Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?

Absolutely!

I loved reading as a child. And as a preteen, I would read ten books each week during the summer. I’m pretty sure I read every single Hardy Boys mystery, every Nancy Drew story, all the Sherlock Holmes books, and a whole lot of other books as well.

But… as a child…

The Poky Little Puppy, by Janette Sebring Lowry is hands-down my favorite book from childhood.

Why? I mean… puppies and dessert in the same story. What else is needed?

But there’s more. Though (maybe because) I developed ADHD at some point in my childhood, I was dreadfully distracted most of the time, daydreaming and exploring all the time. So I strongly identified with the main character.

And, I mean, “roly-poly, pell-mell, rumble-tumble“ is some fun onomatopoeia for a little boy!

Another connection for me with the puppy is that I was a slow eater. While the book never says he was slow at eating – just everything else, my mind also perceived him as a slow eater, too – like me! I also attached my all-time favorite comfort food with this particular book. Though not a dessert item, I guess maybe it is similar enough to rice pudding, or was in my childish understanding.

One more thing, I think, that endeared me to that book: there was a mother figure in the story. And even though I was aware that my mother died, that didn’t stop me from constantly looking for a mother figure. How do you adequately explain death to a toddler anyway??

Which…brings me to recall my second favorite childhood book: Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman. As a child, this book always gave me hope that I, too might find my mother if I just looked hard enough. But of course, that was impossible. So it also made me sad.

And so, The Poky Little Puppy will forever remain my favorite book from childhood.