My First Favorite Book

As a toddler, I looked forward to weekly outings to the local public library. Like a kid in the proverbial candy store, I enjoyed browsing the aisles of picture books, revisiting old friends and discovering new ones as I ventured into the unknown through the theater of the mind.

Though I liked a lot of books, my first FAVORITE book was Liza Lou and the Yeller Belly Swamp by Mercer Mayer. I loved Liza Lou, the whip-smart young female protagonist who ventured out to run errands for her mother, taking garbage to the dump or delivering food, laundry, and other everyday items to members of her community. Along the way, she outwitted swamp haunts, witches, trolls, and devils who tried to derail her from her tasks and threatened her mind, body, and soul. And, she made it home in time for dinner.

In a loosely connected series of four trickster tales, Liza Lou and the Yeller Belly Swamp treats children like they are bright and capable. The language is rich, and the storytelling is complex but accessible. The verdant illustrations, filled with humor and delight, brings the scenes to life.

For years, Liza Lou was the kindred spirit and best friend I didn’t know I needed. Because of her, I felt more capable of dealing with my childhood fears and meeting my challenges head-on, with curiosity and quick-thinking.

For my birthday one year, what I wanted most was a pecan pie of my very own, even though I didn’t like nuts. I’d like to say I enjoyed the pecan pie as much as I longed for the idea of it. But, I didn’t. I was sorely disappointed that I didn’t enjoy her favorite dessert as much as she did.

I did learn that I could try new things, even if they were things I typically didn’t like, and, more importantly, that I could still be best friends with people who were different from me, with different likes, thoughts, feelings, opinions, and experiences.

_{Copyright by Dawn Roan 09-24-2024. All rights reserved.}