At #kidlitchat on Twitter Tuesday night, March 2, @gregpincus and @bonnieadamson (facilitators of the weekly chat) asked what book or books had inspired us to begin writing for children.
We began on track, then (not unproductively) veered over into books we loved, books that had had impact on us.
I said that, at least on a conscious level, my beloved childhood books had not evolved directly into the wish to write for children. But the conversation did stimulate my thoughts about the important areas those books had had impact on. Here I am, after all, writing about resilience. One of my very favorite books (still!) was The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. I wanted to be that kid who never gave up!
And even though it was Dr. Seuss’ birthday yesterday, I think I got my wish. Thank you, Dr. Seuss! 
Among the many things they do, books give voice to the longings we have for ourselves, and – even through fiction – make them seem possible.
How about you? Are there favorite childhood books that truly helped you to become the person you wanted to be?
Dr. Suess helped shape my creativity in my early twenties. I worked at an environmental Ed. center and we performed The Lorax as a play twice a week. A few years later at another Environmental Ed. center I’d recite the entire book at campfires. Dr. Suess really did help spark my storytelling.
When I was a young child the first non-picture book I remember loving was The Boxcar Children. I thought it was so cool that these kids could live in a boxcar on their own.
Oh, yes, those boxcars, Paul – how I wanted one of my own! And for a long time in Chicago, just outside “The Loop” downtown, there was a boxcar restaurant. Every time I drove by, those childhood yearnings got stirred…