Mary A. Brazelton

Before you crack open that “Justice” book or tackle the next chapter of your organic chemistry textbook in preparation for finals, take some time to remember the days when reading was actually fun with these classic—but alas, now obscure and underappreciated—childrens’ illustrated series.

1. Hergé, “The Adventures of Tintin”: This classic, early twentieth-century cartoon series tells the stories of globetrotting Belgian investigative reporter Tintin and his loyal dog Snowy. The beauty of the books lies in their genuinely thrilling plots. I’d bet that more things happened during one installment of “The Adventures of Tintin” than in the past two years of contemporary American fiction.

2. Rosemary Wells, “Max and Ruby”: Who could resist these tales of the bumbling bunny Max and his bossy, eternally frustrated older sister Ruby? My favorite will always remain “Max’s Birthday,” in which the easily frightened Max runs away from his own birthday presents.

3. Peggy Parish, “Amelia Bedelia”: This series was the funny, smart predecessor to “Mary Poppins” and “The Nanny.” The books follow the woes of Amelia, maid for the wealthy Rogers family, who always interprets her employers’ instructions far too literally and risks her job in the ensuing chaos. Luckily, Amelia’s superb cooking skills somehow always save the day. Moral of the story: when your professional skills fail, ladies, get your apron-wearing self back to the kitchen, where you belong.

4. Robert Kraus and Jose Aruego, “Leo the Late Bloomer”: Although not a series, this one still counts because it’s just so darn cute. The social isolation that endearingly cute tiger cub and proverbial ugly duckling Leo faces as the runt of his litter should give hope to every Harvard student who’s ever had an “awkward balloon!” moment.

5. Joan Aiken and Quentin Blake, “Arabel’s Raven”: The stories of lonely English schoolgirl Arabel and her pet raven, Mortimer—who solves mysteries and incites mass upheaval in Arabel’s household while continually croaking, “Nevermore!”—resemble Roald Dahl’s “Matilda” but are about five thousand times better, thanks to their wry tone and clever literary allusions.

—Mary A. Brazelton ’08 is the outgoing Arts Monday editor. She baked several pies to land her position.