When I was but a tiny lad who’d barely learnt to read,
A neighbour at The Heads, named Mrs Lloyd,
Whose garden, as a shortcut, we would often use at speed,
Gave me a book, and I was overjoyed.
Paul Gallico wrote ‘Jenny’ as the story of a cat,
I read it with a fascination deep –
I did it, though, in private, for I have to tell you that,
Invariably, it would make me weep.
The narrative is gripping, with adventure and some fun,
Some sections are most sad, one must confess;
The last part always gets to me, when all is said and done …
So do I thank her for it? That’s a ‘Yes!’
Cover Picture from Amazon
Prompt from Pooky’s Poems
Colonialist's Blog 
Mrs. Lloyd must be very proud of you today.
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She is very long gone …
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I enjoy reading books like this to a small child. That way I can go back to being the same age!
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I don’t even need the excuse!
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A lovely word of thanks, great when a book impacts on us as this one has on you.
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They can have such an influence, particularly when one is yound.
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I guess I should add this to my very long “to read” book list
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Only if you enjoy shedding some tears!
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I think my lines were out of cinque but you will still understand and meet is not meet but me
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I have two books the my Mum bought when I was just aged seven,
I still have those books , although she is in Heaven,
I read them both now and then, bringing memories back again
one is the Little Duck Who loved the Rain
The other Little Men of the Mountain.
both books are very old and tatty , but the inscription says
‘Much love from Mummy to my dearest Patty’.
So those books are very old but to me they are worth more than gold.
they remind me of a lady who, loved to read them through and through.
we would sit together knee by knee whilst she read these tales to meet
so reading in needed very much, to understand, to keep in touch.
I thank my Mum for the time she gave before God called her to her grave
that is all can, think of more to say, except I send my love and have a happy day
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As I said before, you should post these!
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Thanks for sharing this one, Col.
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Oooh I’m going to have to give this a read if it gripped you so!
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It still does – but whether it would work as well on a first-time adult reader I know not …
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It can be a bit disappointing to revisit books that we devoured as kids, though sometimes they’re even more magical (I recently found this when I reread The Never Ending Story)
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Some books I have only come across as an adult which I fervently wish I had read as a child. The Narnia series is a case in point. Brilliant.
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Oh I adored those books but enjoyed them much more as a child when I didn’t realise about the religious undertones (overtones?!) I reread them in my twenties with my husband (who’d not read them before) we enjoyed them but they were far more magical to me as a child.
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I don’t really see why possible religious influences should make any difference to their value as fantasies. Actually, anything written involving magic has to contain something which could be interpreted from a religious perspective. When I think about it, all six of my novels could be looked at that way.
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I guess it’s just because I had read the story at face value the first time around and second time the undertones felt so heavy and distracted from the story a bit for me. I also particularly dislike how it all ends but maybe that’s just me!
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I see I will have to read your novels at some point!
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