I often miss the feel of my old house in Milpitas. I lived there until I was 10. It was a four bedroom house and one room, which I dearly enjoyed playing in, was called the "t.v. room", because that is where our old, wooden relic of a t.v. had been banished to. Anything that did not have a place in the rest of the house was banished to this room, and by the time we moved it was completely covered with wonderful treasures. Once I created a tunnel underneath it all, and began using the mountain of objects as a fortress. Ahhh, back when clutter was entertainment. Today it is only stress.
But before this room was taken over by... well, everything... it was a nice room where I would play, read and listen to records. And, for one summer, my favorite record was Raffi's Christmas Album and my favorite books were the Berenstain Bears. I was pretty young, and I really enjoyed the fact that I could read them on my own. My mother had a day care in our home at the time, and it made me feel so much older and more mature then the other children, being able to kick back and read a book. What could they do? Play with dolls? Play in the sandbox out back? How childish. How preschool.
When I see Berenstain Bears books in the store, or on my roomate's daughter's bookshelf, it takes me back to that old house, and creates conflicting feelings. Sad and sentimental, safe and empty. The familiar square shape and plastic cover brings about a smile, and a tear.
That's how I felt yesterday, upon hearing the news that Stan Berenstain, co-auther of the Berenstain Bears children stories, had passed away. He was 82.
"Christmas time's a comin',
Christmas time's a comin',
Christmas time's a comin',
And I know I'm goin' home..."
-Raffi Christmas Album
Questions to think about: What were your favorite stories growing up? Do you own any of them today?
2 comments:
I grew up with the Berenstain Bears as part of the Dr. Seuss collection. Still have most the set as the books fit in well with my early childhood degree.
I find most of the Berenstain Bears books in second hand book shops. Don't know who would throw them out!?!
Stan Berenstain definitely left a lasting legacy.
It's true, Ego Cogtio, he really did create a legacy.
For those of you who may not know, Jan and Stan Berenstain wrote over 200 books about the Berenstain Bears!
I know my mother still owns the copies I used to read. Also, we had a couple on video (which at the time was THE COOLEST. VHS, oh yeah baby).
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