The Book That Made Me A Reader

I have been racking my brains trying to remember which specific book made me fall in love with books. When I think back, I can picture the Saturdays spent in the library with mum, my arms overflowing with books. Walking back to the car to deposit the books before moving on to the museum or to get a bite to eat. I remember reading and being read to: in the bath, in bed, waiting for food at a restaurant. I even remember the catalogue my dad made for all my books when I was around 4 to 5 years old.

For some reason I have a vivid memory of 'Starting School' by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. 

I know I was in my first year of primary school, because I wanted to take the book in for "Show and Tell" but it had to be returned to the library.

And of course: Biff, Chip, and Kipper. Those classics. I would come home every evening with a stack of these books and my reading log. I would read to mum and patiently wait for her to sign the log with her comments to my teacher. I could not wait to get back to school to show my teacher how much I had read and how well I had done. My teachers and my parents were so impressed when I moved up the reading groups quicker than anybody else in my year.

I have these memories and so many more, but I was already into books by this point. So it must have happened before I started school. Before playgroup too. Then I remembered.  On the floor, sitting between mum's legs, my younger brother sitting between mine. We had been to the library earlier in the day and now it was story time. I was getting annoyed by my fidgeting brother because I was trying to listen to the story. 

"I'm Coming to Get You" by Tony Ross. I still get goosebumps when I read the story. I can hear mum telling the story, hear the voices she did for each character. As a child I don't know why I loved the book so much. Maybe it was because it scared me a little, or because it inspired me to tell my brother scary stories which made him cry... It may have been the pictures and the colours, or just the way mum told the story. It was probably a mixture of all of that and some more. 

As an adult, looking back and re-reading the words, I think a large part of my liking the book was because of the language. It was emotive and descriptive enough to make a three-year-old fall in love with words. 

My imagination was set alight. I wanted to find another book that would make me think, question, and feel in the same way this book did.

Mum bought a copy of the book, which I wouldn't let anybody touch. I couldn't begin to count the number of times I read the book. It ended up dog-eared and torn from over-use, but was never thrown away or replaced. Tony Ross made me a reader.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

I think it's safe to say that the sole reason I fell in love with books and with words is because of my mum. Her encouragement and example is what laid the foundation upon which my love for books has grown. 

#featured #bookreview #anecdote #childrensbook