LaughingCat Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 What good books are episodic? Where each chapter has a mostly stand alone story? Hardly any are coming to mind: Mrs. Piggle Wiggle I know Pooh From the other thread? Melendy Qartet by Elizabeth Enright The Moffats by Eleanor Estes All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 The Little House books tend to be somewhat episodic, at least the early ones. The Great Brain books, to an extent Understood Betsy is episodic. Five Children and It is largely episodic, I had no problem simply cutting out an entire chapter when I read it to the girls (the one with the seriously racist Indians. I don't blame Nesbit, but I had no interest in reading it aloud). I have a general feeling that this style was more popular in the past than it is today, certainly it's a common complaint for these books on Amazon, that there's "no plot", just a "string of anecdotes". So if that's what you like, you might look into older children's literature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 The Milly Molly Mandy book we have is like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 I'm trying to remember the title. It has a chapter about a donut making machine that wouldn't stop making donuts. Henry Huggins? Is that right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Grandmother's Attic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Off the top of my head... The Jamie and Angus Stories and all the sequels (they're aimed toward really young listeners or readers) The Daydreamer by Ian McEwan (yes, it's a children's book) Homer Price the early Ramona books and Henry Huggins (the later ones are less episodic IMO) The Great Brain series I'll think some more... There's a few I'm thinking of that are on the edge of my tongue so to speak... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 I'm trying to remember the title. It has a chapter about a donut making machine that wouldn't stop making donuts. It's Homer Price (not Henry Huggins). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 I thought of three more... Soup A Long Way from Chicago (and A Year Down Yonder, though it's slightly less episodic) Sideways Stories from Wayside School (and the others in the series) ETA: Most of Edward Eager's books feel that way. Half Magic is divided up by wishes, for example, though Knight's Castle feels more like a complete story... Toys Go Out (for younger listeners and readers) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbotoast Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Any book of fairy tales or Aesop's Fables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Paddington books (and sequels) Pippi Longstocking (and sequels) Family from One End Street by Eve Garnett Wind in the Willows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 The Mary Poppins books are episodic, and, I believe, so are the Dr. Doolittle ones. This thread is reinforcing my general perception that that style was way more popular a few generations ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Speaking of Mary Poppins, what about Nurse Matilda? I think it is. ...Some of these things are probably episodic because they were serialized, in newspapers, like Sherlock Holmes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Just So Stories Blue Fairy Book James Herriot's Treasury for Children Parables from Nature Tales from Shakespeare or Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare Guess I'm just in an AO frame of mind, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 It's Homer Price (not Henry Huggins). Doh (ha!) - I knew it started with an H! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Horrid Henry, Teddy Robinson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest esmefuzh Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 The Little House books tend to be somewhat episodic, at least the early ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 I guess I wasn't thinking of things like fairy tales or Shakespeare stories as episodic. They don't have the same characters or setting from story to story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rochenan Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Uncle Wiggley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Five Children and It is largely episodic, I had no problem simply cutting out an entire chapter when I read it to the girls (the one with the seriously racist Indians. I totally agree with you. The Treasure Seekers uses the n-word as a color descriptor, by the way. Anyway I think most / all of her books are episodic. Apparently she wrote them for publication in The Strand. Bedknob and Broomstick by Mary Norton Also the Moomintroll books by Tove Jansson. Joan Aiken's Wolves of Willoughby Chase (which has sequels) Jane Langton's The Diamond in the Window (it is part of a series) Philippa Pearce's Tom’s Midnight Garden Barbara Sleigh’s Carbonel series Pinocchio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbotoast Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 I guess I wasn't thinking of things like fairy tales or Shakespeare stories as episodic. They don't have the same characters or setting from story to story. Yeah, I guess those would be collections. I'll admit I was thinking of books that can be read aloud, forgotten about, and read again without a problem. That seems to be our style at the moment :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Another by Aiken: the Arabel books And Hale's The Peterkin papers Raggedy Anne series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Ooh, all the Arabel books are delightful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 What a great thread! I love reading episodic books aloud, mostly because then I don't have to try too hard to remember what happened last. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaughingCat Posted August 29, 2014 Author Share Posted August 29, 2014 Just realized our current read aloud,The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, is mostly episodic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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