30 days of Book Discussion: Day 21

I think I've recovered from Christmas enough to get this going again. So, day 21:

Favorite book from your childhood

I think I might alter this slightly to Favorite children's book.  I had some favorite books from childhood, but it's a bit hard to remember what they were, so I'd like to talk about a more recent experience.

I graduated with my bachelor's in December of 2006. Afterward in January and February, even though I was working, I was still trying to figure out what to do with myself without school hanging over my head and permeating my life. I hadn't read anything for recreational purposes since my freshman year when I blew through the Lord of the Rings series instead of doing my English homework. In the years since then, all my reading consisted of textbooks and dissertations and scholarly journals and academese.

So in those cold winter months I picked up a copy of Anne of Green Gables from my shelf and started to read. It was like the sun shining into my life. Anne's character is so enraptured with the world around her, so excited to be alive and full of imagination. When I had to put the book down to go to work, colors seemed brighter and sounds sweeter. She filled my life with color in a season of grey and I felt like I was becoming myself again. The easy language and lightness of the story lifted me out of my university funk and reminded me that reading could be frivolously pleasurable.  Even if it wasn't peer-reviewed.

About a year later, I was working at the library and a girl came up to me and said, "I just graduated and all I've read are textbooks for the past few years.  Now I want something fun to read."  After some questions we settled on a Shannon Hale book for her and I could see her excitement as she headed to check it out.

I was excited for her, too.

Did you have a similar experience after college?  What's your favorite children's book?