Childhood

This was the theme of the "members' evening" at the Society's February meeting. Contributions were of varying length from Biggles and Just William to a one-liner about the complaint from the child after his first day at school that he hadn't been taught much, and would have to attend the next day. Hilaire Belloc and Charles Dickens (David Copperfield, the choice of two members), were among the other authors chosen. Below is a contribution by Kim Zanes, written for the occasion, with a rapid tour of her favourite childhood reading:

Miss B, Miss Potter, small animals, the National Trust and her rare Herdwick sheep.

The Little Prince in French and in English, something to speak

The Beano and the Dandy on Saturday morning

Swallows and Amazons imagining at playtime

Piggy on the island with the Lord of the Flies

Enid Blyton and of course, her Famous Five

The Gruffalo and all of the monsters inside

Harry Potter’s wizardly adventures, read by children worldwide

The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Graham’s adventure surprise

Scheherazade tales for a thousand and one nights

Arabian Tales, magical carpet flights

The biggest, the first that I read, was Lord of the Rings

Alice’s adventures of wonderful things

The Jungle Book & Riki Tikki Tavi a valiant young mongoose

All the Anansi Tales no matter how crazy or obtuse

 But My favourite of all, The Tiger who came to Tea

Most of all of them I STILL, wish that had been me

Kim Zanes February 2018