The Formative Years

I recently started an idle review of my fave literature from the formative years (pre secondary school). I was talking about it with the folks the other day, and Dad who was the primary story-reader in our house, remembers knowing much of the early stuff by heart.

First up would have to be The Kitty-Poosies by Ivy Wallace. I still have the tiny book - missing it's cover and ragged at the edges. Who can forget such passages as...

"What can I call my Kitty-Poosies?" wondered Mama Pudditat. "The grey one has such very white paws - I think I will call her Snowy-toes," she purred. "And the little ginger one is just the colour of toffee - he can be called Toffeekins. And the third kitten will be Purry-paws because he is always purring."

Well, maybe you had to be aged 3 to get the thrill of this, but it was big stuff in our household...

The next big impact would have to be a long stream of superhero comics that Dad started buying when I was ill with chicken pox or the like.  But which also ignited a desire to have a head start on reading.  Being the micro feminist that I was, I especially loved my female superheroes, with Supergirl at the top of the list (quick flashback to me streaking around the house with a pillowcase hooked around my shoulders as a cape...)

My mother also influenced my reading choice with her childhood books (yes the original musty old tomes retrieved from the back of a closet on the farm). Little Women and Anne of Green Gables stand out especially and I read my way through both series. I think the portrayal of gentle femininity was meant to have a good influence on me.  Tough luck, Mum.

And then how could I forget my initiation into classic Sci Fi through the books of Isaac Asimov (the I, Robot stories) and Philip K Dick and his unique view of the future through novels and short stories. I think Dad might have been a little concerned when his 11-12 yr old daughter started hanging out in these library aisles, but they were really my introduction to philosophy and quirky logic on a cosmic scale.

Next installment will be the High School years....