A Mom's Letter . Review on Favourite Books Of Childhood

Dear Sweetie,

As my eyes sweep over your collection of books, I am suddenly flooded with memories of your childhood. You are suddenly 6 years old and I remember your innocent smile as a kid and those curious eyes always asking me a thousand questions about everything under the sun.

I?m glad that it was me who introduced you to the pleasures of reading by gifting you a big fat book of Russian folk tales and after that I guess there was no looking back for you.

I remember the days you would hide your Enid Blytons below your text book but somehow get caught?I know that as a kid she was your favorite author? you would mumble in your sleep about George or Anne and I knew immediately that you are off to some distant land of islands, hills and the sea going hand in hand with the Famous Five.

The Secret Seven and Five Findouters were the others that you devoured continuously in the summer hols. You would be so enthralled by the magic of Enid Blyton?s words that you would not even hear me calling you for lunch or dinner. How can I forget the ruckus you created to join a boarding school after reading St.Clair?s and Melory Towers? trying to imitate Mademoiselle(with your limited knowledge of French) and also crave for midnight parties? But I have one grievance against Enid Blyton, you would always rush to me for goodies to eat while reading and I couldn?t blame you?coz who wouldn?t be hungry after reading?bout jam tarts, jellies, baked cookies and caked and lemonade mentioned in all her books.

After that you were hooked on to the teenage heroines Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew.

Trixie Belden did a world of good for your vocab. As to Nancy Drew I could see stars in your eyes whenever you described all her adventures to me and did not miss out mentioning Ned Nickerson?

Then you moved on to bigger books like?Adventures of Tom Sawyer?? I remember watching that movie with you and how you told me that the book was much better than the movie and went on to describe events like Tom painting his aunt?s fence, Tom playing with Huck, his gymnastics to attract Becky Thatcher. Words like?truant? and?hookey? were used in good amount thanks to Mark Twain?s influence.

The phase of playing pirates then arrived-?Treasure Island?? it influenced you enough to tie one of your eyes and pretend to be Long John Silver and suddenly transform yourself to Jim Hawkins digging the Treasure on the island. But what I hated most was you trying to sing in a masculine voice?'Fifteen men on a dead mans chest, Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.?

I cannot end this letter without recollecting another of your favorite books??Black Beauty? by Anna Sewell. Remember you describing the hero of the book in graphic detail? a horse. Of course I was worried when you got home wounded kittens and puppies but I know how much this book had influenced you in becoming compassionate not only to animals but to all those weaker than you.

Then arrived the dreaded phase in a mom?s life? college. You flew out of your cocoon and have perhaps read a few hundred books after that but you no longer discussed them with me.

I know kids these days have more forms of entertainment than you did but I always tell them believe me there is more fun in flying to unknown destinations along with books than to all those places that the TV channels offer.

Oh, how I wish I could reframe those moments when you used to sit on the kitchen counter with your feet dangling and vividly describing to me the book you just finished reading but alas! Time doesn?t stand still?

With love

Mummy