In Others’ Words: Storytellers

 

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“If a nation loses its storytellers, it loses its childhood.”

—Peter Handke (1942), Australian novelist

My childhood was full of books.

I whiled away many an hour, turning pages, lost in an imaginary world. And, yes, I was one of those kids who walked and read at the same time. And who didn’t hear a word anyone was saying if my nose was stuck in a book — which was quite often.

As a mom, I wanted my children to love reading too. So my husband and I surrounded them with books. And read to them. Old favorites and new favorites. Anytime was reading time. And I always managed to find money in the budget for books.

Now I’m an author.  And while I don’t write children’s books, I do consider myself a storyteller — and my journey along the writing road was inspired by those authors I read as a child. And I just came back from the ACFW conference — where I was surrounded by writers and authors who were all about story. Their stories. Others’ stories. It was a huge celebration of the wonder (and the work!) of story.

In Others’ Words: Writers, were you a voracious reader growing up? One and all: What are some of your favorite childhood books?