Anna Paulson works as Julie Klassen’s research and writing assistant.
Pink lipstick, a rapturous voice, and long, black hair that curled in disarray around her glowing face—these were my first impressions of Siobhan (pronounced shi-VAWN), my creative writing professor at the National University of Ireland, Galway. She reminded me of a whimsical book character, and I thought it fitting. Nearly every one of Siobhan’s class periods ended on the topic of her favorite childhood stories. My professor firmly believed that she could get to know us based on what we read and cherished as children, and I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. It was not until she assigned us to write a list of books that inspired or influenced us in childhood that I fully realized this truth:
Reading forms your opinions, your worldview, especially childhood reading, and anything that does that has an impact. So call them friends, call some stories enemies if you want, but don’t deny their influence.” – Katherine Reay, The Brontë Plot
Anna “reading” at age 5.
As I began my list, I grew amazed. Often, I could hardly remember a book’s plot or characters, but I had not forgotten how the story affected me. From careworn classics (Treasures of the Snow, The Magician’s Nephew) to a jumble of elementary read-aloud books (Fig Pudding, Eragon) and high school curriculum (A Separate Peace, All Quiet on the Western Front), books from my childhood had left lasting impressions on my young heart. I remembered the reward of forgiveness in Treasures of the Snow, the mingling of sorrow and laughter at the end of Fig Pudding, and the clash of good and evil in The Magician’s Nephew. I remembered the anguish of war in All Quiet on the Western Front, the risk of adventure in Eragon, and the price of jealousy in A Separate Peace.
Anna Paulson & Julie Klassen
On a lighter note, loving Julie Klassen’s novels as a girl led to my opportunity to work for her, first as an intern while I was in college and now as her assistant. So while books helped shape my views, they also helped my career path unfold. My college professor may be right. To know one’s favorite childhood literature speaks volumes about the reader.
Do you agree that you can get to know a person based on what books he/she adored as a child? What books have influenced your life? How does this guide your decisions about what you recommend that children read?
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Great post! I absolutely think the books we read help shape us. I always go through the books my children select at the library and make sure they aren’t getting too many “dessert” books. I want them to appreciate and feed their minds with quality, not just pretty pictures and/or super heroes.
Thank you, Beth! It’s awesome that you are guiding your children’s book tastes in that way.
Hi Anna. Thanks for blogging today! Well, you already know that books like The Secret Garden and Jane Eyre influenced my love of British literature, and Trixie Belden my love of mysteries. I am not familiar with all of your childhood favorites, so I’m not sure I’d agree with your professor 100%, but I do agree that it is interesting and revealing to learn what people read or don’t read.
Thanks for having me on the blog today, boss! The Secret Garden and Jane Eyre are favorites of mine too, though I’m afraid I was more of a Nancy Drew girl. 🙂 That’s a good point; I agree that it’s illuminating to find out what books people avoid in addition to books they enjoy.
Great post, Anna! My favorite young childhood books were Dr. Seuss’ The Sneetches and One Fish, Two Fish – both fed my lifetime appetite for goofiness and messages hidden in stories. As I got older, I read Gone with the Wind several times, and loved seeing the drama unfold amid Scarlett’s choices and how the relationships shifted throughout the book. Sadly, my children are not big readers anymore, so I read to my younger daughter, and engage with my older daughters on story lines they enjoy, which usually takes the form of watching the movie versions of their favorite books!
Thank you for your comment, Sara! One Fish, Two Fish was a popular book with me and my siblings growing up, too (as well as Go, Dog, Go!). I love the movie Gone With the Wind, but you’ve made me even more interested in reading the book! It’s great that you still find ways to connect with your daughters through books, whether by reading aloud or by watching and discussing movie adaptations.
I was fortunate that my teachers in elementary school read classic books to us after the lunch hour. As a result I can answer your question of what books did I like most as a child. It was Heidi and Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Little Women. . Those books live on in my memories and I still read Little Women from time to time.
Hi, Shirley! Thanks for commenting. How cool that your elementary school teachers instilled in you an early love of classic literature! Little Women is also on my “favorites” shelf, and I have fond memories of watching the Shirley Temple movie version of Heidi at my grandma’s house as a child.
It’s great to see a post from you, Anna 🙂 I’ve never thought of it that way, but I’m sure the books that resonate with someone as a child reflect a lot about the person they’ll become. Some of the books I kept returning to growing up were by L.M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, Gail Carson Levine, and Jane Austen, plus I absolutely loved The Witch of Blackbird Pond. It’s been fun to see that my young boys already have strong preferences for certain books, and I’m excited to find out what their interests will be as they get older!
I appreciate your comment, Laurie! 🙂 It’s fun that your sons already have unique book interests. As I child, I also enjoyed books by most of the authors you listed, especially Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. (Jane Austen I treasure more as an adult, I think!) And I love that you mentioned The Witch of Blackbird Pond! That was one of my favorites, too; in fact, I researched Elizabeth George Speare for my final project in my Young Adult Literature class in college. I recommend her book The Bronze Bow as well, especially for your boys when they get older.
Thanks, Anna! Without Meg Murray O’Keefe in A Wrinkle in Time and Jo March in Little Women, I would never have realized I could have a temper and still be “good.” And, my very first lesson plan was developed after I realized The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a parallel for the Gospels. I think I was in 6th grade. Books really were my friends and companions much more than kids, when I was growing up, so I am sure they have developed who I am! Thanks for your post!
Thank you for your comment, Erin! Oh yes, Meg and Jo are wonderful young female characters; their stories helped inspire me to write my own. Also, fun that you mentioned your aha moment with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe–I was in elementary school when the symbolism resonated with me, too, and I was so excited I did a class presentation on the subject. 🙂
It has been so fun to see you and Julie working together. You make a great team! As a child, I loved The Boxcar Children, which I am convinced began my fascination with thrift shopping and recycling.
Thank you, Mom! I can definitely see the correlation between that book (which I loved, too) and your passion for those things. I’m grateful you have always encouraged and guided my love of reading, and supported my work with Julie!