For my Spring 2016 semester, I decided, as an English Major, to enroll in a children's literature class in order to fulfill a space in my electives. My professor, at the start of the class, asked us, "You are all adults in college, so the question comes up, why on Earth are you all taking a class on children's literature?"
Why on Earth indeed. Surprisingly, despite being an English Major, I hadn't actually started to like reading until I was around 13 or so, let alone wanted to study it. When I found my passion for reading, I would write down pages worth of YA novels for my mother to buy me, as I was in the age group for it. But strangely, the older I got, the more I strayed from books that were meant for "my age."
Now, in my fourth year of college, when I'm not swamped with piles of books for my classes, I usually read novels intended for children when I need something for my leisure time; books such as "Harry Potter," "Percy Jackson," "The Secret Garden," "When Marnie Was There" and many, many others. Therefore, when I found out that Hunter College was offering a class entirely on the study of children's literature, I couldn't enroll in it quick enough.
Being in this class, it's easy to see how much influence we are given from what we read as children. Most of the students in my class were rereading the stories our professor assigned us to read. They had read them all when they were young. I, on the other hand, hadn't begun enjoying books until well into my teen years. Therefore, most of these stories were introduced to me for the first time.
It was utterly amazing discovering all these stories. Stories that were intended for children, but held enough ground for adults to like them as well. As an adult, reading these stories for the first time stirred the childhood feelings within me. It brought me back to times that were simpler -- where responsibilities, school, work and technology didn't rule my entire world. A time where being a child meant living through my imagination and wonder, not simply what is physically there.
Thus, I believe that everyone should relive the timeless tales that they had enjoyed during their childhood. It is worth reliving those precious memories. At this point, I have already composed a thorough list of stories that I will, no doubt, pass onto any children I have in the future. Stories that will, hopefully, stir feelings within them like they did for me when I first picked them up.
