Swamped in a smorgasbord of media choice, will today’s children ever know what it’s like to be sentimentally attached to a book?
I had so many ‘favourite’ books. Some I loved for their stories, some for the illustrations, others for what they’d meant as a gift, and one simply because I’d saved so long to buy it. (Another concept that might be lost on Generation Y: delayed gratification)
A book could become tatty with use, but you loved it no less. Perhaps even more, because the tat said “much used, much loved.” My Enid Blyton books were still with me in my 20s. Even non-bookish types have been known to secrete a dog-eared Little Golden Book in the back of a wardrobe. Of course, we romantically imagine that any children we might have, will love them as much as we did.
Certainly Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree trilogy has stood the test of time (although I can never forgive the PC crew for changing the names of the children – as if modern kids couldn’t handle having a Dick and Fanny on the same page, puhleeeeze).
Eventually I shed most of mine, disappointed that my firstborn didn’t get the same buzz from The Naughtiest Girl as I did. I’ve blogged before about my general dismay that Milly Molly Mandy and the girls of the Chalet School are barely known to anyone under 40, but we can’t keep looking back ... right?
That’s what I tell myself today as I sort through a stash of my oldest books. It's finally time to discard “The All Colour Book of Horses”
That’s what I tell myself today as I sort through a stash of my oldest books. It's finally time to discard “The All Colour Book of Horses”
First published in 1972, the illustrations have an old-fashioned tone to them. Hell, it’s so dated, there’s even a ‘recent’ photo of Princess Anne competing on Doublet. I’m not into horses anymore. And yet ... gazing at the Arab mare and foal on the cover, I’m transported back to the Christmas when my heart rose to my throat with the excitement of receiving this gift. I remember how for years – yes, literally years – I would check in with this book, studying each photo, inventing a name for each horse.
This book has no relevance to my life now. And yet ... it’s so hard to bin it.
This book has no relevance to my life now. And yet ... it’s so hard to bin it.
Doctor Dan! My girls have Nurse Nancy, a little Golden Book that they adore. I'm very proud to have three children obsessed with books (so far). My son is currently reading Secret Seven and Famous Five books (some of which are my childhood copies), and playing Famous Five at school. How lucky he is to have a teacher that reads Enid Blyton books to his class every Friday!
ReplyDeleteIt breaks my heart how disposable books can be to some people. I heard someone recently rejoicing over the fact that ipads have storybook apps so each night their son can listen to his story on the ipad and they can 'veg out'. Can't help but think they've missed the point..
I couldn't agree more. What makes me hopeful is that little kids still love to turn the pages in their picture books, that my computer savvy boys still want to keep their childrens' books, even though they are grown up now.
ReplyDeleteI will always remember my first book, I was seven years old and just had my appendix removed. My parents gave me "Heidi". Will never forget it. The joy of owning a book, that was a great thing for me. Maybe that's why I love them so much still.
That's one of the saddest things I've read in a while Nic, as far as family life goes. Having a story read to you, was as much about the closeness and the sound of your parent's voice, as the story itself.
ReplyDelete"Heidi" - I remember getting my copy too, at about age 9 - even then, everyone's copy seemed to look different, it was so widely published.
At first it seemed very different to the more English/American/Australian stories I knew, but then of course, that's what made it more interesting too. The Alm Uncle seemed to creepy for much of the book, but as I've mentioned before, I was captivated by the little hayloft where Heidi slept, looking up at the stars, and which to her seemed like riches.
And expanding my reading list also opened my mind to such other continental joys as Emil & The Detectives ;D
It is sad isn't it. But it's not unusual. I sas some kids clothes for sale on ebay a while ago that came with the offer of 3-5 free kids books with each garment. Of course some people don't have room nor want to hold on to everything but they seemed so desperate to be rid of them. This is coming from someone who still has every book ever given to her so perhaps not such a big deal to some but to me it was a clear reminder of just how unimportant reading and an appreciation of books is to some people.
ReplyDeleteI got my first Heidi book at about nine or ten. I remember Mum bringing it into my room, she was so excited to give it to me because she loved the story herself. It's been years since I read Heidi but I guess it will be back out on the bookshelves within the next few years!