‘I found my soul when I lost myself in a book’…….Livonne

Reading has always been a huge part of my life. I escaped trauma through reading. I learned to separate myself from the here and now and allowed my mind to be in one place while my body was in another. That’s the beauty of reading. It can take you out of yourself and off to places you’ve never even dreamed of.

This last week, I’ve been spending time with 3 of my granddaughters while it was school holidays. I had all three girls for a few days while their Mummy and Daddy had to work, then brought Amelia home with me for a few days, then back to Canberra to spend time with all 3 again. Now I will be honest, I’m exhausted. I’m nowhere near match fit and very out of practise with running after 2 year olds, let alone twins. But in saying that, they bring so much joy and laughter into my life, that it is a welcome exhaustion.

On the way back from Canberra with Amelia, I put The Magic Faraway Tree audio book on for her (and me) to listen to. She rolled her eyes a bit when I said I was going to play my favourite book when I was a kid. But within a few minutes she was completely enthralled by it. Her face lit up and I knew she was seeing that tree with it’s wonderful inhabitants and magical lands at the top of it. It warmed my soul to see the delight on her face.

Of course, I didn’t mind listening to it either. Almost 6 years ago, when I was having treatment for breast cancer, I had to drive an hour each way daily for radiation therapy. I preferred to drive myself where possible though I did have days when other people took me. But in the car on my own, I listened to Kate Winslet reading the Faraway Tree and it took away all thoughts of what my body was going through. I could escape into the safety of the tree as I had done as a child. It was such a relief to escape for an hour before the treatment and an hour after. It made the whole ordeal almost pleasurable. 2 hours of delight with 15 minutes of reality. Precious!

So, I thought I’d share with you my 5 favourite books of childhood. I could read very well, quite early in life, so was probably reading above my age group at the time but these books have such a strong place in my heart, I will read them well into old age. If you haven’t read them, it’s not too late. As C.S. Lewis said in the dedication of his book The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to his goddaughter Lucy, “I wrote this story for you, but when I began it, I had not realised that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales and by the time it is printed and bound, you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” I beg you to start reading kids books again. It is a delicious pleasure.

I have mentioned these stories before but I think it’s worth mentioning them again. I didn’t want to order them as they are each so special in their own way but I’ll try.

Number 5: Mary Poppins…..PL Travers

I often mention that I cut my reading teeth on Mary Poppins. Not the PL Travers books unfortunately. We didn’t have those. But I did have a Disney read along book of the story which had been released to coincide with the movie. I would only have been around 3 or 4 and I would play the record that came with the book and follow along with the book. Tinkerbell rang a bell when it was time to turn the page. This is how I learned to read. I can still hear Mary Poppins saying Spit Spot to Michael and Jane. The book took me straight to England and I knew one day I would visit there. When I finally got to England at the grand old age of 51, and saw the milky pink streaked morning sky, my first thoughts flew back to Mary Poppins. Such was the strength of those memories. This Christmas, a lovely friend sent me Aunt Sass, one of the books by PL Travers and I read it with absolute delight.

Number 4: The Secret Seven and Famous Five…..Enid Blyton

I can’t honestly remember which series of these books I preferred as a kid though I think it was the Secret Seven. There were so many in the series and I still have heaps of them from my childhood. I must revisit them and enjoy the exploits of the children as they solved mysteries and got into (and out of) all sorts of predicaments. I read them voraciously and roamed the English countryside with the protagonists of both sets of books. I lost way to many hours with them, but found so much more than time. Enid Blyton has had lot of bad press over the years but I will always be eternally grateful to her for the glorious legacy of storytelling she left behind.

Number 3: Little Women….Louisa May Alcott

Oh this book! My heart soared reading the story of the March girls and their Marmee. It was probably the first book that I really found so much emotion in. I didn’t expect to face grief in a book but when Beth died, I thought the tears would never stop. I identified with each of the girls in a way that I hadn’t really found before and it was a secret I shared only with them. The longing for love and family of Meg. The wanting to stay a child like Beth. Even the wanting to fit in of Amy, though she annoyed me the most. (and yet I went on to call my daughter Aimee) But mostly, the ambition and needing more from life of Jo. This book was my foray into the world of grown up reading. It was fine for my age group but it delved into much deeper issues than are normally in a book that children read. It is testimony to the story that there have been so many film versions made. And it is a story that I’m sure will enthral generations to come, as it should. If you haven’t read it (sorry for the spoiler) you should. It is divine.

Number 2: Seven Little Australians….Ethel Turner

Now as much as I’ve put this second on my list, I believe strongly that this piece of literature is probably the most beautiful I have ever read in my lifetime and probably the most exquisite EVER written. The descriptive and lyrical prose could almost make you cry even if the story wasn’t as heartrending as it is. It is the story of the Woolcott family, seven children growing up at their home, Misrule, with their often overbearing military father and their sweet soft stepmother. Again, the grief in this book is more than I can bear, made even harder by the heavenly use of language, but the love and fun with the Woolcott family balances it out beautifully. I believe it is probably the greatest Australian book ever written and if you want someone to learn to understand and love descriptive dialogue, this book is the one for them to read. Seven Little Australians is perfect. There is not one single thing in this story that isn’t magnificent. It should be on everyone’s list of ‘must reads’.

Number 1: The Magic Faraway Tree….Enid Blyton

The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree, Folk of the Faraway Tree and Up the Faraway Tree are just the most delightful books a child (or adult) could read. I dare you to read it and not imagine yourself slipping down the slide in the middle of the tree, listening to the Woosha Woosha of the leaves dancing in the breeze, trying to avoid Dame Washalot’s dirty washing water. I dare you to read it and not wish you were in the world of ‘Do as you please’ or ‘Spells and dreams’. It is so beautifully crafted to bring your own imagination to the fore. Everyone of us could read these books and we would all see things in a different way. They were made to spark imagination. They are divine. They were my escape from trauma and I will always bow at the feet of these characters for allowing me to share the safety of their tree. Read these books with your kids or grandkids. They will thank you forever for allowing them to be children and for letting their imagination take flight. The first chapter of my exhibition From Fractured to Fairytale was based on this book as an homage to Enid Blyton and her books.

I hope you might be inspired to pick one of these stories up if you haven’t read it yet. Don’t just watch the movie or the mini series. Read the book, or if you’d prefer, get the audio book to listen to. You honestly won’t regret it. These books may have been written for children but they are for all ages. You just have to open your mind to the possibilities the world has to offer…

Happy Reading….Livvy xxx