Senior year, the cusp of adulthood. Why is it that childhood is passing us by like a wisp of wind? There are many ways to honor our fleeting childhood, like the little kid backpacks that remind us of the days we used to watch the 2D cartoons, or going through old memories from ages 0 to 18-years-old. Each day that the looming eighteen draws closer, we are more inclined to turn back to the comfort of our childhoods.
Part of what makes childhood so nostalgic are the books we grew up reading. These make up a lot of core memories that are formed and sometimes, taking a break from the grueling academics and jumping into the magical world of books is needed.
These books, so simple in content, have some of the most profound lessons that we still use today. It shapes our personality, our identity.
“When I was younger, I loved reading the Percy Jackson series,” Ava Carr (12) said. “It was such a funny series that had everything: action, romance, humor, anguish, heroism. [It was] genuinely one of my favorite reads, even now, because there was always someone a reader could relate to.”
Having someone to relate to, especially as a young reader, calls for an inspiration, a motivation. Whether that character is relatable through experiences, humor, or their attitude in life, they serve as an important role model to young children, to show the good in the world.
Even the books that we read in elementary school, from “Charlotte’s Web” to “Island of the Blue Dolphins,” to “Bud, Not Buddy,” they still provide nostalgia despite us groaning at reading them in the moment.
“From reading ‘Charlotte’s Web’ in elementary school, I learned to value friendship, despite outward appearances. That even though prejudice happens, true friends stick by each other. These lessons have stuck with me to this day,” Raina Jang (12) said.
Moral of the story, these books have taught us small nuggets of morality from an early age. People often overlook the life lessons that books can teach you, because the point of reading is to essentially set aside your own self and live in someone else’s shoes for the entirety of the book.
When reading, you become the main character, you experience what they experience, you see what they go through and the lessons they’ve learned and you think “oh, I can apply this in my life too!”
The magic of reading, from books like “The Rainbow Fish,” that taught us to share something special with others to share happiness even when it’s something we value, to “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” which taught us about the importance of growth and transformation. These life lessons, sometimes deemed as clichés, can be obvious in the experiences we go through in life, big or small.
“I read ‘Walk Two Moons’ by Sharon Creech when I was younger, and it was a great coming of age novel,” Bella Jimenez (12) said. “This wonderful book that teaches you to not judge someone till you’ve ‘walked two moons’ in their shoes.”
Compassion is a big lesson that we’re taught as an early age, and the importance of not judging until you’ve truly experienced something in someone else’s shoes shows that we shouldn’t immediately jump to conclusions, but instead be patient in hearing their experience.
From children’s books with colorful pictures and rhyming words, to ‘big kid’ books where chapters were introduced to us, to now with pages upon pages of texts, the importance and the magic of reading stays the same.
Even though we sometimes wish we can turn back time and be kids again and marvel at the colorful pictures with our parents, reading is magical at any stage of life. It’s what we do with the lessons we learn from them that matters.
