My Childhood Favorites

The first book I remember reading a lot of times is from
the Dutch author Rindert Kromhout, called ‘Het geheim van de afgebeten vingers’.
It was never translated in English, but translated it’s called ‘The Secret of
the Bitten Fingers’. A strange title for a children’s book but I loved it. The
story is based on La Bocca della Verità (The Mouth of Truth) an image, of a man-like
face, located in the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, Italy. Starting from the Middle Ages,
it was believed that if one told a lie with one’s hand in the mouth of the
sculpture, it would be bitten off.

I still remember reading this book. I just
really loved it.

The second book I remember reading in my childhood was ‘James
and The Giant Peach’ by Roald Dahl. I really loved that book. I enjoyed the way
James escaped his horrible aunts through magic. And I remember I didn’t want to
stop reading. I loved the way the bugs came to life in this book. It was just a
magical story.

Another book I remember reading was also from Roald Dahl,
called ‘Matilda’. I loved the book addict Mathilda and the way she was smarter
than everyone who tried to bully her. This book remained one of my favorites
and I also watched the movie a lot of times. There’s just something about a
little girl who reads a lot that grabbed my attention, even when I was a little
girl myself.

And of course there are my favorite childhood books I
still read today. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I was eight years old when the first
book ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ came out in 1997. I read the first
book when it wasn’t even a major hype and it easily became a part of my
childhood. Throughout the years I bought each new book immediately when it came
out and I would drop everything and started reading until I finished the book. There
truly is no book series as precious and special to me as the Harry Potter
series. It’s a part of me. I dreamed of going to Hogwarts and wished for years
there would be a envelop waiting on me when I got home.

I think I’ve read the complete series at least seven
times and still I can never get enough of these books.

Which books are your childhood favorites?