Oh, I do remember many childhood books.the Grimm?s Fairy Tales, Mother Goose and others. Yet, the one book that influenced me most, and I still have it, is A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson.
I received this book from my Great Aunt Augusta, who would read the poetry
to me before I learned to read. Even to this day(years later), as I read poems
from this book, I can vision my Aunt Gussie, and hear the words from her. Like:
’HAPPY THOUGHT
The world is so full of a number of things,
I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.*’
And whoever could loll in bed after reading:
’TIME TO RISE
A birdie with yellow bill
hopped upon the window sill,
cocked his shining eye and said;
’Ain’t you’shamed, you sleepy-head!’
The simplicity with which Stevenson wrote verse for children brought many imagined visions to me, something that has stayed with me many years. How great a gift this is to any child.of any age!
Knowing how much this book influenced me as a child and later through life,
it is the earliest gift I would give to my niece/nephews and grand-niece/nephews.
I now write poetry, and can thank RLS for his help.he must be my muse.
I rate this as one of the best books to be read to, and given, a child.
Pros: A Great help in developing imaginations
Cons: None