“Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

-Margery Williams, from the book The Velveteen Rabbit.

When I was a little girl I fell in love with books, the pictures that made the words come to life, and the words that made you believe that anything was possible! Books made me feel warm and safe, they made me feel tingly inside, I would wish I could read faster, or that I would never have to go to bed so I could stay up and find out what was going to happen next!

Inside the pages of a book, the world was magical, you could be safely tucked in with your favourite teddy bear and yet be transported all around the world, into magical forests, the belly of a whale, into a fish bowl where the fish wouldn’t stop growing, or sitting in a room with a character called Moonface. I flew on a chair with real wings, I adventured with the Famous Five,  and I hid from Mr McGregor, and life seemed full of possibilities.

Books still transport me to far away places, they also teach me about the world in which we live, that sadly isn’t always as magical as I’d dreamt, but in other ways is even more so! Books are full of knowledge and fantasy, I still love the way they feel in my hand, and I still can spend hours in a bookstore in total awe, and wishing I could take every book home with me, or perhaps just move on into my very own one.

There is a certain magic about children’s books though, and I find it interesting that once you become a real life grown up (if we really are ever truly grown up), you discover new meaning and hidden messages that you never noticed as a child. Perhaps these messages that seem wise beyond a child’s understanding, such as the above quote in The Velveteen Rabbit, live in our subconscious and one day we become to understand their true meaning? Or perhaps the writers just hold hope that a parent will read to their child and hopefully learn new lessons themselves? Something to ponder.

Childhood is such a magical time, well at least it should be! If you are lucky enough to be a parent, grandparent or just have some special little children you love in your own life, then I encourage you to stop next time you see a bookstore, wander through the children’s book section and take a look. Spend sometime getting lost in the beauty of the images, words and lessons in these books. Hopefully you will find books you love that you can gift to a special child in your life, or maybe buy one for the little child within you!

One of the great things about hosting the Instagram Community #MummyShot along with co-host @memeandharri, is getting to choose which adorable photos to share each month, and I love that the photos can express so much without having to share our children’s full faces. This months choices have been inspired by the beautiful colours of life.

#MummyShot Favourites from September

These magical childhood photographs were shared by the following Instagramers, if you not familiar with their feeds please check them out . . . .

@mummylifeloves. @decembers_daughter.

@kirstypocket. @blackened_sky.

Post image also by @blackened_sky.

 

Thank you to everyone who tags #mummyshot, it is such a wonderful community!

You can follow my Instagram @macglanville.

Mac xx

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