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I’ve been reading since I was a kid—even before I knew who Mark Twain was. Why did I say Mark Twain? Today I was reminded of a book my dad encouraged me to read when I was a kid. One of them was “The Prince and the Pauper” by Mark Twain. For the life of me, I have no idea why this book sticks in my memory. I wasn’t interested in reading this book.
Because it was about two young boys? Why would a little girl want to read about two boys? Well, I was a tomboy and I did like comic books. Ah ha, that must have been his reasoning. Either way, my dad was adamant about me reading. (He read all the time, and I have a feeling he wanted to be a writer instead of a construction worker/ truck driver.)
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In fact, he joined a book club, and books were constantly being delivered to our house, for me. Too bad I don’t still have those books. The thing I remember about the books that were delivered, was the different colors, and the bindings all had different colors too.
Purple stands out in my mind when I think of this book. One was white with a purple binding. The books from this club didn’t have a picture on them. I might have read them if they had a picture on the cover, but I believe these books were written for kids older than me, even though I could read most of the words.
Funny, but I don’t remember my youngest brother reading books, or being asked to read, although he read comic books with me. When I think about it, I was about eight years old or younger, so my brother would have been about six and a half. Of course he wouldn’t have read Mark Twain. So why did I have to?
Did my dad see something in me at that young age that told him I needed this? Thanks, Dad, for encouraging me read. He also made, or encouraged, my brother and I to do homework in the summer. The man made me write outside of school! Thanks again, Dad. LOL Do you have a favorite book you read as a child?
I browsed for covers that might trigger something, and when I clicked on this plain cover, it reminded me of the book. What struck me about this book link on iTunes was a comment on the page that says it all. Check it out. It’s the one that says it will stick in your mind forever.
How true!
Thanks for stopping by to read.
Might as well add a Mark Twain quote while I’m at it. I have no proof Mark Twain actually said this, so please correct me if I’m wrong.
Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
~ Mark Twain ~
Mary J. McCoy-Dressel 
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