Storm of Thoughts

The Not-So-Simple Joy of a Book

I had the unique opportunity to talk with Mary Steenburgen this past weekend as part of an interview for Mom Central. And she said something that really struck me: that we need to encourage children to read, because, whereas a movie is the fulfillment of someone else’s imagination, when we read, we cast our own characters, design our own sets, and create our own costumes. There’s no limit to what we can imagine it to be.

How eloquently true. That is exactly the reason that movies are usually not nearly as good as the books they are based upon. Even an amazing movie with great actors, an incredible script, wonderful music, and a beautiful location can’t live up to what we had imagined. (This is also the reason to always read the book first!) One of my favorite books growing up was The Outsiders. The movie is great too, but nothing compares to the book, and every time I read it (which was often!), new things would occur to me like hidden treasures that can only be uncovered by a third or fourth read.

This is also a large part of the reason that I have always loved to read. When books come alive, it’s just as entertaining as any video game or television show. (Something too many kids today don’t understand.) And a love of reading is something that starts early and remains with you forever. As Meg Ryan said in You’ve Got Mail, “When you read a book as a child it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your life does.”

What was your favorite childhood book?

(Note: This was the only reading-related photo I could find on my computer at the moment. As you can see, Pete also loves to read. Although he is apparently not as thrilled about having his photo taken while doing it.)

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