A is for Apple

Today is the first day of the A - Z Challenge and, after a slight hiccup yesterday by submitting this by mistake instead of today, here is my first entry.

So, I had to start somewhere and where better than with the first learning aid for reading for a child. That's where we all start when we begin learning to read and to write. A is for Apple.

If this learning aid didn't happen then how would we have learned to read, then to write and to spell and eventually to blog, and then where would we be? Not reading, not writing, not blogging, my goodness what a terrible thought. We sure needed that good old apple to help.

Of course there are many other ways that people may have begun their reading practice but for most it will have been with this one.

Imagine a life without being able to read, all those wonderful books unread, no letter writing or more usual these day, emailing or texting (I won't go into what some people think about those who use text talk, that they never did learn to read and write). It's books that would be the worst in my opinion that would be the most to have lost out on, all those worlds that you see when you enter a book, all those emotions which aren't your own but you feel as though they really happened, those memories put into your head by someone else's words. So much knowledge, much of it useful, much useless but good to have all the same. Why does knowledge have to lead to something? It doesn't need to be used, it can just be there, living in your head, thoughts and ideas, never used for anything except to enrich you and make you a fuller person.

One of my favourite books is Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Luis Zafon. it has one of the most atmospheric passages in any book I have ever read which the most wonderful place his imagination describes to you. He writes it so well you could smell it, the Cemetery of Forgotten Books which holds copies of thousands of old and forgotten books. How I long to be able to go and take one to protect for the rest of my life as is the custom there.

If I hadn't started with A is for Apple I may never have gone to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books or any other magical place in any of the many many books I have read.