Tuesday 7 January 2014

First Favourites

One thing I think we all remember is our favourite childhood author. When we are first stepping out into the weird and wonderful world of magical text and discovering the potential of our own imaginations, we remember what books first grabbed our attentions enough to teach us to read. For me, it was Roald Dahl. His books have captured Children’s imaginations for decades, indeed even my niece and nephew have begun enjoying his works.

Something about his caricature characters appeals to almost all ages, from the nasty ‘Twits’ to the kind hearted ‘James’ with his giant peach. Somehow he keeps the stories light hearted and wholesome while indulging in the slightly darker side of most children’s imaginations. As I write this, I can think of two examples immediately:

‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ and ‘Revolting Rhymes’

Who else could get away with writing a children’s story about a boy trying to poison his grandmother; or a book of poetry where the heroine skins the big bad wolf to wear as a coat, turns the three little pigs into luggage and keeps a handgun in her undies? This is the work of a very talented mind and it is such that grabbed my attention. Whoever our childhood favourite, we always remember them for whatever reason, and it’s that which we must cherish. I still curl up some nights with a cup of hot chocolate and ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. We should make an effort to engage our children in a similar way, get them interested in reading the same way we were, with a good author, one who understood the mind of a child. I admit, if I were a few years younger, (quite a few) my favourite author may well have been J.K.Rowling, and that would have been fine, but I’m glad I got to spend so much time reading Mr Dahl’s books, and enjoyed the worlds he created.

What was your favourite author as a child? Do you think children engage in reading as often as they used to? Tell me what you think. Read, follow, comment and enjoy. M x

No comments:

Post a Comment