I'll start with an easy one I guess: my history of literacy. I really don't remember much about how it began. When I was little (at most 5 years old) I used to listen to books on tape all the time. I would listen to Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Jungle Book, Ricky Ticky Tavi, Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, and several others I don't remember any more. I think it was all of those tapes that got me really hooked on reading. By giving me access to stories I didn't have the capability of reading myself they provided an early look into the world of books.
Around the same time I'm sure my parents read to me, anywhere from The Bernstein Bears when I was really young, to Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy when I was six or seven. I really don't remember when I started reading, nor what those first books were- aside from the really basic kids’ books like Clifford. I remember loving Call of the Wild in first through fourth grade, and reading Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit in fifth. I think I picked up Tamora Pierce's books around the same time and the first Harry Potter book shortly before the movie came out. Was that third grade? Maybe second. Whenever 2001 was.
So, I supposed to root of my literacy is founded in those first books on tape. (I also had Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit on CD later but I believe that was after I had read them.) I went to sleep listening to those stories and later that carried over to the big nerd I am today. Now I read anything from The Body by Stephen King to some of Tamora Pierce's books targeted to an older audience, to Wicked by Gregory Maguire. In the end I'm grateful for those first books and will always remember them as the foundation of my literacy and introduction to the fictional world.
From the Bernstain Bears to Stephen King--that's quite a literary journey! (And "Hitchhiker's Guide" at six or seven? WOW!) What did you think of "The Body"? Did you ever see the film adaptation, "Stand By Me"? While I must admit that I liked the novel more, the film version was quite good...
ReplyDeleteI'm still working on "The Body" so I don't have much of an opinion on it quite yet. It was just as strange as some of his other books but not as bad as "Carrie." I've heard of the movie and that was originally how I found the book but I've never seen it. I figured I'd read the book first. As for "Hitchhiker's Guide," I just liked how completely ridiculous it was.
ReplyDeleteI saw Stand By Me!!
ReplyDeleteThat is an amazing film.
I've never read anything by Stephen King, because I'm not really one for scary things, (I jump when the bell rings for crying out loud) but I do have his book, "The Green Mile" that I've been thinking about starting.
I loved reading The Hobbit! I started that around 4th grade-ish, though I didn't enjoy the rest of the books as much...
ReplyDeleteI'm still halfway through Wicked. The broadway was really amazing, though it's so hard to read the book sometimes. It is rather odd, but I'll make myself get through it at some point.
I was a big Harry Potter fan- I read those books over and over so many times!
So long and thanks for all the fish.