Welcome to May! (and book memories....)

-
Welcome May! For the first time in a very long time, it almost felt like summer in Galway... absolutely beautiful, sun shining and warm! So many thoughts were turning to outside activities; gardening, cycling or just lying around soaking up the sun. (Well, in fairness, it's so seldom bright, sunny and warm....) And me.... well, my thoughts were turning towards.... books. I had a sudden childhood memory come back to me that I'd like to share that says something about me, children's books and being a children's bookseller... and the affect putting the right book at the right time into the hands of the right child can have throughout their life. I think so, anyway.
It was the first of May. I was just a small child; I think about 4 or 5 years old and had gone shopping with my mother. We were in 'People's Drug Store, which had a wonderful 2 aisle treasure trove for children.... cheap plastic toys, jars of 'bubbles' in various collurs and sizes, packets of balloons (which I always hated for some strange reason) and a flat shelf filled with Little Golden Books. My eyes and hands gravitated towards one particular book that I had never seen before; I Am A Bunny by a Olé Rissom; illustrated by a rather new artist called Richard Scarry. I just had to have that book, and I was very lucky, because neither of my parents ever said no to books. To this day, I still remember the story.... "I am a bunny. My name is Nicholas. I live in a hollow tree....'; and all I can say is something in there had a profound, yet subtle affect on me. It coloured my world view forever..... something about the smallness of Nicholas, his life through the seasons, noticing the details of the natural world and the simplicity of text... say who you are and be that.
This is what I think books do for children. It's not so much about learning to read and progressing in your literacy. That is almost secondary to the impact that even the simplest picturebook will have on a child. Because of the effect, because of the love of the book, because of the joy or the fascination of the book, the child learns to read; learns to be literate in a natural, unhurried and relaxed way. Nothing is forced.... and for the rest of their lives, these memories come back and foster something tangible. Even when you're old!
What was your first book memory? I hope it's a wonderful one!
Happy May!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rights of the Reader

-
Image
The Rights of the Reader; Daniel Pennac, illustrated by Quentin Blake Summer is here and we do encourage summer reading with numerous incentives and programmes. It is important for children (of all ages) to 'keep their reading up' outside of school time. This is the time when kids develop their own taste in books and can be free to read books of their own choosing. And this is the single most important factor in young people developing a lifelong reading habit. But how do we, as the 'gatekeepers' of kids reading, encourage them properly without running the risk of thrusting pressure and our own ideas on them? Do that and you'll run the risk of pushing them away from reading, and there are already so many distractions for the young reader to contend with that can tempt them elsewhere. Published by Walker Books; 9781406300918 In 1992, French writer Daniel Pennac originally published this little gem of a book; The Rights of the Reader. I highly recommend
Read more

The Summer of Lily and Esme by John Quinn....25 years

-
Image
This year marks the anniversary of the publication of an extraordinary book. In 1991, Poolbeg published The Summer of Lily & Esme by John Quinn and in the 25 years since, it has never been out of print. The Summer of Lily & Esme tells a quiet story, filled with compassion, friendship, memory and heart. It is the story of Alan, an 11-year-old boy who has moved from the city into a house in the countryside; in the middle of nowhere.The house is old and extremely large and immaculate; and there is a locked, boarded over attic room that is said to be haunted by the ghost of a young boy who died tragically. Alan is not too pleased with this move and becomes even less thrilled when he discovers his closest neighbours, in fact his only neighbours, are a pair of elderly sisters, Esme and Lily, who seem to be suffering from dementia.  When Alan falls down a hill of brambles and weeds, the sisters, who believe they themselves to be children, mistake Alan for their
Read more

Launch of Genesis by Eilis Barrett

-
Image
A week ago, I played a small part of the launch of Genesis , the much-anticipated sequel to Oasis by Eilis Barrett; this time at Charlie Byrnes Bookshop in Galway. Vinny Brown introduces Eilis Eilis is a remarkable young woman, as you might imagine since she is 18 years old and this is her second book. ( Oasis was published when she was 16.) Articulate and accomplished, it is a real privilege to know her, to hear her speak and to read her writing. Genesis author: Eilis Barrett publisher: Gill Books (8 September 2017 ISBN: 9780717174355 Genesis picks up the story of Quincy Emerson. She now finds herself a captive once again, in the maximum-security prison, the Colosseum as a security risk. Held in deplorable and brutal conditions in the prison, where anarchy rules and rival gangs wage a 'street war' of sorts, Quincy takes care to not make an enemy of either gang boss, while holding allegiance to no one but herself and her comrades on the outside. Food is scarce an
Read more