Over the summer, I took a break from reading as quickly as I do when I’m writing this column. I picked up the same book multiple times and put it down and that’s ok. It’s ok to get distracted and not read as much because life happens.
I was unpacking a Halloween bin today and found a favorite childhood book and knew I needed to share it with all of you. I pack holiday books in with holiday decorations. We wouldn’t normally read those books the rest of the year, so they don’t need to be out on shelves all the time. Some holidays we see them, smile, and continue unpacking holiday decorations. Other years, holiday unpacking stops and it’s a chance to revisit a favorite holiday story.
Today, I stopped and sat down among partially unpacked decorations and started flipping through the pages. For those of you who know me personally and my involvement with the giant pumpkin weigh off in my town, you might get a chuckle from my favorite childhood Halloween book. I loved (and still love) “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” I was always drawn to this line, “On Halloween night, the great pumpkin rises from the pumpkin patch.” I waited with Linus. I loved the idea of a magical larger than life pumpkin.
I’ve talked about before when books and reality overlap. I think I like Halloween books so much because there is so much overlap. I love to visit Sleepy Hollow and read the Legend. I live in a town that has a giant pumpkin festival. I watch the children’s faces as they see the first giant pumpkin arrive. I see their excitement and I think of Linus waiting in that pumpkin patch. He wanted to see the giant pumpkin rise from the pumpkin patch so badly.
We connect with books in so many ways. We tie memories to them. We know characters as if they were real life friends. We read their stories, and they become a part of ours. Sometimes, we even find these magical intersections where the stories we love become a part of our reality.