Everyday Canvas

Peter Pan

Do you remember your favorite children's book? What was it about that book that captivated your young mind? Was it the setting? The Characters? Or the person who was reading the book to you?

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This made me laugh. At myself. Not the prompt or all the other dreamboat stories told or read to other young girls who may be about four, five or six... stories with castles and princes and happily ever after stuff. Then, although my mother was a fabulous storyteller and she told me of stories of giants, kings, princesses and the like, she never mentioned or knew about my favorite story.

That is...my favorite children's story was Peter Pan written by J. M. Barrie. The first version, which I was given at six years of age, was a picture book and I couldn't read enough of it. I carried it with me, went to bed with it, even took it to shopping and other places we went. Later, several other versions of the book was gifted to me.

I don't know what I liked about the book then, or about Peter Pan. Was it the fact that he never grew up or was it all the action and entertainment in the story? The only feeling I recall is that I wanted to be in the Neverland myself, where one could escape that thing they called growing up.

The other characters were captivating, too. As to Captain Hook, each time I read the book, he turned even more sinister. I wasn't quite sure of Tinker Bell, too sweet and unbelievable, maybe, but I liked the lost boys who chose to stay young forever. Wendy on the other hand, probably personified the adulthood and I thought of her as sort of being self-important and stuck up. After all, she grew up, didn't she!

This whole Peter Pan thing now reminds me of my younger son, when he was a child. Unlike his older brother who couldn't wait to grow up, each birthday, my younger one didn't want to be a year older. "I don't want to be six, Mom! I want to stay five!" This serves me right for loving Peter Pan, who also didn't want to grow up.

But then, did I really grow up? Now, that is the big question, isn't it!

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