Mr. Putter and Tabby Series, by Cynthia Rylant  (Author), Arthur Howard (Illustrator) - this series of children's books includes titles such Mr. Putty & Tabby: Bake the Cake, Fly the Plane, Pick the Pears, Pour the Tea, Row the Boat, Take the Train, Toot the Horn, Walk the Dog, Stir the Soup, Make a Wish, Catch the Cold, Feed the Fish, Paint the Porch. The stories are about an older man, Mr. Putter (widowed, I’m guessing) and his tabby cat. They live next door to an older woman, Mrs. Teaberry, and her bulldog, Zeke.

I love these stories because they are about the lives of two friends and the creative things they do to add excitement to the simple lives they love and enjoy. The stories and the illustrations are some of my very favorite, and favorites of my grandkids.

Ralph Moody Series, by Ralph Moody – This series include the following titles: Little Britches, Man of the Family, Home Ranch, Mary Emma & Company, Fields of Home, Shaking the Nickel Bush, Dry Divide, Horse of a Different Color.

Over the years I've developed my own small library of books that I keep for reference or pleasure reading. This is one of my favorite pleasure reading sets. It is a set of stories about growing up in the early part of the nineteen hundreds when this country was barely over a hundred years old. It is a story of a young man’s life from boyhood to a young man, his successes and failures, hardships and pleasures, and all the relationships along the way.  

Grandma Dowdel and other Richard Peck Stories - I love the story lines, characters, and humor in these books. Grandma Dowdel is a treasure of wit and wisdom, with a rough, country exterior and an oldfashion idea of justice. I laugh everytime I read them.  
A Long Way from Chicago - by Richard Peck
A Year Down Yonder – by Richard Peck (Author), Steve Cieslawski (Illustrator)
A Season of Gifts – by Richard Peck (Author)
Fair Weather - by Richard Peck (Author)

Ben Green Books

Ben King "Doc" Green, (1912-1974) was a writer from Texas.

I once met Elmer Kelton, a western fiction writer, who claimed to know Ben Green. He said there was not any real proof that Ben Green was a real veterinarian. Regardless of that, his stories sounded believable to me. Being from West Texas myself, I am willing to forgive any stretch of his qualifications in return for a good story.

I was first acquainted with Green’s book The Village Horse Doctor West of The Pecos while attending Texas A&M. I was immediately hooked on his Texas humor and his story telling ability. It has been said that he wrote like he talked. Having grown up in the southwest part of the United States, I was very familiar with his speech and story telling style, and the locations of his stories. It seems the books have become much more popular over the last couple decades, but that may just be an appearance. His books include Horse Tradin', Some More Horse Tradin', The Village Horse Doctor West of the Pecos, Wild Cow Tales, A Thousand Miles of Mustangin', Horse Tales, and a few others.

Horatio Hornblower series, by C. S. Forester.
I remember a time when work was particularly stressful. One of the series I started reading was the Horatio Hornblower series. I started this series because of the movie Captain Horatio Hornblower with Gregory Peck, one of my favorite actors, and of course Virginia Mayo. Some of the books included: The Happy Return, A Ship of the Line, Flying Colours, Hornblower and His Majesty, Hornblower and the Hand of Destiny, Hornblower's Charitable Offering, and about a dozen more. I even got so interested that I purchased a map to go with the books. I eventually gave them away because I had no more room on my bookshelf; I wish I had kept them.

Bob Artley Books
I love these for their illustrations and history. There are several books that show and tell about life on the farm in the early 1900s and during the great depression. It is hard to believe that some people have good memories of those times. Family life can be a special blessing no matter what difficulties life brings.
A Country School
Once Upon A Farm
Christmas On Thr Farm
Country Christmas