Saturday, March 6, 2010

When spring is on the way

I like to reread The Secret Garden. I used to read it every year, but I've slipped recently. It's so hopeful. I love books that begin with the main character having basically nothing, and creating a world for themselves. They have to build their relationships, their occupations, whatever, from the ground up. This book is the most literal interpretation of that story.

This year we're reading it with the Rapunzels, and I'm looking forward to hearing what they think about it. This will be the second time I've read this book along with a group of kids. The first time was in 1992, back when I was a student teacher. Literature based learning was all the rage in education.

I love being able to take a book and dissect its many aspects to put the story into context for the kids. I'm always amazed at how quickly they grasp all the different subtleties of a book beyond the story itself. This go-around, we're going to talk a little bit about English colonialism in India, cholera, the Yorkshire dialect, and of course, gardening.

So, does anyone else have any favorite reads you revisit over and over again?

4 comments:

Steena Holmes said...

InkHeart. I truly am spellbound when reading that book!

TerryLynnJohnson said...

There are very few books I read twice.(one exception is Cold Nights, Fast Trails - read parts of that maybe six times) I find I hardly have time to read all the books I want to read once!

But one I would love to read again sometime is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Another would be Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Sarah said...

Oh... A Little Princess is one of my favorites. I'll pick up Persuasion every now and then, too. Also have a couple of Terry Pratchett's books that I like to reread: The Truth and Going Postal are among my favorites.

Michelle said...

Steena, it's interesting that you chose a relatively new title, and not something from your childhood.

TerryLynn, Roald Dahl is always worth rereading!

Sarah, I've never read Terry Pratchett. Interesting. And I'd forgotten about your love of Jane Austen.