"In most of our childhoods there have been those books beloved, not because the are marvelous children's books, but because they are marvelous books."Anna Quindlen
One of my most beloved books - I often think of it as the book - that affected my life as a kid growing up in Manhattan in the 1950's, was Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking. Why did I love this book so much? Because Pippi Longstocking had her own adventures! She did not rely on anyone else to solve problems for her, she did not wait around for adventure to find her, she went out and found it. This is the book that taught me it was okay to be a girl, no matter what the society of the time might be insinuating. It taught me that girls could act on their surroundings. Could make things happen. Could take delight in the world. This book taught me, most of all, that anything was possible. Pippi was my hero growing up and looking back, I still think of her that way.
Can you name a special book that influenced you growing up in any significant way?
