My
maternal grandparents lived in Dallas, Texas.
Often I visited them during the summer.
Grannie took me to the public library, where she let me check out books
with her library card. I checked out The Boxcar Children every time! As I considered which children’s books to
review this month, I thought it would be fun to revisit this old favorite of
mine. When I looked it up, I made quite
a discovery. It has been beloved by
numerous children – so beloved that it’s only the first in a series! I wish I had known this back in the day.
The Boxcar Children
must have been one of the first chapter books I read. Actually, I didn’t even know the term
“chapter book” until just a few years ago when my nieces got old enough to read
them. I have bought them a number of
books since they were babies. I think I
just happened to get them a chapter book that I thought they would enjoy, and
my sister gave the parental seal of approval, saying that they had recently reached
this reading milestone. I don’t remember
making the exact transition myself from storybooks to chapter books, buts it’s
exciting when children become more advanced readers.
The Boxcar Children
tells the story of four young siblings named Henry, Jessie, Violet, and
Benny. They are orphaned and come to live
on their own in an abandoned boxcar.
Resourceful and kind, they do an impressive job of taking care of themselves. I still remember their visit to the dump,
where they find such items as cracked yet still serviceable dishes. Eventually, the four children are taken in by
their grandfather, whom they previously – and erroneously – believed to be a
cruel man. Their grandfather even moves
the boxcar to their new home together so the children can use it as a
playhouse.
Maybe The Boxcar Children inspired my own
childhood play. I often pretended that I
had to live on my own (or just with my playmates) in the woods or on an
island. It gave me a healthy desire to
be independent and self sufficient, something that ought to be encouraged in
every child. Fortunately, I always had a
safe and loving home to come back to when playtime was over. If only every child could say the same thing.
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