The Boxcar Children

September 1, 2002
Children's NOTES Boxcar Children Redux Two titles mark a landmark anniversary of a classic series. The first, The Boxcar Children 60th Anniversary Edition by Gertrude Chandler Warner, illus. by L. Kate Deal, contains the original text, with an introduction by Barbara Elleman, as well as a brief biography of the author, b&w photos and "An Open Letter to Children Who Ask How I Happened to Write The Boxcar Children," all contained in a handsomely designed volume.

candyexpress - While many children have childhoods built upon the foundation of their favorite movies and cartoons, favorite games and amusement parks, etc, mine was built on books. Picture books, pop-up books, chapter books. Books, in general, were my obsession, and more specifically, the Boxcar Children. Genuinely, this was one of my favorites as a child. The idea that these brave orphans had just each other to guide themselves through life was an entirely captivating and revolutionary idea from my seven-year-old perspective. Living in an abandoned boxcar was a very creative and interesting idea that I find incredibly different even at my age looking back. The orphans were all beautifully created and their personalities define each of them as great people with their unique flaws and beauties. As the Boxcar Children was a series, there was a different plot in each book, but each was just as good as the previous with brilliant plotlines that had younger me entertained for the entire book and even hours after, still processing the information. A highly recommended series from current me recalling all the past memories and from younger me still fangirling internally.