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As someone who loves writing I guess it's a given that I should be obsessed with reading as well. I love books. I have a bookshelves filled with them. Books occupy most of my evenings. When I pass a bookstore I am inexplicably drawn in.
Some of my most favourite books would have to be the stories directed at children. They usually have an important message, a make-believe storyline, a happy ending. These are the reasons I love them so much. These are the reasons why I tend to regularly pilfer books from my children's bookshelves; so I can abandon myself in the fantastical, the whimsical, the extraordinary
One of my earliest forays into reading a full length book was when I was around seven or eight years of age and I settled myself down with my Mother's dog eared and much loved version of Charlotte's Web. I adored this story. I still do. I have re-read it countless times over the past twenty-five years. I've read it to my stepson and my daughter. They loved it too.
What's not to adore? A talking pig. A talented and loyal spider. Animals who have personalities. A message of friendship, life and death. There is joy and sadness. And an ending that has me- as a grown woman with four children- sobbing my little heart out. It elicits the same emotions in me now that it did when I was a little girl.
'It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.'
Quote from Charlotte's Web.
And that is reason in itself for me to keep on reading and to keep on sharing this wonderful story.
What stories did you adore as a child? Do you still read them now?
It's funny Lene. I was just thinking about this the other day when my daughter got out a whole lot of books from the library without pictures. She only realised when she got home and was disappointed. I told her there's so many things we read as grown ups that don't have pictures. I started thinking about that moment when I was a child that I didn't have a picture book but relied on my imagination to conjure up the characters. I guess I wasn't much older than my now 6 year old daughter but my earliest memories are of Enid Blyton stories, Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House..." series and Beatrix Potter stories. It's a great moment when you get to that point in your life. Love Charlotte's Web too. My daughter was crying her eyes out at the movie.
ReplyDeleteAnne xx
Girl child went to the book fair at school today. She came home with books about fairies, a baby-sitters club book and some fantasy type books. She loves reading but not the stuff I read as a kid.
ReplyDeleteShe's not really interested in Enid Blyton at all. :(
Catching up on blog posts today :) bit behind arent I???
ReplyDeleteI loved enid blyton (particularly the enchanted wood series) and will sill re-read them now (my DD is not quite old enough!) I also love Harry Potter (reading them again now) Paddington Bear, Dr seuss, Roald Dahl, I love reading to my daughter!