I, too, liked the American Folk Tales as a kid, my favorite being Pecos Bill, but as a young kid, my absolute favorite book was Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary.
I loved the idea that all a mouse had to do to get a toy motorcycle to run was to get on it and say, "Putt-putt-putt...".
Can't tell you how many times I read that. (it was around that time I found a little field mouse and tried to befriend him and make him ride my toy motorcycle like Ralph. he bit me and I slung him across the yard like a dumbass)
As I got older, I moved on to The Three Investigators series of mysteries. I wanted to live next to a salvage yard like Jupiter Jones and have a secret headquarters in the junk pile.
Never happened of course, but I still like to wander around junk yards.
Btw, I didn't realize till I was older that their mentor in the stories was real life director Alfred Hitchcock. Duh!
