“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates’ loot on Treasure Island and at the bottom of the Spanish Main…and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life.” Walt Disney
Brilliant words spoken by an absolutely brilliant man! And it is a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. I LOVE books!! I have many fond memories of my dad reading to me, my sisters, and my brothers, complete with different silly voices for all of the characters in our books. Sitting together to listen to our favorite stories was always time very well spent. Around the time I was in first grade I learned to read, and once I became independent enough to do so on my own there was no turning back. I would gladly read and reread whatever I could get my hands on. And now that I have kids of my own, I’ve tried my best to instill a fondness for books and reading in them as well. I’ve introduced them to all of my favorite books and authors over the years – from Eric Carle’s beautifully illustrated picture books and all of Dr. Seuss’s classics to the many endearing stories written by Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume. And we visit our local library at least once a week. One of the best discoveries I’ve ever made is the ability to request books from neighboring libraries and have them delivered to our library. It is so easy to get a hold of whatever may interest my kids at the moment, and then they always have a steady source of reading materials on hand. I might never be a prouder mama than when I hear “I want to read _____. Can you request it from the library?” Music to my ears every time!
Growing up, my favorite Disney animated film was Beauty and the Beast. I loved everything about that movie! From the quaint and charming French village where Belle’s story begins to the elegant castle where Beast resides, all of the scenery in Beauty and the Beast is so visually stunning. Every single song on the soundtrack is wonderful, as well. I will especially never grow tired of singing along with Lumiere during “Be Our Guest” and with Le Fou during “Gaston.” And the entire cast of characters is fantastic! The mysterious and complicated Beast, arrogant and self-absorbed Gaston, the adorable and kind-hearted enchanted castle objects that become Belle’s sidekicks – and Belle, oh how I LOVE Belle! She is brave and kind and confident and clever (and I could go on and on), but what I admire most about her is her passion for books and reading. So often in my life, I have felt her same desire to tune out the world around me and get lost in the new places, people, and adventures that books offer.
The scene I always looked forward to most in Beauty and the Beast was when Beast surprises Belle with his library. Belle’s look of awe and pure happiness when she first sees this magnificent room, filled with rows upon rows of books on floor-to-ceiling shelves, never grows old for me! That scene made such an impression on me that I decided when I grew up and had a house of my own that I’d be sure to turn one room in my house into a library like Beast’s. Fast forward to just about five years ago, and that dream finally came true! When we moved from our townhouse into our single-family home, I struck a deal with my husband to transform a would-be office into a library – and with the help of his handyman skills, awesome shelving units from Ikea, books that I’ve been collecting since childhood, and a few Disney touches (of course!) we created my favorite room in our house. It continues to be a work in progress – my ultimate goal is to have every inch of wall space covered with shelves and books just like Beast’s – but regardless, it is truly my pride and joy!
