Many lands have I travelled, asking my friends over the interwebs to help me out and yet I still couldn't find only ONE book that I like. I think part of the struggle to choose just one childhood favorite is, some of the lesser known books that I loved are out of circuit & I have forgotten their titles so this new generation wouldn't even know about them.
I am sat here torn between Junie B Jones, A Light In The Attic, Matilda, The Jungle Book, Amazing Grace & Winnie The Pooh. I was one of those blessed kids who had the 'Wonderful World of Reading Disney' collective, so you can't be mad at me when I find it difficult to choose. Each book was a whole new world and yes Aladdin came to mind as I wrote those words. Aladdin was part of the collective too. Let's just say if you were a well written character in a book that was accessible in the 90s, you were probably my homie I'm just saying.
- All kids weird and wonderful, Stand Up! I See you! -
What was your favorite book ?
Winnie The Pooh: The Complete Collection of Stories and Poems by A.A Milne
How did it impact your life ?
This book was gifted to me by an aunt who noticed me taking a liking to Winnie The Pooh. I liked his freedom to do anything he wanted and I admired the friendship he had with Christopher Robin, observing this friendship filled me with such joy. The collection of stories and poems allowed me to go to so many places within the book and helped my imagination. I found a place to just be a kid and see what I wanted to see, feel what I wanted to feel & to bring the sun into every boring moment. After meeting Pooh and his friends, I wanted more and found more books which led me to a place of many lessons learned. I found a place where I wasn't lonely and I sat with my PBJ sandwiches while Pooh and his friends picnicked too, this helped me to build stories from the smallest elements.
I could take the lives of each character and their different personalities, break that down and imagine another side to them and alternative ways in which their stories could have ended. Though self-esteem issues hit me during my teenage years, my childhood was filled with confidence building and a carefree curly girl approach to life. If you weren't down with Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Christopher Robin & Roo, me and you couldn't be friends.. especially Tigger. Man, that tiger had energy 😁 and guess what, so did I which made me feel less alone. Creatively and emotionally these friends and their adventures kept me together alongside my faith, I didn't end my life because of the lessons I took from this book and the others that made me indecisive. Being different was a blessing and Pooh & friends taught me to walk those differences out, laugh through those differences, dance upon those difference and own those differences. You can't let your head hang down loose when you know you're worth something and you switch up your steps when you realize that confidence walks differently.
What impact has it had on your writing ? Your writing journey ?
Let your imagination run free, let the child within stay alive. Reading has given me the confidence to write, and reading a wide range of books stretched my mind. I believe all the books which I was torn between in choosing ONE childhood favorite, share something in common and that is the phenomenal energy of being different without hesitation. The 'difference' in each of these books and their series helped me to navigate through my own expression, I refused to hinder myself. If the words didn't come out right the first time I would leave space and try again, somewhere along the way I forgot to keep to this and started comparing my work to others.
I can look back on that comparing phase of my writing journey and realize that this statement "Let your imagination run free, let the child within stay alive" must always be held onto, once I remind myself of keeping the child within alive I keep my pen alive. My writing goes beyond what is expected of me, through my journey writer's block didn't get a seat because there was always a prompt - while Pooh had his honey, I had my emotions, my experiences and life itself. Reading impacted my ability to experience the world around me, not just living through the workings of my anatomy but to LIVE. Not just listening to be kind but to actually HEAR, no matter what was going on I had to allow myself to FEEL. I believe all these things came together and enabled me to give readers the opportunity to know what it feels like to travel through Pebble$' words.
In these moments of reflection, I feel that I have to be more aware and accountable in the next phase of my writing journey. I have to let my inner child have a voice, to take steps to be more conscious of not being my own dead end.
What did this book do for you that others might not have done when you were growing ?
Allow me to be a little bear. To see a wholeness in brokeness, to see beyond my present. How to write poetry before I knew that I was already doing it. Connect value to people and places, and connect people to moments/memories.
Share Your Childhood Favorites With Me Below or here.
I want to publish a book, it will be a collective of my work from the start of my journey at 8 years old til Summer 2015. Hold me to it !
Copyright © 2017 PebblesWroteIt
