But what I didn't discuss at the time is that, well, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that I read because of the Peanuts gang. I read the books. I re-read the books. I knew the characters intimately. I learned about interpersonal relationships, empathy, sports, Sopwith Camels, and the simple joys of suppertime.
Sure, I read other things like, I dunno, Dr. Seuss (longtime readers of the blog must be shocked by this revelation!). Yet when I think of childhood reading, it's always Peanuts first.
What's amazing to me is that here decades later, some people still debate the value of comics and graphic novels. Luckily for me, my mom and dad were not among the doubters.
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| A few of my Peanuts books, still on my shelf. |
3 comments:
Hee! I like your Peanutized self a great deal better than the other ones, which look weirdly 3-D and not like the originals.
My parents restricted my fiction reading; I was ONLY allowed Peanuts comics and nonfiction. I read them VORACIOUSLY, not being a huge fan of only nonfiction -- they were a welcome relief in childhood.
I'm pretty sure that my sister only reads because of Peanuts as a child. But you knew that you two had lots in common!
BTW we shipped all of Mike's PEANUTS books (the ones not falling apart) from his childhood bedroom to our kids' bedrooms when we were back east last summer. Now Jacob is doing a book report on SPARKY, the life of Charles M. Schulz (and we had our second visit to the Schulz museum in Santa Rosa over Thanksgiving -- that place rocks). So we are bringing our kids up with Peanuts all around.
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