Hello, friends! So, I feel like it doesn't really need to be said, but things are weird and stressful and upsetting right now. Over the course of an ordinary summer, the library would be packed with people from when we open to when we close. Families would share lunches on the lawn. Summer reading programming would be both in person and in full swing. But it isn't. At least not in the same way. I'm so glad that the library can still bring you cool programs, storytimes, and of course all the books you can carry. It's still sad that everything is different this year. It's okay to be sad about it or stressed. I know I feel that way. When I'm scared or stressed or overwhelmed, I like to pick up books that make me feel safe. The right book can be like a warm hug. Without further ado, here are some books to keep you company.
I've always adored Shel Silverstein and his poetry brings me back to a time when I felt safe. Seeing the cover or any of the art from Where the Sidewalk Ends reminds me of reading under the covers with a flashlight. The art is weird and a little uncanny but also nostalgic and wonderful.
Martin the Warrior, is hands down one of my favorite books. It instilled a love of adventure and fantasy in me that still persists to this day. I've always preferred audiobooks and I can distinctly remember listening to the audiobook while sitting in a pile of woodchips under a slide at a playground. Yes, I was super cool. Martin the Warrior is an adventure story about a young mouse named Martin who has to go on an adventure in order to free his friends from pirates. It's fascinating and whimsical and dark all at once. It makes me think of summer vacation and peach cobbler breakfasts made by my late grandmother.
Harriet the Spy was another one of my favorite things to listen to over and over again during summer vacation. She was everything I wanted to be. Harriet's hobby is spying on her friends and people around the neighborhood to discover their secrets which she keeps in a notebook. Her ultimate goal is to become a double-agent who spies on every country she works for. It fed into my love of detective fiction and made any normal neighborhood feel like it was full of adventure and secrets.
I understand that these books are comforting because they were a part of my childhood. Still, I think they bring enough adventure, whimsy, and wonder that I think fit in well with any summer break. Do you have a specific cozy book that makes you feel safe? Leave your favorites down in the comments below!
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