you can lay your hands on about genealogy. Just like professional teachers take refresher courses from time to time, be sure to update your knowledge base from time to time as well. This includes watching videos.  For extra credit, join a genealogical society or attend a genealogical conference. If you don't know something, keep asking questions or google it until you get your answers. 

ARITHMETIC = It's good to use a timeline for each person's life - start with what you already know and begin with their birth-date, adding in each fact during their life-time, up until their death. Figure out their approximate age at each added date. Recording dates and calculating ages is a helpful tool for logically figuring out if that's your ancestor in an outside record. 

WRITING = It's good  to add dates and locations to all facts in each person's life-stream.

You get an A+ if you pair the names of the locations with their component part -- indicate whether it is a city, township, or county! [i.e.. Kansas City, Washington Township (Twp.), Jackson County (Co.), State of Missouri (MO.), United States of America (USA)]

It's good to add parentheses around a married woman's maiden name. [i.e. Gladys Esther (White) O'Neal]

Here's a tip = type in the source of your record when you scan your book page to upload to genealogy sites. Then you will never forget where you found it, because it will be meshed into your digital picture! 

SOCIAL STUDIES = It's good to add in additional national or regional historical event facts to their timeline that occurred during their life. I leave my ancestor's information in black and add in additional information in another color. 


It's good to remember in the New World what kind of roads (none to Indian trails) and transportation were available to our American ancestors - ships on oceans, walking, horses, boats on rivers, wagons, trains, horseless carriages, airplanes and rockets in that order. Twenty miles of travel by wagon was a good day! It took many months of twenty mile days to cross the North American continent from coast to coast. 

SCIENCE = Good traveling was mostly done between the late spring and early fall seasons. By fall, the grass had grown tall and the water sources would have been lower or dried up. 

There was safety in numbers for our pioneer ancestors. Migrating people groups had to contend with hostile natives, illnesses, lack of healthy food, clean water, thieves, and the terrain. Military forts, doctors, and trading posts were few and far between if they existed on the frontier.  It's good to find FAN's (friends, associates, and neighbors) of your relatives as their descendants may have additional information about them. 

READING = It's good to find at least three sources of data per date to prove your relative's parents, their name, birth, death and anything in between. Many of the "Documents of" type posts on this website shows the type of records I have collected and transcribed. The more I find, the better I will get to know my ancestors and their families. 

New information is good! And it is also good to remember to note that on your person's timeline at that moment! Otherwise you may forget!

SPELLING = It's good when you spell names correctly.  However, remember, that not all people spell well, so look for all possible variations when scouting for information.

It's good to know that your ancestor may have a name twin!  My husband has six in our Metro Area. Using your timeline (s), figure out if the newest record jives with what you already know about your person as far as their dates, locations, their age and so forth. If it doesn't line up, discard it or set it aside for the time being until you know more. I don't accept every leaf hint that shows up for my ancestor on Ancestry.com.  

And please, be mindful of your manners! (A +) 

Now GO And Have Fun! 

News!

4 Feb 2024 = Jeanette (Jeffries) Rush Pestock passed away. 

8 July 2023 = First time since Covid Lockdown, we had a Rush Reunion! Theme: Western. 

29 November 2022 = The compiler of the genealogy, The Rush Report (see below) passed away today. Our sympathy goes to Gaynelle Jenkins Stoddard Moore's (age 90) family. Legacy #38289024 and Findagrave #255427023

18 May 2022 = George Allen Robertson passed away. He was 84 years old. 

15 Feb 2022 = Vera Loree (O'Neal) Lane passed away. She was 82 years old. 

18 Dec 2021 = Robert "Bob or Robo" Lawrence Lane passed away. He was 80 years old. 

8 Apr 2021 = Dorthy Mack, genealogist for the Boone Society passed away. She stopped here after a Boone Reunion in 2016 and we took her out to eat. Here's a photo of the two of us together. 

27 Apr 2020 = Miss Lily Dog, abt. 10 yrs, passed away during our coronavirus lockdown. 

Oct to Dec 2019: CONTRIBUTED TO: Generations, a Journal of  M.A.G.I.C. (Midwest Afro-American Genealogical Interest Coalition).

26 Oct 2019: NORMAN W. RUSH, 87, passed away.

2 Oct 2019: BARBARA CHASE PURTELL, 88, passed away. 

30 Sep 2019: PINKIE ANN (BIAS) CARRENDER, 78, passed away.

13 Jul 2019: RUSH REUNION. 

14 Jul 2018: RUSH REUNION. 

4 Apr 2018: ROSCOE W. RUSH, 92, Mary's Home. Died.

 7 Oct 2017: HISTORICAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH MARKER DEDICATION. New Santa Fe, Mo. (present day Kansas City, MO). This was my contribution to the event - a coloring sheet of the historic New Santa Fe, MO. Christian Church. 

8 Jul 2017: RUSH REUNION. 


Jan-Mar 2017. CONTRIBUTED TO: Generations, a Journal of  M.A.G.I.C. (Midwest Afro-American Genealogical Interest Coalition).

9 Jul 2016: RUSH REUNION. 

8 Nov 2015: SOLD OUT! Gaynelle Jenkins Moore compiled and published several books of her family history and its allied lines. The 2003 "Rush Report," is one such book and it is of the descendants of William and Henson Rush, along with the allied families of Bittle, Farley, Johnston, Loveall, Mertell, McAlister, Spalding, Williams and Winters. It covers 3433 descendants and 15 generations on 530 (8 ½" x 11") pages. It has over 200 photos with an index and comb binding.

