Today was a milestone in the Jaffé family. Our latest reader has begun her first chapter book. Since yesterday, she has read seventy pages, which is a massive effort from a 5 ½ year old.
To see her lying on the couch engrossed in a book fills me with pleasure. I love that she’s caught the bug. For some strange reason I feel like I’ve done my job; infected another of my offspring with the love of reading. And somewhat appropriately, Tilda is reading The Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton.
Why do I say “appropriately”? Because even forty plus years after she died, Enid Blyton is a writer who resonates through generations and leaves an indelible mark. Millions of us have read her books and, as we pass our love of Blyton on like a baton to the next generation, many millions more will come to know her too.
But appropriate too because so many writers, especially female writers, mention Enid Blyton’s name as the author who turned them from mere readers to passionate readers. And anyone who writes is, first and foremost, an addicted reader. Perhaps by choosing The Wishing Chair as my daughter’s first chapter book I have set her on a course for life. Another Kate Morton, Charlotte Wood or Kate Forsyth in the making.
Whatever happens, there is no turning back. She can’t un-learn to read and whether she decides she loves or loathes Blyton, it’s almost guaranteed that she will keep reading.
I wonder, do you have a favourite Blyton, or if not Blyton which writer turned you into a dedicated reader?
meredithjaffe 