This past week I was talking to friends at work and the topic somehow turned to tv shows of our childhood. I love this topic as much as I love talking about my favorite childhood books. I shared that Magic Garden with Carole and Paula was my most favorite show. If you grew up in the NY area in the 70s/80s, you probably remember Magic Garden.
I loved this show. I can’t say that enough. I saw them perform live as child and many years later, when my children were small, I took them to see Carole and Paula perform live at children’s book day at Sunnyside, Washington Irving’s home.
A children’s tv show may seem like an unusual topic for a column about books but this show fits in perfectly here. On the show, Carole and Paula would open the story box (a giant trunk) filled with props for that day’s story. They would then use the props to tell their audience captivating stories. A few simple props became a magical tale with their ability to intertwine some magic….voices, accents, costumes, and the ability to keep their young audience’s attention. I loved their story time.
The oral tradition of telling stories is so important. As a young child, hearing those stories, I felt Carole and Paula’s excitement for the tale. I felt the magic of the story. I loved listening. I loved seeing their take on how the story came to life. I could never replicate it, but I can bring my own excitement to reading stories aloud to young listeners.
Many childhood books shaped me as a reader, but I would be remiss if I did not include the tv show Magic Garden in that list. Carole and Paula were a big part of my early childhood and they too shaped me as a reader. They presented stories in another way, and I learned from them that stories are so much more than simply words on a page. Those words on a page are so important but equally important are those stories we share. The ones that captivate the listener. The ones that might not be written down on any paper and might be told a little differently each time. They are passed on from storytellers to their audience.
I don’t remember the specifics of all the story box stories but I remember how it felt to listen to those stories (and I still remember the song “the stories are here, there all in here”). I remember that magical feeling hearing a story. For young readers and story listeners, the feelings of excitement, wonder, captivation that come from hearing a story aloud are the foundation of building a love of reading. Thank you, Carole and Paula, for making stories come alive for me.