Tale from Yesteryear: Books Everywhere

Dear Aurora,

This is a short tale, more of a memory. Books, books everywhere. Nana loved to read. She tried to pass her passion on to her children. Looking around your house you know she succeeded. We grew up with books everywhere. Her favorite children stories, at least the 2 of the stories I remember her reading were The Pokey Little Puppy and Green Eggs and Ham. She loved Dr Seuss. Oh also The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins was another favorite. The Reader’s Digest Condensed books were well read in our home.

Nana didn’t believe in censorship. If the book was in the house we could read it. I remember begging her to read The Exorcist. She warned me not too but I did. I didn’t sleep for weeks afterward. The only thing she forbade us to bring into her house were comic books and movie star magazines. No lusting after Donny Osmond or David Cassidy or Richie Rich for her girls.

Now that I think about it, Nana didn’t drive nor to my knowledge did she have a library card, I could be wrong about the library card. I didn’t remember her getting books for herself from the library although we were all encouraged to get our own library cards. So now that I think about it: Where did all those book come from?

More to follow.

Love Aunt Carissa

What was your favorite book or your mom’s or dad’s  favorite book when you were a child?

Comments

[Karen, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"]

Being read to from The Book of Knowledge encyclopedia about snakes. I found them fascinating and loved how mom would cringe when reading about them.

[Jamie]

Mine was Harold and the Purple Crayon - what imagination!!

As the Director of the Kids' Right to Read Project, I really appreciate what you said about your Nana and censorship. In an effort to promote Banned Books Week (Sept 26 - Oct 3) ABFFE and the ALA just produced a map of book censorship incidents across the USA well worth checking out: http://bannedbooksweek.org/Mapofbookcensorship.html