In the words of Noddy Holder, it's Chriiiiiiiistmaaaaaaas! Well, nearly. It's definitely prezzie buying season and for me that means some guilt-free trips to the local book shops!
I'm very fortunate in that I've got to an age where I have lots of children to buy for. It gives me a chance to catch up on what's happening in that brightly coloured section which I never used to go in to. An awful lot seems to have changed since I was a kid. I'm pretty sure there are a lot more books now and a lot more authors too. Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and the Ahlbergs are still there, often with whole shelves to themselves, but even these big names are sometimes quite hard to spot among the spines embossed with those I've never heard of. Equally, I've been surprised to see some familiar names from other spheres in the children's section - David Walliams always seems to busy, so I was amazed to find he'd published four children's books!
All this change leads to a weird sense of wonder and disorientation when I'm in a children's section. Sometimes this actually begins way before I even get to the shop. For example, one conversation I had with a mum in the run up to last Christmas went something like:
"What would your daughter like for Christmas? What's she reading?"
"She likes Clarice Bean books."
"Pardon?"
"Clarice Bean."
"What on Earth is a 'Clarice Bean'?"
All I can say is I'm grateful for Google. As it happens, I had a brilliant time researching Clarice Bean books. 'My Uncle is a Hunkle' is probably one of my favourite book titles of all time.
Although it's great that this area is churning with new authors, for an oldie like me it's reassuring to see that the books I loved as a child are still available. I've mentioned Dahl and Blyton already, but it's great to see Mr Majeika, Flat Stanley and Mrs Pepperpot are all still around. It's easy to look back on the things we loved as children with rose-tinted spectacles, so it's good to know that these books have stood the test of time and are still enjoyed by new generations.
And that, I think, is an important point. Parents share the stories they loved with their children, perhaps even the actual books they read themselves when small. Some of my fondest memories are of my father reading to me and I've enjoyed reading to other people's children - hopefully they liked it too! Sharing stories is something that human beings have done since the dawn of time, an act which helps groups and families bond and allows important lessons to be passed on.
So, perhaps while I enjoy buying books for children because I just love books, maybe its actually part of something a bit bigger and more important. Or maybe I'm just looking for a really, really good excuse to go book shopping!
Now, enough of the nostalgia, back to the reading!
