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AliProf's avatar

Thank you for this delightful essay that is a beautiful reminder of how the wonder of childhood reading shapes our view of ourselves & our possibilities. In my office at the college where I teach, a tattered copy of _Little Women_ faces me on my bookshelf. My mother gifted me with her favorite book at the age of three and read it aloud to me every afternoon. The joy in this introduction to literature helped to solidify my passion for English & my desire to become a teacher to cultivate these positive formative experiences for my students.

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fortuna desperata's avatar

The Tale of the Land of Green Ginger was a children's book by Noel Langley, published in the 1930s, a fantastic sequel to Aladdin. I remember it from primary school in the 1970s. Probably a bit 'orientalist' for 21st century tastes, though I see it has been reissued. I remember seeking out the street during a teenage visit to a very grim and depressed Hull in 1984 (which still had beige-coloured municipal phone boxes in those days).

Long live Beatrix Potter! I bought Peter Rabbit for my daughter, aged 3, as a non-chocolate Easter present, and it was still her favourite book when she started school a year and a half later. The small format appealed, but so did the verve of the story and the beautiful illustrations.

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Shelly Dennison's avatar

I think the quality of the illustrations sometimes gets overlooked, she was a very talented (and accurate about the natural world) artist.

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What to read if's avatar

This was a lovely reminder of a book I hadn't thought about for a long time - remember how excited I was to discover a BP I hadn't read. It's maybe not as perfect as her great works; but I've always had a soft spot for Tuppenny...

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Shelly Dennison's avatar

Thank you 🙂. Tuppenny is a great character - so likeable!

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Sarah Harkness's avatar

What an interesting piece. I'm a Potter fan, I particularly love some of the longer tales, Ginger and Pickles, Tailor of Gloucester, but I have never heard of this one. Thank you.

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Shelly Dennison's avatar

Thank you. 🙂 It does seem to slip under the radar. If it wasn't for the fact I still have my copy I might have assumed it was some sort of weird fever dream! There's a lot to like about it but it's nowhere near as tight a story as the shorter tales.

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AliProf's avatar

Thank you for this delightful essay that is a beautiful reminder of how the wonder of childhood reading experiences both shape our view of

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