For the Love of Books

4th grade was a turning point in my reading abilities.
You know I love to read. And it gets in the way of work and housework and many other things. At least in school you have a good excuse to read.
4th grade started in Santa Maria California and mid way through it we moved to Mission Hills, a subdivision of Lompoc, California. The civil town outside Vandenburg AFB.
I digress
Having to switch schools in mid year was soon to become the norm in my education timeline.
In 4th grade you begin to read hefty chapter books. Between the requirements of the 4th grade teacher and the leisure reading of my mother’s I went through these books in a very short period of time.

Charlotte’s Web
Stuart Little
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Mr Popper’s Penguins
The Enormous Egg
Black Beauty
Paddle to the Sea
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiller
Mary Poppins
As well as a scattered few Nancy Drew mysteries

Do any of these titles look familiar?
They should. All but two have been made into movies/TV series since I read them. And the two (Mary Poppins & Black Beauty) were made into movies BEFORE I read them.

In some cases they have been made TWICE!
The latest is Mr Popper’s Penguins which will be released in June, staring Jim Carey.


Does this make me feel old? No. . . .It is revisiting old friends. . .or it should be. My disappointment is that the children today will miss the richness of the characters that are built up in the book, and only rely on the actor/director’s interpretation which is not always the best.
But I should have faith that, like Harry Potter, the movie will spark the interest and the child will look for the book and have a better experience.

One can only hope.

I’m sure those grown kids that loved their comic books were eager to see their hero/villain explode on the screen. And yet they return to the printed page to continue their love affair with their heros.

Thus I will do shortly. . . . as soon as I finished the damn work report due by COB today.
Sigh!

On a similar note: yesterday Kentucky was helping Grandpa build a large picnic table for the summer. He then was handed the leaf blower to clean off the sawdust and dirt off the deck. When done he asked Grandpa "So how much do I get for this?" This made Grandpa laugh and say "I feed you". What he didn't know is that there is a book fair at school this week and Kentucky wanted $ to buy more books.
AWESOME!