Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Writing With Crayons
As a child, I had a veracious appetite for reading. I always had my nose in a book. As I look back at my favorite books during my childhood, I find that in one way or another they influenced me. As I matured and discovered new and interesting books, I still found myself savoring the characters I found long ago.
The first favorite book I can remember is The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. This book inspired me emotionally. I wanted the boy to love the rabbit so he could be real. For me the story signified acceptance, at a time in my life when acceptance was very important. I cheered at the end of the book when the fairy made the bunny real. Because the rabbit loved the boy, and believed he could be real, he achieved his dream. As a child, it made me believe that love could really get you somewhere. Even as an adult this book still inspires me not only as an individual, but also as a writer.
My second favorite was a series of books by Astrid Lindgren about a character named Pippi Longstocking. At nine years of age, I wanted to be Pippi. I wanted to live with a monkey, and go on a different adventure everyday. Who couldn’t love a character who named herself Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Ephraimsdaughter Longstocking? Pippi taught me courage, and to respect others but most important- to laugh at myself.
A brilliant man named Shel Silverstein authored my third favorite book. The book is Where the Sidewalk Ends. Mr. Silverstein’s poems made me giggle, and every little girl would rather giggle as to eat. I can remember even as a teenager pulling out this book and reading the poems just to smile. When I moved out of my parent’s home, I left the book behind. I remember wanting to read it years later. My dad and I spent an hour in the attic looking until we found my treasured book. I now share the poems with my nine-year-old son, and he loves them as much as I do. I thought I would share my favorite Shel poem.
Boa Constrictor
Oh, I'm being eaten
By a boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor,
And I don't like it--one bit.
Well, what do you know?
It's nibblin' my toe.
Oh, gee,
It's up to my knee.
Oh my,
It's up to my thigh.
Oh, fiddle,
It's up to my middle.
Oh, heck,
It's up to my neck.
Oh, dread,
It's upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff.
It still makes me giggle.
My fourth favorite book was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I can remember holding my breath when Mary opened the door to the garden. I loved the message of this story. How two friends tending a garden made all the difference in the world. It made me realize that we shouldn’t allow our weaknesses to hold us back. It’s a shining example that through our actions we can be a positive influence to the people around us. To this day every time I enter a garden surrounded by a wall, I look for a secret door.
I think back on my childhood and realize how fortunate I am. I can’t imagine not having books in my life, but there are many children in this world that only experience books inside of a classroom. Books have the ability to influence, teach, and entertain. In looking back at my favorite selections, they represent my voice as a writer. It is amazing to me that even as a child I didn’t choose writing, it chose me.
Thank you to my crew mate Marnee for allowing me to take her place at the helm todayJ
What were your favorite childhood books? Do you remember thinking about writing a book as a child?
The first favorite book I can remember is The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. This book inspired me emotionally. I wanted the boy to love the rabbit so he could be real. For me the story signified acceptance, at a time in my life when acceptance was very important. I cheered at the end of the book when the fairy made the bunny real. Because the rabbit loved the boy, and believed he could be real, he achieved his dream. As a child, it made me believe that love could really get you somewhere. Even as an adult this book still inspires me not only as an individual, but also as a writer.
My second favorite was a series of books by Astrid Lindgren about a character named Pippi Longstocking. At nine years of age, I wanted to be Pippi. I wanted to live with a monkey, and go on a different adventure everyday. Who couldn’t love a character who named herself Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Ephraimsdaughter Longstocking? Pippi taught me courage, and to respect others but most important- to laugh at myself.
A brilliant man named Shel Silverstein authored my third favorite book. The book is Where the Sidewalk Ends. Mr. Silverstein’s poems made me giggle, and every little girl would rather giggle as to eat. I can remember even as a teenager pulling out this book and reading the poems just to smile. When I moved out of my parent’s home, I left the book behind. I remember wanting to read it years later. My dad and I spent an hour in the attic looking until we found my treasured book. I now share the poems with my nine-year-old son, and he loves them as much as I do. I thought I would share my favorite Shel poem.
Boa Constrictor
Oh, I'm being eaten
By a boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor,
And I don't like it--one bit.
Well, what do you know?
It's nibblin' my toe.
Oh, gee,
It's up to my knee.
Oh my,
It's up to my thigh.
Oh, fiddle,
It's up to my middle.
Oh, heck,
It's up to my neck.
Oh, dread,
It's upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff.
It still makes me giggle.
My fourth favorite book was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I can remember holding my breath when Mary opened the door to the garden. I loved the message of this story. How two friends tending a garden made all the difference in the world. It made me realize that we shouldn’t allow our weaknesses to hold us back. It’s a shining example that through our actions we can be a positive influence to the people around us. To this day every time I enter a garden surrounded by a wall, I look for a secret door.
