Maurice Sendak 1928-2012

It has always been easy for me to recall sitting around on the carpeted floor at the feet of our librarian at Willard School while she read some book to us. Where The Wild Things Are was one of those books. It was at first glance scary to look at the Sendak pictures of monsters but as the story unfolded in the safety of the Library the fears were replaced by wonder. My life long love of reading was nurtured here in the Willard School Library and in our home. We had a rule at home that we had to read, it didn't matter too much what because our parents kept us supplied with books. we only had to be prepared to read to our father when he came home at night from work. We would sit together in his chair in the living room and read books like Hugh Lofting's Doctor Dolittle. We had the complete set and it began like this:

Once upon a time, many years ago when our grandfathers were little children--there was a doctor; and his name was Dolittle-- John Dolittle, M.D. "M.D." means that he was a proper doctor and knew a whole lot.

He lived in a little town called, Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. All the folks, young and old, knew him well by sight. And whenever he walked down the street in his high hat everyone would say, "There goes the Doctor!--He's a clever man." And the dogs and the children would all run up and follow behind him; and even the crows that lived in the church-tower would caw and nod their heads.

This Dr. Dolittle was nothing like the Rex Harrison or Eddie Murphy versions. It was much more high-minded and serious, though mixed with moments to make children like me laugh and smile.

I'm so very glad to be a reader, even in a digital age where paper books are being replaced by digital ones. The important thing is still the same: to do the reading itself and hopefully in an encouraging atmosphere like the one I grew up in at the Willard School Library and on my Dad's reading chair.