I have been trying to remember what the first book was that I remember reading, without much success. My overwhelming memory is of the books we had at home and how exciting our trips to the public library was. At home we had a set of encyclopedias. I cannot remember what the name was. I do remember, very un-librarian like, that it had a cream cover with gold lettering. I loved looking at the Gem stones pages, which were printed on what we librarians call plates, but to me as a child was wonderfully colourful and the pages smooth and lovely to touch. Along with these encyclopedias were a set of classics. Also with wonderfully full colour illustrations on the front and back covers and pages. The Hans Anderson Fairytales volume was the first of these that I read. Others in the series were Black Beauty, Robinson Crusoe, The adventures of Tom Sawyer and of course Alice in Wonderland. Perhaps I read Alice in Wonderland too young. I could not for the life of me understand why this silly girl ate and drank stuff simply because there was a note on it that said so. I must admit to enjoying it much more as an adult reading Alice with my nieces and nine year old son.
Another overwhelming memory as I try to remember reading my first book, is going to the public library in Thornton road where the library use to be in Athlone where I grew up. A crew from our neighbourhood would go. We were not allowed to go alone as we to cross two busy roads in order to get to the library which was about 10 minutes walk away. Even so, were lucky to have a library at all in the vicinity. The old Athlone Library was a two room affair. One section for children and the other for adults. Neither room was very big and the collections were not either. And yes the librarian in the adults section did really have a bun and spectacles. Coming back to what I read, I was a fairy and folk tales girl. I do remember finding a copy of Enid Blyton's Noddy with the Golliwog. I did not know then how controversial Enid Blyton and the Golliwog was. What I remember taking out and reading from the library, is The Tale of Peter Rabbit and other works of Beatrix Potter. I absolutely adored these small books, which was much easier to read and carry in my small arms then some of the other landscape sized books that children's books are published in. I guess the publishers did not know that children has to carry the books home! I suppose my very first book would have been the books that we learnt to read from in school. I remember Kees, Daan en Koeloe but must admit not remembering the story at all. I also remember that these school books were often illustrated with only one or two colours, orange comes to mind, and of course that is why the full colour illustrations in the books at home and Beatrix Potter was such a treat.
Perhaps it is still why I enjoy reading children's literature so much with my son. We particularly like the Roald Dahl's The Enormous Crocodile.