I think back on my childhood and realize how fortunate I am. I can’t imagine not having books in my life, but there are many children in this world that only experience books inside of a classroom. Books have the ability to influence, teach, and entertain. In looking back at my favorite selections, they represent my voice as a writer. It is amazing to me that even as a child I didn’t choose writing, it chose me.
Thank you to my crew mate Marnee for allowing me to take her place at the helm todayJ
What were your favorite childhood books? Do you remember thinking about writing a book as a child?
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23 comments:
I loved a series by Edward Eager that started with Half-Magic. These kids find a magic coin, but they have to double their wish to make it come true. At one point they get their cat to talk and it's hilarious. The rest of the books were awfully clever and were brilliantly illustrated by Hilary Knight. I have them somewhere and now I want to re-read them!
What a wonderful series Maggie!
I still pull my Pippi books out and read them to my son. I think I enjoy them more than he does:)
Great blog, Lisa. The only books I remember from my early childhood were Dr. Seuss books. Though my sister and I had book shelves full of books in our room so I know there were others. In second grade, Sr. Ruth started reading us Silverstein's poems and I loved them. Bought Where the Sidewalk Ends for Isabelle less than a month ago and she read it nearly straight through. Took the book everywhere, read in the car, and would read the ones she really liked aloud for me. I think I'll get her his other books for her birthday this summer.
Somewhere between age 10 and 12 I jumped into Encyclopedia Brown stories which I loved. I've always loved solving mysteries. Even considered being a Private Investigator once. But by 13 I found Harlequin YA Romances and it's been a love fest ever since. LOL!
Maybe starting with all that teenage angst is why I love angst so much today. And I still love the mysteries in Romantic Suspense. I was never into Fantasy or SciFi. Which explains why I don't read or write paranormals.
I'm realizing that you're totally right. Our early reading has much to do with what we read and write today. I may be slow but I catch on eventually. LOL!
Great Blog Lis! :) Favorite children's books? I loved anything from Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary. And when I was a tween, I loved Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret. It rolled into the Babysitter's Club, then the Sweet Valley series, and then the Sweet Dreams YA books, and by middle school I was reading Harlequins.
I loved Dr. Seuss as a kid.
Marn- LOVED "Are you there God-". I must have read my copy slick. Loved Judy Blume. Used to devour her books. I had this dictionary that told a story while giving you the definitions. It was huge. I loved that book too. I wanted it so bad and my cousin got it for Christmas one year and tossed it aside. I crawled underneath the table and sat there all day with it.
There was this one book that I memorized as a kid. No one would read me books before I'd go to bed, so I'd read it to myself. "Tommy, the Afraid Scaredy Cat."
The book was 16 pages long. It had short sentences of about four or five words at a time. It was a starter book. Tommy was a short hair cat with yellow hair and black tiger strips. He was afraid to go in the dark. And this mouse taught him it was okay to go in the dark.
As you see, I no longer have it memorized. LOL
As much as I loved to read, my favorite children's books were the Peanuts comics. Then a book I remember being called "The Summer Pony". I was and still am horse crazy.
Sarah
OOOH I love Peanuts! And Calvin and Hobbes.
Ter- I read a little Dr. Suess when I was little. I liked Green Eggs and Ham. I loved rhyming words. I loved the angst in the Velveteen Rabbit. When they threw the rabbit out with the other toys to be burned it was such a black moment:)
I remember reading Harlequins at the tender age of 12:) I totally believe what you enjoy reading shapes you as a writer.
Marnee, Thanks:)
I read Forever by Judy Blume. I had all the sex scenes dog eared:) Love Judy Blume.
Sin- I had a story dictionary too. It was a Charlie Brown dictionary. I fell in love with words through that book:)
Oh, I read Forever. Didn't everyone? But my copy was borrowed from someone else so I had to give it back. I remember hiding in my grandmother's bedroom, the curtains closed and the door locked, just so I wouldn't be disturbed. LOL!
I didn't remember the story of the Velveteen Rabbit until I read it to Isabelle. I think it's because of that black moment you mention. I hate to have my heart broken like that. Well, with animals and not people who I know will get a HEA.
And I totally had Green Eggs and Ham memorized. And who didn't wait all year for those Charlie Brown specials at Halloween and Christmas?! I still watch them every year.
I've always written stories. But I hated the title of 'writer' until recently. I was always convinced I'd be an actress-not a famous one but the poor struggling kind that lives off of tuna and coffee. The books I loved as a child were The Giving Tree, To Kill a Mockingbird, and A Little Princess. There were many more but, oddly enough, I can't remember them. But I still read children's books. I don't think I'll ever grow out of them.
Cartoon characters, I meant to say, cartoon characters. Sheesh.
I still watch the OLD Charlie Brown holiday specials. Not the new ones they push off on kids now. The voices are all wrong.
