Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Becoming a Book Lover

It all started in Mrs. Budge’s class in first grade. Behind Mrs. B’s back, we called her Mrs. “Fudge” and thought we were the cleverest, most witty people around. One day I helpfully pointed out to Mrs. Budge that her slip was showing and she made me go sit by myself with my head down on my arms on the desk top as penance. Doesn’t that seem like an odd thing for a teacher of first graders to do? Anyway, Mrs. Budge put up large cards with words on them all around the room and taught us to read using the see-say method, rather than phonics. It’s a terrible way to teach a child to read, but there’s no denying that I did, in fact, learn how to read. Those mysterious black marks in books started to become letters and words and I grabbed hold of this new knowledge with gusto.

My parents gave me the book Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss and I was so enthralled with it that I brought it to school to show off. During recess I set it down and forgot about it. When I tried to find it later, it was gone, which grieved my little heart. Months later it turned up in a window well – happy ending!

As I progressed as a reader, Mom had me practice at home by reading aloud to her. The first book was The Little Lame Prince by Dinah Craik. It was slow going because I was still at the “sounding-words-out” stage, but the sheer love of story propelled me along. I remember reading that to her as she was driving in her little “slug bug,” the Volkswagen. It starts as a rather melancholy story, but wonderful and fantastic things eventually happen to the lame prince. Oh boy, but I loved that book. Years later I found it at a library sale and snatched it up.

Libraries became magical places for me as I began to explore the world of reading in my elementary school years. My mother had a set of Wizard of Oz books that were marvelous, all with charming illustrations by W. W. Denslow. For most people, the only thing they know about The Wizard of Oz is that it got made into a movie with Judy Garland. My mom hated that movie because it was unfaithful to the book, so now you know where I got my own strong opinions on those things. My mom also owned several books by Johanna Spyri, the author most well known for writing the book Heidi. My own children will remember how much I hated the movie production of that book with Shirley Temple. Like mother, like daughter!

My childhood was simply filled with books. I could pick up a book and become so completely engrossed in the story that the world around me almost ceased to exist. I became such a bookworm that my mother frequently had to pry me out of my reading chair to get me to go outside and play. Books shaped and influenced me as well. I read The Five Little Peppers by Margaret Sidney and was determined to become a better daughter and sibling. I read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and wanted to be like Dickon and become friends with animals or like Mary, learning how to cultivate a garden. I read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and wanted to be noble and faithful like Peter, Susan and Lucy and not a traitor like Edmund. I also desperately wanted to find a secret world like that, but I suppose everyone did, even C.S. Lewis. I learned about the importance of forgiveness when my 4th grade teacher read aloud to us a book called Follow My Leader. I read The Black Stallion and thought how grand it would be to have a special connection with a horse like Alec did with the Black. How very disappointed I was the first time I got to go horseback riding. We were put on plodding slow horses and never got to go faster than a trot. And unlike my romantic ideas about how wonderful an experience it would be, horseback riding was uncomfortable and jolting. I’m afraid reading books made me very much a dreamer who sometimes had a hard time adjusting to reality.

Over the years, my reading tastes have changed, for the better, I hope. I’d like to think that I’ve become a more discerning reader. I still love a good fiction story, but I also appreciate non-fiction more than I used to as a child. I consider the Bible essential reading now, but wouldn’t even have considered reading it when I was growing up. At any given time, I have about 5-6 books in progress, which would probably drive some people crazy. I usually only work on one fiction book at a time, though – the others are all non-fiction books that I’m working through more slowly.

So, Mrs. Budge, I thank you for helping me learn how to read. And I forgive you for penalizing me for pointing out that your slip was showing.

Just call me the Wizard of Blogz – this will disappear in the morning.