Summer Reading List
A comment from our amis at chez Briscoe on our most recent entry put us in mind of a contest that was played out on our host Jd’s website back in 2003: a list of the first lines from famous literary works appeared at foldedspace, sans author or title, and Jd queried, “How many can you name?” The scramble ensued, with the assistance of memory, nearby friends, and the public library (As I recall visits to Amazon and Google were not encouraged).
In the spirit of that brilliant contest, we at Toads offer you:
Famous First Lines from Children’s and Young Adult Literature
1) “Where’s Papa going with that ax?” said Fern to her mother as were setting the table for breakfast.
2) On rocky islands gulls woke.
3) From the pleasant village of Mayenfeld a path leads through green fields, richly covered with trees, to the foot of the mountain, which from this side overhangs the valley with grave and solemn aspect.
4) All children, except one, grow up.
5) Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, “and what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversations?”
6) Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin.
7) The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another his mother called him “Wild Thing!”
8) If you want to find Cherry-Tree Lane all you have to do is ask the policeman at the crossroads.
9) Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest.
10) I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.
11) Lyra and her dæmon moved through the darkening hall.
12) In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.
13) It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind.
14) It’s a funny thing about mothers and fathers.
15) The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little house.
16) It was seven o’ clock of a very warm evening in the Seeonee hills when Father Wolf woke up from his day’s rest, scratched himself, yawned, and spread out his paws one after the other to get rid of the sleepy feeling in the tips.
17) Claudia knew that she could never pull off the old-fashioned kind of running away.
18) Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.
19) Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tide-water dog, strong of muscle and with warm, long hair, from Puget Sound to San Diego.
20) Big A little a What begins with A?
21) It was difficult to think of a time when Betsy and Tacy had not been friends.
22) Once upon a time there were three children, and their names were Carey, Charles, and Paul.
23) Ramona Quimby hoped her parents would forget to give her a little talking-to.
24) Once upon a time, sixty years ago, a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs.
25) “Tom!” No answer.
26) Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies’ eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place.
27) Ba-room, ba-room, ba-room, baripity, baripity, baripity, baripity – Good.
28) There is no lake at Camp Green Lake.
29) Andrew Marcus wanted freckles.
30) It was a quiet morning, the town covered over with darkness and at ease in bed.
Comments
Well. I can name over half, but I don't have time to check into the rest. What's the etiquette? Should I post my guesses as I know them, send them separately by e-mail, or leave it to some other ambitious soul?
Posted by: Lisa | June 8, 2006 5:30 PM
Post your guesses, indeed!
Perhaps there'll be a prize for whoever correctly names the most - first come, first served, of course.
Posted by: Us | June 8, 2006 9:06 PM
I can only name 11 without looking them up, so I know I am losing to Lisa. Curses on both of you (I am exempting Adelaide because I don't think she knows how to type yet, and so probably did not post the last entry) for putting up something so much fun when I have to spend my days reading First Aid for the U-Smelly exam! I am tempted to reschedule, go take the darn thing tomorrow, and then hole up in in the children's section of the (air conditioned, no less) Davis public library...
Posted by: Clotilde | June 8, 2006 9:35 PM
OK. This is all I can come up with from memory...
1) “Where’s Papa going with that ax?” said Fern to her mother as were setting the table for breakfast.
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
2) On rocky islands gulls woke.
3) From the pleasant village of Mayenfeld a path leads through green fields, richly covered with trees, to the foot of the mountain, which from this side overhangs the valley with grave and solemn aspect.
4) All children, except one, grow up.
Peter Pan by J.M. Barry
5) Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, “and what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversations?”
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
6) Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin.
Winnie the Pooh (how many people know that his real name is Edward?) by A.A. Cummings
7) The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another his mother called him “Wild Thing!”
Where the Wild Things Are (I'm loving this one right now) by Sendak
8) If you want to find Cherry-Tree Lane all you have to do is ask the policeman at the crossroads.
Mary Poppins by Mary Travers
9) Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest.
10) I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (who also wrote 101 Dalmations, for those who aren't familiar)
11) Lyra and her dæmon moved through the darkening hall.
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
12) In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.
Madeline. Just read it. Really... About five minutes ago. by Can't spell his name B... something--that's enough to find it on the library shelves.
13) It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind.
Oh, which one? The latest, I think. HP and the Half Blood Prince. J.K. "I'm so rich" Rowling, of course.
14) It’s a funny thing about mothers and fathers.
15) The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little house.
the Wind in the Willows by Graham
16) It was seven o’ clock of a very warm evening in the Seeonee hills when Father Wolf woke up from his day’s rest, scratched himself, yawned, and spread out his paws one after the other to get rid of the sleepy feeling in the tips.
17) Claudia knew that she could never pull off the old-fashioned kind of running away.
18) Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
19) Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tide-water dog, strong of muscle and with warm, long hair, from Puget Sound to San Diego.
20) Big A little a What begins with A?
Ah, Dr. Seuss, will you ever leave my mind again?
21) It was difficult to think of a time when Betsy and Tacy had not been friends.
I read this series for the first time about five years ago. Strange to think that I missed in in my childhood.
22) Once upon a time there were three children, and their names were Carey, Charles, and Paul.
23) Ramona Quimby hoped her parents would forget to give her a little talking-to.
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary. I have a friend who lives one block away from Klickitat Street, and I always think of Ramona when I drive over there.
24) Once upon a time, sixty years ago, a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs.
LHITBW (I never did get around to pouring syrup on snow as a treat, though I wanted to try.) by Laura Ingles Wilder
25) “Tom!” No answer.
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
26) Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies’ eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place.
Ah, Anne of Green Gables. Yes, with an "e." by L.M. Montgomery
27) Ba-room, ba-room, ba-room, baripity, baripity, baripity, baripity – Good.
28) There is no lake at Camp Green Lake.
Holes? by Louis Sacher?
29) Andrew Marcus wanted freckles.
30) It was a quiet morning, the town covered over with darkness and at ease in bed.
Just a comment. Notice how many of these authors use their first two initials...
Posted by: Lisa | June 8, 2006 11:46 PM
Good work Lisa (though there's plenty there for someone else to contribute! And, I believe, that one of Lisa's is [slightly] incorrect.).
We were just wondering about the first two initial phenomenon yesterday. None of my theories seem to pan out.
Posted by: Joel | June 9, 2006 8:07 AM
13) It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind.
I think this was #4 - Goblet of Fire?
17) Claudia knew that she could never pull off the old-fashioned kind of running away.
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs E Basil Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg (another initialled author!)
19) Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tide-water dog, strong of muscle and with warm, long hair, from Puget Sound to San Diego.
Call of the Wild by Jack London
21) It was difficult to think of a time when Betsy and Tacy had not been friends.
I read this series for the first time about five years ago. Strange to think that I missed in in my childhood.
Voodo Queen of Mississippi...something like that?
Those are the only others I can add.
Posted by: Lynn | June 9, 2006 11:42 AM
29) Freckle Juice by Judy Bloom.
Posted by: Andy | June 10, 2006 4:44 PM
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Posted by: Uchy | October 10, 2006 8:10 AM
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Posted by: Uchy | October 10, 2006 8:11 AM
Pioneering screenwriter Nigel Kneale, best known for the Quatermass TV serials and films, dies aged 84...
Posted by: Cordell Villareal | November 23, 2006 8:30 AM