Lis- I'd die to have a Charlie Brown dictionary! Or a Calvin and Hobbes one. Snoopy is one of my favorite fictional characters ever. And right after that, Hobbes.
hehehe...sure Sin. LOL! I love Snoopy too. Such imagination!
Calvin and Hobbes is classic. It's hysterical, smart and childish all at the same time. I love the snowmen he makes. Cracks me up every year when they come through the emails.
I wasn't much of a reader when I was younger except to read Comic Books. I devoured them. Every time Mom would go to the grocery store, she'd let my brother and me pick out 1 Comic Book each. Oh, the joy! From that moment on, my bro and I would practice drawing superheroes and pretend we were superheroes. I wanted to be a Comic Book illustrator when I grew up.
Dr. Seus, Winnie the Pooh series, and Mother Goose poems were a must. As the years passed, when it came to reading, for some reason (LOL) I was drawn to books about history. I loved reading about Daniel Boone, Davy Crocket, Valley Forge and Gen. Washington, etc.. in a series by Random House and I still have most of them. Who knew? :-)
I'm feeling my age here. #4 loves to read and is into the Gossip Girl, Clique Novel and A-List series. The kids also read Goosebumps and R.L. Stein books when they were younger.
Ah, then about 16 I found Romance Novels and the rest is... dare I say it?... history. :-)
Kathy- I loved Archie comic books. I remember my mom buying me one every week at the grocery store. I also read every issue of Tiger Beat Magazine:)
I'm sorry if I don't comment much today. I'm swamped at work and I'm heading out early to catch a plane to Dallas. I'll try to drop in when I have a minute.
Velveteen Rabbit makes me cry even today. Very much about acceptance and how love can make you real.
And I loved Where the Sidewalk Ends: The little bat screamed out in fright, turn on the dark, I'm afraid of the light!
A Light in the Attic was also hilarious. (He wrote a Boy Named Sue, you know.) The Giving Tree was also a favorite, and it also makes me sad...it makes me sadder today. That whole unconditional love thing--you give everything...and then...well, it just makes me sorta sad.
Mom put me in a bookclub. I remember getting books about Crazy Horse and General Custer and Daniel Boone...those were great books. I also loved Bridge to Terabithia. And my favorite was called: Say Goodnight Gracie, another tearjerker.
I was a real angsty kid.
I'm such a Shel Silverstein fan! I have most of his books and "The Giving Tree" still makes me cry.
I remember being into Nancy Drew and the Sweet Valley High series. And I loved Are You There God, It's Me Margaret! I also got into non-fiction books about insects, animals, places, things, etc. And I loved my Highlights magazines.
In the 2nd grade we all got to write, illustrate, and construct our own books. It wasn't just a one-time project but something we did all year long. I absolutely loved making my books and I think it's when I began writing snippets for fun.
Stephanie, I remember Highlight magazines. We loved them so much we made sure our kids got them too. :-)
Yeah, my Dad loved them so much that Mom kept buying subscriptions LONG after I was way too old for them. I think the rational was that the grandkids would see them, but they never did. Dad was the one looking at the "find the items in the picture" game.
My favorite children's book of all time is Where the Wild Things Are. I even own a Wild Thing given to me by my other wild thing. I collected children's books years before I had any kids. There was a bookstore in NYC's Chelsea district called Books of Wonder and it had a fabulous selection. I got all my 'If You Give A Mouse A Cookie' books there, as well as, any Tomie DePaola book I could get my hands on.
My kids are big fans of Shel Silverstein and you can't beat Dr. Suess. My favorite is 'The Butter Battle Book' but 'Old Hat, New Hat' is an all time favorite in our house.
I do think our earliest reading shapes our reading tastes, I'm convinced that my addiction to series had its genesis in the "girl books" I loved as a child. All my favorites--Alcott, Montgomery, Lovelace, Wilder--wrote series.
I still love children's literature, and I particularly love reading to the grands books their fathers loved. Silverstein is a favorite, but our #1 family favorite is Ann Ashford’s If I Found a Wistful Unicorn: A Gift of Love. My nephews memorized every line. The Grands all love it too, and even the youngest one loves shouting “Yes!” to all the questions such as “If I found a wistful unicorn / and brought him to you all forlorn, / would you pet him?” And “If my pet turnip turned on me / and bit me fiercely on the knee, / would you bandage it?” The questions end with “If any of these things you’ll do / I’ll never have to say to you, /"Do you love me?”
I always loved "Are You My Mother?" and the book about the animal who wanted to change the color of his spots (Dr. Seus). :-)
Dr. Seuss, Charlotte's Web, The Other Side of the Mirror (?). No one in out family read. The Redheads & I were a surprise.
And, of course, Louisa May Alcott. And Anne of Green Gables. I think there were 8 Alcott & 7 or 8 Green Gable books.
Still have my Tarzan & Korak comic books.
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