Editorial May 2021

Dear Readers,

I was thinking today about children’s literature. Do you remember your favorite book as a child? Maybe it was the book that your mom, dad, aunt, grandma, uncle, someone, read for you time and time again, at your insistence. Maybe it was the book that your preschool teacher read out loud to the class periodically (thereby making it a starring player in your earliest school memories). Or maybe it was your go-to book in the summer – hands sticky with popsicles and lemonade, you’d grab it, run to sit on the grass outside, absorb sun, and read. Children’s literature brings us memories and nostalgia. It can transport you to a better time, when things were simpler, and your biggest stress was the steady drip-drip of a melting popsicle on your cotton t-shirt. Books for children tell a story through the eyes of a child, which is a special thing in its own right, nostalgia aside. Think of the simple, profound, grounding, humbling messages that A.A. Milne imparts through the immortal Winnie the Pooh. (The Tao of Pooh is definitely on my summer reading list!) Perhaps you know of Beatrix Potter and her evergreen Peter Rabbit. Maybe you think of Roald Dahl’s hilarious, ridiculous, unforgettably magical stories, or of the poetic oddities in Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. This month, refresh yourself and your soul by reading. Don’t forget to pass along your best recs.