Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?
I was a voracious reader as a kid, and when I say voracious, I don’t mean that I just ran through picture books or chapter books from the school library. I mean, I read everything all the time. If it had words, I was reading it! Hence, the title of this post. I mean, I figured out the sudsing agent in shampoo long before I took chemistry in middle school simply because I’d read so many bottles and found the patterns. That’s probably why I can’t stick to writing a single genre now.
Though I’ve read thousands of books already, I rarely reread books anymore. I’ve become more discerning, learning the art of DNF (Did Not Finish) when a book doesn’t float my boat and branching out to try new authors and subgenres often. Did I mention my inability to write in just one genre?
When I was a kid, though, there was one book that I kept on loop. I read it multiple times, and then I wrote my first book report on it in third grade. The only reason I remember that milestone is because I only completed half of third grade, having been bumped up from second halfway through.
Anyway, Charlotte’s Web was the book for me for two big reasons. The emphasis on words—“Some Pig”, for example, and Templeton. I loved that snarky and indulgent rat. If you’ve read any of my writing, I imagine you’ve noticed I’m a bit of a smart ass myself, so I felt drawn to that side character.
Sure, Wilbur was cute and Charlotte was sweet, but neither compared to the larger-than-life Templeton. I could probably write an entire article on the bad wrap rats get with Templeton as the focus. The cartoon version of the book captured him perfectly in my mind.
After that first time, I wrote a different book report on Charlotte’s Web every year into early middle school. I’ve not reread it in decades, but I can’t deny it was my favorite for the longest time.