My Addiction
My Addiction…
I admit it.. I have a serious addiction…I love children’s books…not all of them mind you because I am a very selective addict. My memory of books begins with a series of encyclopedia type books we have had in our family as long as I can remember. I don’t remember the name of the books at the moment( senioritis) but I do remember that each of them have on the inside cover an onion skin page that covers a beautiful fairytaleish type drawing. Lifting up that page was almost like unwrapping a present. I remember being addicted to the Winnie the Pooh series books to such an extent that Momma forbade me to check out anymore from the school library. There were also a series of biographies of famous people that were written just for students. These books were blue and only about 200 pages long. I think I devoured everyone of those during one of my reading frenzies. How can I possibly forget the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boy books…Yep, read them all, too…! I remember the “Little Black Sambo” books… I know they are not politically correct these days, but the vision of Little Black Sambo running around the tree being chased by the tiger until they went so fast the tiger turned into butter is etched into my mind…for what purpose…who knows! But it’s there. I loved the Velveteen Rabbit story and the Little Boy Blue story poem by Eugenia Price about the boy who played with his toys then kissed them and placed them ever so gently where they belonged…
”"Now don't you go till I come," he said,
"And don't you make any noise!"
So toddling off to his trundle-bed
He dreamt of his pretty toys.
And as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue --
Oh, the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!
Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place,
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
The smile of a little face.
And they wonder, as waiting these long years through,
In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue
Since he kissed them and put them there.
As I have grown older and had the blessing of my own children, I discovered a couple of books that my daughter and I share a love of. In fact, a couple of years ago, on Mother’s Day, she gave to me the book “The Giving Tree” and “Guess How Much I Love You.” As a single mother most of their lives, I always wondered if I had deprived my children of the things most kids their age had. I have discovered as they have grown into adulthood that the things I cherished as a child…the love of reading….books always available…the library card… the quiet times to indulge a passion for reading are part of the legacy I have passed on to them. So… for Travis and Sarah…my little ones now grown big and tall…
“The smaller hare is getting very tired now, it must be way past his bed-time. He looks like he might admit defeat and as Big Nutbrown Hare cradles him tenderly in his arms he is "almost too sleepy to think anymore." Then suddenly as he is tucked up in his bed of leaves inspiration comes to him, nothing after all is bigger than the sky . His last words on the subject are "I love you right up to the moon," As he hears Big Nutbrown Hare's acknowledgement that that is indeed very great he drifts off to sleep, he doesn't hear Big Nutbrown's final reply, "I love you right up to the moon - and back."…. Thanks, SamMcBratney
I admit it.. I have a serious addiction…I love children’s books…not all of them mind you because I am a very selective addict. My memory of books begins with a series of encyclopedia type books we have had in our family as long as I can remember. I don’t remember the name of the books at the moment( senioritis) but I do remember that each of them have on the inside cover an onion skin page that covers a beautiful fairytaleish type drawing. Lifting up that page was almost like unwrapping a present. I remember being addicted to the Winnie the Pooh series books to such an extent that Momma forbade me to check out anymore from the school library. There were also a series of biographies of famous people that were written just for students. These books were blue and only about 200 pages long. I think I devoured everyone of those during one of my reading frenzies. How can I possibly forget the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boy books…Yep, read them all, too…! I remember the “Little Black Sambo” books… I know they are not politically correct these days, but the vision of Little Black Sambo running around the tree being chased by the tiger until they went so fast the tiger turned into butter is etched into my mind…for what purpose…who knows! But it’s there. I loved the Velveteen Rabbit story and the Little Boy Blue story poem by Eugenia Price about the boy who played with his toys then kissed them and placed them ever so gently where they belonged…
”"Now don't you go till I come," he said,
"And don't you make any noise!"
So toddling off to his trundle-bed
He dreamt of his pretty toys.
And as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue --
Oh, the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!
Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place,
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
The smile of a little face.
And they wonder, as waiting these long years through,
In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue
Since he kissed them and put them there.
As I have grown older and had the blessing of my own children, I discovered a couple of books that my daughter and I share a love of. In fact, a couple of years ago, on Mother’s Day, she gave to me the book “The Giving Tree” and “Guess How Much I Love You.” As a single mother most of their lives, I always wondered if I had deprived my children of the things most kids their age had. I have discovered as they have grown into adulthood that the things I cherished as a child…the love of reading….books always available…the library card… the quiet times to indulge a passion for reading are part of the legacy I have passed on to them. So… for Travis and Sarah…my little ones now grown big and tall…
“The smaller hare is getting very tired now, it must be way past his bed-time. He looks like he might admit defeat and as Big Nutbrown Hare cradles him tenderly in his arms he is "almost too sleepy to think anymore." Then suddenly as he is tucked up in his bed of leaves inspiration comes to him, nothing after all is bigger than the sky . His last words on the subject are "I love you right up to the moon," As he hears Big Nutbrown Hare's acknowledgement that that is indeed very great he drifts off to sleep, he doesn't hear Big Nutbrown's final reply, "I love you right up to the moon - and back."…. Thanks, SamMcBratney
posted by Susan at
9:01 AM
4 Comments:
I'm right there in the boat with you! My children's books grossly outnumber my grown up . The only difference is that I don't have children (or any plans for them), so I plan to keep my books to myself and my students.
By
Mrs. Dyess, at 9:05 AM
I think your kids are very lucky that you encouraged them to read. The picture of little nutbrown hare curled up with Big nutbrown hare is such a precious image.
Also, like you, I was a voracious reader, reading basically anything I could get my hands on!
By
Mary Poppins, at 9:07 AM
I bet most of us share the addiction to books if not to children's books, but the children's books many of us read as kids, especially the ones we read over and over, still resonate. Since my grandmother was a schoolteacher, her house was filled with books, particularly schoolbooks, collections of fables and fairy tales. I loved them all.
By
Donna Sewell, at 9:08 AM
I love the way the end of this freewrite works out.
By
blindsi, at 9:14 AM
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