Where did it begin?

[metalikhan]

We all start somewhere. I was contemplating what books I read as a kid (pre-teen reading, you understand) captured my imagination and inspired the desire to create stories.

The Pokey Little Puppy
Ponies
Several books of mythology, folk and fairy tales, most lavishly illustrated
Marguerite Henry's horse books, especially King of the Wind; also loved Shamrock Queen (about an Irish setter)
Heads Up by Patsy Gray
Black Beauty
Beautiful Joe
Nancy Drew mysteries (the old ones)
Champion Dog Prince Tom
The Littlest Witch
Old Yeller
Two that I can't remember the titles of but they involved Mary Poppins-type babysitters — one was named Mr. Pudgins and the other was Miss Pickett.
Thomasina, Manxmouse bothe by Paull Gallico, I think
Horses, Horses, Horses — a collection of short stories, can't quite recall what they were about but I loved the illustrations.
Island of the Blue Dolphins
The White Stag
Jack and Jill magazines

These were the ones that came to mind quickly. There were more but they would need deeper excavation in my memory. Some of my list may not look familiar — I've probably had a two or three decade advantage on most of you all.

But I'm curious -- what kid's books kick-started your love of fiction?

[Christian Soldier]

Oddly enough, I read Island of the Blue Dolphins as well.
The hundreds of Goosebumps books
...
That's all I've really read as far as young adult/youth books. Everything else was Asimov, Niven, Eddings, and so on.

[morganlbusse]

Mmm, memories ;P

Your list sounds a lot like mine Metalikhan.
Nancy Drew
Any kind of horse story
Sherlock Holmes
Lord of the Rings (I think I first read this in Jr High)
My mother began reading Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe to me and my siblings when we were kids and I loved the story so much the next day I found where she had put the book and finished it that day ;P

I was never one of those people who knew she was going to be a writer at age 6 (I actually did not think about writing until age 25!) but I do remember writing plays for my brother and sisters and I to perform for my family. Ah, those younger carefree days...

[waldenwriter]

Oh heavens, I think I read a whole ton of books as a kid (over 100 just in the summer between sixth and seventh grade, when I was writing down the books I read and you got a prize for every ten books you read), and I'm not sure which one inspired me to write my own stories.

My mother read the Narnia books to my brother and I when we were kids. That was definitely an influence.

Other than that, here's some:

~The Boxcar Children series
~The Baby-Sitters Club series
~Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (still a favorite of mine to this day)
~Island of the Blue Dolphins (read it for school)
~Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo (a very interesting but semi-scary book; it was recently reprinted so I was able to get it again, as I'd lost my old copy).
~Anne of Green Gables series
~The Secret Garden
~Harriet the Spy

That's all I can think of; it's hard to remember too because I donated over 70 books a few months ago to the Accio Books drive put on by the Harry Potter Alliance, including books I held dear.

[veritasseeker90]

Oh gracious...I don't even remember. Any horse book, Lord of the Rings, but that was later on. Wow, I can't remember.

Oh here's one Call of the Wild I LOVED that book with a passion. Animorphs, anyone? *blushes*