beanie baby worm blog

James and the Giant Peach is one of many Roald Dahl stories I remember consuming when I was young. It's a shorter one, but just as memorable as Dahl's longer and more famous works such as Matilda  and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . Ever since writing my Children's Literature paper on the latter and reflecting on some of my childhood favorite books, I've come to the conclusion that Dahl shaped my love for reading at a young age and I'd even go as far as to say that I may not have such an affection for reading if it weren't for silly books such as these that stuck with me ever since reading them for the first time. So I love to read one of Dahl's works when I get the chance, just to relive those moments of joy I had when I read as a child. This short novel was just as I remembered, although I had completely forgot the plot of it. James fits the typical Dahl archetype of a perfect little child who is fit and deserving of an adventure after all they've...

I’ve reached the same age my dad was when he came to the United States not knowing much English, but determined to study what he loves in college. He bought some of his first books in English, Misery by Stephen King, and The Little Prince , at a small mall bookstore that is long gone now. Growing up, I didn’t know the significance behind the small edition we had lying around at home, which is featured in the bottom left of the image, it survived every life change with him, unlike Misery . It is a little worn and water damaged, but he plucks it from my shelf and jokes that it doesn’t belong among my books, that it’s his. He has a fondness in his eyes when he picks it up. I tried to read it when I was a young teenager, but it confused me. I was between the age of a clueless child who accepts anything told in stories without quibbling, and being an adult who can analyze and discern personal meaning from a piece of art. I left it to gather dust for another couple years. But some time last...

An adorable story of how nursery magic allows toys to become real to children that truly love them. The velveteen rabbit loves the boy in such a pure sweet way, and the child’s love is equally pure as well. Life happens and sometimes we have no choice but to move on in life without the toys that brought so much joy in our early years. But this story immortalizes them, allowing us to recall a time when the toys we loved so deeply were real to us and will therefore always be real. The picture shows one of my most physically loved childhood toys, a My Melody plush that matches my sister’s Hello Kitty plush. Growing up, she always got Hello Kitty items and I always received My Melody, leaving no opportunity for quibbling. I have always enjoyed bunnies, they have followed me from my childhood till now. I see them in everything when I look around my surroundings, a stray white rabbit candy on my desk, My Melody box I keep my hair bows in, and even on my socks. Maybe I’ll never be able to tur...

Stargirl was the original Manic Pixie Dream Girl.  I picked this up purely out of curiosity because it’s a classic in middle school (sometimes required) reading, and because Jack Edwards reviewed it as part of reading Taylor Swift's recommendations. My hopes weren’t extremely high, but after painfully reading it in its entirety, I have come to the conclusion that it is an insult to children’s intelligence and standards for storytelling everywhere. I’m just grateful I didn’t read it in middle school because it would have put me off reading forever, and I likely wouldn’t be here today. Stargirl is comprised of shallow caricatures of high school dynamics, students, and social settings, making me wonder if Spinelli even tried to be accurate or believable while writing and researching for this. I would one day like to unpack why high school settings are used in media and books for young audiences, because from my experience, 99% of the time they are not even realistic and their sole pu...

I read Fantastic Mr. Fox as a child, but forgot everything about it from the plot to the characters. I picked it up out of curiosity of how it differs from Wes Andersen's film adaptation and fondness for the childhood memory of reading it. The story was really fun and whimsical despite it already being one of the less quirky ones written by Dahl, I can see why I loved his works so much when I was younger.  However, there was far more nuance than I expected in between the short amount of pages this story consisted of. I found the pages when Badger asks Mr. Fox, "Doesn't this worry you just a tiny bit Foxy? [...] All this ... this stealing ." to which Mr. Fox replies, "Do you know anyone in the whole world who wouldn't swipe a few chickens if his children were starving to death?" particularly interesting because it was the only moment in the story where there seemed to be a conscious choice to take a step back and question the group's actions as ethi...

Peter Pan is a story that highlights, berates and yet also celebrates the undeniable “heartless” nature of children. This intertwines with its inevitable pairing of the other part of the equation, the mother who would endure ten days of unhappiness to allow her children ten minutes of delight. Now this is a true glimpse into motherhood, another prevalent theme. Wendy, Michael and John leave their loving mother on a whim, fully expecting her window and thus her loving arms, to be open and welcoming when they come back at any time they please, even having the audacity to nearly forget about her while traipsing around Neverland. A mother’s love is a beautiful yet tragic phenomenon, taken for granted by children who cannot help their innocent and hence heartless nature, all we can do is observe.  Peter Pan embodies the worst traits of children amplified, his conceit, forgetfulness--greedily snatching glory that doesn't belong to him--and love for make believe, as there are never any r...