Thursday, May 27, 2010

Getting To Know You

Hello Followers and Friends!

Tomorrow I have a highly entertaining blogpost for those of you with a passing familiarity with Theseus, and maybe for those of you who don't, too. And thanks so much to everyone who commented and enjoyed Tuesday's post on Mycenaean clothing and fashion disasters. But for today, I just wanted to ask you all a question!

What was the first book that you read by yourself?

For me, it was Dr. Seuss's One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. I still remember the day, and how excited I was to have read a book all by myself. That made me wonder about you all, my followers! If ever there were a people gathered together who could reminisce fondly over the first book they ever read on their own, I thought that perhaps it would be you! So let's do this thing!

Today is my three-year anniversary with my husband, and we're going to celebrate by going out to eat at one of my absolute most favorite restaurants in life. (It is something of a drive.) I will not be on the blog so much to reply to comments as-they-are-posted, but I will be looking forward to reading about all the books that started us on the journey we are on now!

18 comments:

  1. Clifford the Big Red Dog :) I was sooo proud too lol awww happy anniversary!

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  2. I used to LOVE Clifford, too!! He was one of my absolute favorites!

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  3. Oh wow. I can't remember the first book I read at all. The best I can do is the earliest novel I remember reading - The Girl With The Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts.

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  4. I've never heard of that one, but now I might have to look it up!

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  5. Yeah, I can't remember either. I read so many as a kid that no one stands out as the earliest! I think the first novel I tried to read was THE DRAGONDRIDERS OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey.

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  6. I LOVED the Dragonriders of Pern books. Not so much in love with the newest ones though. The earlier ones were the best!

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  7. I have a terrible memory for my childhood (that is, I remember very little, not that it was bad!) and started reading very early, so I don't remember the first book. I do know that by age 7, when I went on a long trip to Europe with my family, I was reading the Agatha Christie novels that my mom was picking up (they were the only English books she could find in Portugal & France!), and that, famously (in my family lore, anyway) I read my mom's copies of Robert Graves, Greek Myths 1&2 (she'd brought them as edifying literature, but never got around to reading them herself!). Which definitely started me on the road I'm on now, about to defend my phd in Classics! :)

    (I also read and loved the Pern books very early. :)

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  8. It's funny yours was One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. My son (who's four) has just learned to read that one.

    I honestly can't remember my first book, My Mom says I was 3 when I started reading. The Book I remember the most, however, was "Birthday for Frances." I read that one enough to drive my parents nuts.

    I love the Frances books "Bread and Jam for Frances" is my fav. It really captured the dialogue/musings of a flighty imaginative girl.

    Plus she's an adorable badger!

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  9. Not sure - that was a long time ago!! But I'm sure Dick & Jane had something to do with it :D such an original question - thanks for sharing!

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  10. Um, I don't really remember! But I do know I liked being read to...so much, in fact, that I think, if I recall correctly, I used to pretend I couldn't, so that they would. I'm not sure.

    But one of my *favorites* was Robert the Rose Horse (a horse who is allergic to roses!), and another is The Monster at the End of This Book (starring furry, lovable old Grover), and I can tell you that I read those a *ton!*

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  11. First kiddy book: one of Dr Seuss's, can't remember the name...I think maybe the B Book?

    First serious books: Sophie's World by Jostein Gaardner
    and MĂ€rchenmond by Wolfgang Hohlbein

    I learned how to read with my dad when he read the Karl May books to me, a chapter every evening. Karl May wrote Cowboy&Indian books without ever having been in America (they're pretty good).

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  12. Wow. I have no idea what the first book was that I read alone. Is that bad? LOL! :-)

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  13. Happy Anniversary!!

    Um. OMG HOW COULD I FORGET? I'm kicking myself now because I KNOW THE PLOT but NOT the name of the book.

    Um, it was a book where the parents leave the kids for the day and tell them to paint the fence but the children decide paint the whole of the house as well using all different colours and...um.. it was awesome.

    *snaps fingers*

    I wish I could remember now :(

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  14. I so don't remember, but I have seriously fond memories of There's a Monster at the End of This Book. Happy Anniversary!

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  15. AvenSarah: Wow! haha. What a great origin story for Classics!

    Monica: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish is a great book! I used to love Bedtime for Frances--we read that a lot, and got it for my brother to read to his son!

    Zoe: Thanks for commenting! I don't think I read a single Dick and Jane until way after the fact :)

    Sarah: I LOVED The Monster at the End of this Book! That's one of my favorites too! My sister and I actually did a puppet show of it in a library summer program, we built a little grover puppet with a wooden spoon head. haha!

    Tessa: Those sound like a lot of fun! My dad read to my sister and me before bed almost every night, too.

    Shannon: haha, I don't think you are the only one! No worries!

    Mia: Thanks!! :) :)
    hahaha. in Nanowrimo they have a thread for that-- people post the plots of books they read but can't remember the titles for, and other people who recognize the story tell them the titles!

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  16. Tina: The Monster at the End of This Book is one of the best children's books of all time, I think!! :)

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  17. I don't remember which I read for the first time on my own--probably one of those Dick and Jane books. But I know I read the Chronicles of Narnia at age 5, and that was about that. I was a reader for life. :)

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  18. Nice! I still haven't read the Chronicles of Narnia myself. I need to get on that. I read the first one-- about the crazy uncle guy and the rings, but that's as far as I got.

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