With the book in its final stages and arriving around the same time as our little boy, I have been thinking about the connections between children and their favorite stories.
My husband Philip is an elementary school teacher, so we have accumulated quite the collection of children's books, most of which are now sitting on a bookshelf in the nursery, awaiting the arrival of our baby boy. He is due sometime in the next four weeks, roughly the same time as this book. Although I have slightly more control over the arrival of the book than I do of his arrival. Each night Philip picks out a new book and reads it to my belly. Each book is different, just as most adult books are, with different characters, environments, plots and morals. Some children become fascinated by one story in particular and want it read to them over and over. What is it about certain stories that draw the attention and imagination of a child? Why are they drawn more to certain images or characters? Does the child have a deeper connection to a certain story and how was that association created in the first place?
As an adult now submerged in the world of children's literature, I find that I myself feel connected to all stories about animals. And I also appreciate a good moral, lesson or stance on an issue. I can't tell you now what five-year-old me would have thought about Odie's story, but I hope that this book will connect with at least one child out there.