Previous books were "The Spalding Report," "The Jenkins Family @1998," and "Eugene, Missouri: The Town that Lived (and Died) with the Railroad." Her newest book is "The Loveall Report" published in 2010. Each of her books were published in limited editions. For a hard  copy, check out the Miller County, MO. Historical Museum's archives in Tuscumbia, MO. or the Mid-West Genealogy Center, Independence, MO. 

19 Sep 2015: CONCERT. Border Ballads by Hank Roberts and Tom Raffiner. 


11 Jul 2015: RUSH REUNION. FREE Fan Template


29 Jun 2015: BIRTHDAY.

19 May 2015: PRESENTED PROGRAM. My husband and I traveled to Lincoln, IL to give a presentation about my 3rd great-grandparents, Eld. Martin and Kiturah (Fletcher) White. Martin was Logan County, IL's very first elected representative in the Illinois State Legislature. This was the write-up in the paper advertising my very first program. 

19 Oct 2014: CEMETERY PHOTO DAY.


 29 Sep 2014: MELBA K. RUSH, 78, Bonner Springs. Passed. 


14 Sep 2014: GENE E. RUSH, 80, Kansas City, Kansas, died. 


12 Jul 2014: RUSH REUNION. 

22 Mar 2014 = ORDER NO. 11 MARKER DEDICATION. I represented the third of the families who returned to Bates County, MO after the Civil War.

Spring 2014: TRANSCRIPTION CONTRIBUTION. I extracted information from cookbooks, old magazines, and vintage valentines for the Missouri State Genealogy Association Journal (MOSGA). One was a series of articles called "Missouri Contributors to National Women's Magazines."

5 Dec 2013: LORETTA A. SCHOLTZ, 90, Kansas City, Kansas, passed away

8 Oct 2013: PHYLLIS A. RUSH = July 6, 1948-October 8, 2013.


13 Jul 2013: RUSH REUNION. Another Poem

25 Jun 2013: PEGGY SMITH HAKE, 77, of Independence, formerly of Miller County, MO, passed away. Kinship -- Mrs. Hake was David's fourth cousin through the LOVEALLS.

14 Dec 2012: WILLIAM E. RUSH (1919-2012) passed away. 


 2 Aug 2012: ARCHIE TRUEMAN RUSH, Jr. passed away. 


14 Jul 2012: RUSH REUNION Poem and Recap Article


26 Jan 2012: GOLDIE (WINTERS) HOOPER HARRISON passed away. 

11 Nov 2011:  WEDDING: Eldon Church of the Nazarene, Miller County, MO. Pastor Jerry FRYE officiated at not only the bride and groom's wedding, but also the bride's mother and father’s wedding and it was like a reunion of the RUSH and CARRENDER families with three hundred guests, at least! 

11 Nov 2011: VETERAN TOMBSTONES: Two new tombstones have been ordered and delivered from the government for family Civil War veterans - Rev. Alexander SULLENS, Spring Garden cemetery and Isham GORDON, Eugene cemetery. Both will be set later this week. 

16 Jul 2011: STATE FAIR. One of the highlights of country life is exhibiting or working in county or state fairs. While listening in to several conversations going on around me at the reunion, I heard rumors that there might be exhibitors at one of the upcoming county fairs? Great show and tell for all the kid’s hard work this past year in 4-H, Future Farmers of America or in scouting.
I know that several family members have worked at or exhibited at our state fair in Sedalia, Missouri in the past. If you have won a ribbon, congratulations! Please make a note of it in the comments below and tell what you won the ribbon for so all of us can congratulate you also!

9 Jul 2011: RUSH REUNION. Great success! It looked as though we had some newly built picnic tables with stained wood at the shelter, so that was a welcome sight! Sunday morning we attended church at Eldon Church of the Nazarene. I saw quite a few of the Rush family there! Very good sermon on family! Isn’t it amazing how timely God is?

30 Jul 2010: LARRY "KELAN" SPALDING, Age 74, passed away Friday, 30 Jul 2010, in Springfield, MO.

10 Jul 2010: RUSH REUNION. The day dawned beautifully; not too warm with a nice breeze under the picnic shelter at the Eldon Air Park. I heard that Friday's pool party had a good turn-out, but we missed several at the potluck on Saturday. You know one can't beat a picnic to the park with good company and making memories with the kids and grandparents. 

19 Jun 2010: NEW TOMBSTONES. Last year, just before the annual Rush Reunion, two new tombstones were placed on the graves of brothers, James M. "Kain Tuck" Rush and John William Rush, who fought in the Civil War together in the Rush Chapel Cemetery. The Rush family collected enough money last year to replace ten gravestones that were badly deteriorated. They were replaced with new ones by the Kidwell Monument Company, Versailles, MO. in May.

6 Jun 2010: VIANNA LOUISE (FARLEY) STEEN, 72, of Independence, Missouri, passed away. 

Spring/Summer 2008: TRANSCRIPTION. "The Pioneer Wagon" Journal of the Jackson County, MO. Genealogical Society.

Compiled by Dolores J. Rush, Updated: 5/25/2022