As an avid reader, there is nothing I enjoy more than a good book. I can remember already loving books from a very young age. I could read well by Kindergarten and in Grade 2, I was sent upstairs to read with the Grade 5 class during language time. There was nothing better than the smell of a brand new book waiting to be read for the first time. I visited the library daily and eventually became a library helper. Any time I could spend around books was a good time for me. Even now, I dream of being locked in a closed bookstore or library for the weekend with nothing to do but browse and read.
Despite being an adult, I have to admit that I still enjoy children's literature. Just like my teenage girls, I go crazy for the Harry Potter series, Twilight, and Vampire Diaries. I've read Lemony Snicket, Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, the Eragon trilogy, the Chronicles of Narnia, Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie. They are amongst my favourites. I've gone to Harry Potter parties, I've pre-ordered new book releases, waited eagerly for movie premieres, taken the day off school to be the first to see a Harry Potter movie and watched Vampire Diaries on TV with my daughters.
Until now, it's been hard to admit to others that I actually enjoy these types of books. Reading that Gretchen Rubin also loves children's literature and that she was able to start a book club of like-minded adults made me feel much more comfortable about revealing this preference. In the May chapter of her book, she stresses the importance of doing what you enjoy and not what you think others expect of you. Certainly, I also read more adult selections but I have no problem immersing myself in junior novels. It makes me happy, helps me relate to my children and my students and gives us something to discuss at the dinner table or in class.
And let's not forget the number of movies that have been based on children's books, including the recent adaptation of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and Disney's new Alice in Wonderland (a film by Tim Burton) with Johnny Depp playing the Mad Hatter. Hollywood is on the right track - children's literature is definitely worthwhile and appealing to children young and old alike.
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