Sometimes a story sticks with you forever.
I wonder if you, the person who has come across this blog, was an avid reader as a child?
I was. I've read something every day for as long as I can remember. One of the members of my critique group started reading regularly when he was 32. He's easily caught up to me in reading amount, but the curious thing is the difference in our list of favorite books. His are filled with stunning classics and revolutionary ideas, a rather balanced act of fiction and non-fiction. Mine, on the other hand, is heavily skewed towards the books that, for one reason or another, hit me hardest as a little kid.
How much does our list of favorites influence what we continue on to read as adults?
I did a quick think-back on the books that I remember most vividly reading. Here's the first three that came up. No wonder I'm still obsessed with magical dogs. I recommend you check these out from your library and then read them out loud. Doesn't matter if anyone is around to hear. The wind will carry the words and spread the wonder naturally.
Dr. Merlin's Magic Shop | by Scott Corbett and Joe Mathieu
Dog. Magic. Bravery. Mystery. This book has everything tiny me was interested in. And the illustrations were even more incredible than the text. I poured over these pages, convinced books were the best thing EVER.
Big Red | by Jim Kjelgaard and Carl Pfeuffer
I dreamed (and dreamed and dreamed) of having a dog like Big Red when I was little. It wasn't until I went to college that my lifelong dream came true. Like Danny and Big Red, I knew the moment I laid eyes on my Harvey, he was the dog for me. RIP my courageous, noble, and oh so loyal best friend.
Where the Red Fern Grows | by Wilson Rawls
This is the book wherein I discovered you can both hate and love reading at the same time. I would pick this book up when I was feeling upset. By the end of the story, after a good cry, and after being immersed in a world I didn't know much about (wilderness survival and hunting and Cherokee country), I would somehow have also traveled to a different place, a more peaceful place inside myself. It was part of growing up.
Next week I'm going to write about my number one, all-time favorite book. I first read it when I was six, but it is not a picture book, nor a chapter book. Tune in next week if you want to find out the what, why and how you can read this marvelous book, too. (No, I didn't write it, nor am I related to the author.)
Thanks for sticking around. Share your favorites in the comments if you have the hankering!