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Writing Prompt: What were your favorite books as a child? Make a list of 3 of them. Then pick one and write about it for ten minutes. Write about it in detail! Where did it take your imagination? Then post your short write in the comments of this blog.
Comment on this blog! What was your favorite book as a child? The best mini-story of August/September will win a free class!
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7 comments:
When I was little, I had a Tasmanian devil of a younger sister and a run-way model Virgo of a mother. This left me, the spotless and impeccably spit-shined first-born, caught in the middle between "raising" my younger Tasmanian devil, and pleasing my neurotic, Virginia Slim.
Nervous as she was, my mother used to read to us nightly; the books would typically be princess or Disney oriented. One shocking evening, however, she sprung on us a book called Prince What-a-Mess, about a long-haired dog that just couldn't keep out of the muck, the mess, the mud, and the goop.
I don't know if the introduction of this book into my life was a therapeutic choice by my mother, or if she happened to accidentally stumble on a book that would change me forever; regardless, we read Prince What-a-Mess nightly until both my sister and I had it memorized.
Prince What-a-Mess always had such a great time getting messy that he changed the way I saw being messy. From then on, I began to get dirtier, climb more trees, and spend more time with a magnifying glass looking at bugs in the dirt. My sister and I also could now share more experiences together, instead of me chasing after her with baby wipes. I knew that if we got messy, it'd be ok; there would always be a warm bath waiting just inside the house.
And to this day, even though this girl loves a good princess pampering and mani-pedi, because of my favorite childhood book, I've sure learned how to make (and enjoy) a mess.
Harriet the Spy caught my imagination as a child. I still quote Ole Golly’s sayings, like “Most of the time people are mean, they just have an upset stomach.” Harriet’s friendships with people in her neighborhood made New York an enchanted place in my head. The butcher, the Chinese laundry, the delivery guy were all people with whom I had no contact as a kid growing up in Utah. There's a lady with a bottle tree. Harriet enthralled me each time I read it. She inspired me to be a writer, for which I bless and curse the author, Louise Fitzhugh.
Lizzie and Eilene,
Thanks for posting your stories! I will give you likes and remembers by this weekend. :)
Marilyn
Lizzie--what a great story! I love the Tasmanian devil younger sister and runway model Virgo mother. I love how the book taught the narrator to feel more comfortable getting dirty and that she spent time looking at bugs in the dirt with a magnifying glass. I also love that warm bath that would be waiting for her. Nice!
Marilyn
Eileen--terrific story! I love the quote. I love how the book made New York an enchanted place in the narrator's head. Your last line is fabulous. Thanks for posting!
Marilyn
When I was a little girl, my favorite book was "The Little Ballerina." It was a giant, flat book with a bubble gum pink cover. I must have read it a hundred times while laying on my belly on my Minnie Mouse bedspread.
The story was about a girl who took ballet to strengthen her weak leg. She ended up getting the lead in her ballet class recital. She played a flower in a cloud of blue tulle.
The images of the book are still so clear in my mind: the girls in the class doing plies at the bar in black leotards and white tights, the Little Ballerina putting cotton or lambswool in her pink toe shoes as she got ready for the recital in the dressing room, the U shaped braids on the side of the Little Ballerina's head.
The Little Ballerina had dark hair like me so I imagined that I was her. I could hear the applause of the crowd as I finished my solo at the end of the recital. "Thank you, thank you," I would say, while bowing to my audience of stuffed animals, Barbie dolls, and Raggedy Ann and Andy. The book inspired my love for dancing and reading at a very young age.
Marilyn
Love this Lizzie!
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