Does anyone else remember a book called "No Flying In the House?"
I was crazy about that one as a kid. I got it through Scholastic Books, I think.
Also the 14 original Oz books by Baum. Every damn one of 'em. I now own the Books Of Wonder series hardback editions of all of them (replicas of the original first editions). Such amazing stories and illustrations.
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland (both books)... which was DEEPLY disturbing to me. Still is.
The Mary Poppins books (four of 'em). Also, Phantom Tollbooth.
And... The Exorcist. Swear to God. My parents told me I could go see the movie (I was nine at the time)... IF I read the whole book first and decided I still wanted to see it after that.
(Okay, understand that my parents were both actors. I had been acting myself since 5 years old, so I "got" that the film was make-believe, the blood was fake, the effects were fake, etc.) And I was a bit warped myself.
I read the whole book in a bout three days... and it scared the crap out of me. I insisted that my dad take me to the movie after that. A bet's a bet, right? He was more freaked out than I was, because at least I knew what was coming next in the story. It was such a huge impact on me as a child, and it's funny how I consider that a children's book because that's when I first read it. Perception is everything.
(I also consider Sgt. Pepper's by the Beatles a "children's album" because those songs are as ingrained in me as much as any Disney ditty ever was.)
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22