Welcome to This House Has Many Books, a blog about literature for children of all ages. Children’s literature, as with that written for adults, should be experienced, appreciated and enjoyed. It is through the process of interaction with a literary work on a personal level, that the reader makes meaning.
November 4th, 2010
November News: Children’s Book Collection Launch
A wonderful collection of over 6,000 children’s books has been moved to Mount Saint Vincent University and will soon be available on the Novanet library service (For more information visit our new study). There will be an official “launch” of this collection on Monday, Nov. 15th from noon to 1:00 p.m. in the MacDonald Collection room in the Library. All are welcome!
More about this blog…
This blog provides a public forum for the students in my graduate course, Literature for Children and Young Adults, to share their enthusiasm for the children’s books they are reading and to contribute to the many conversations teachers, parents, librarians, students, authors, illustrators and others are having around the world about issues and ideas that matter to them with respect to children’s books.
This is a new venture for me; therefore, I plan to learn a lot along the way as we experiment with content and format in this blog. The name came to me as I sat in my living room and thought about how every room in my house, including hallways both upstairs and down, has books in it, with the majority of these being children’s books. Each book evokes a memory or calls to mind a connection – some old and some newly formed. Some books have been around a long time, some are brand new.
One of my earliest memories associated with a children’s book is from my nursery school days. I had a wonderful teacher who gave each of us a special present when we ‘graduated’. It was a book. The one I was given was in the Wonder Books series and was called “The Blowaway Hat” by Leone Adelson, illustrated by Dellwyn Cunningham (1946). Inside the cover it said “This is my Wonder Book” and there was a place for the owner’s name. My teacher, Miss Emily, wrote: For Jane, I hope you will enjoy this book and many others. With love, Miss Emily.” I remember reading and re-reading it, especially the message from Miss Emily.
However, as sometimes happens, somewhere, in the process of growing up, moving out, and making a life of my own, I became separated from the book I had loved so much as a child. When my university students would speak about favourite books they had growing up, I would always recall fondly The Blowaway Hat. Then one day, my husband Steve, located the book at a used book site and bought it. It now sits on the shelf right behind me as I write this. And whenever I open it, the treasure trove of memories that live inside are brought forth. Such is the power of children’s books and the lasting connection one special teacher made with a child. Thank you Miss Emily!
