Karma, innit
Two books that changed my life are:

Titch by Pat Hutchins - a brilliantly sparse and deeply philosophical depiction of childhood, focusing on a child who uses his love of horticulture to conquer those who bully him for being small.
All About The Bullerby Children by Astrid Lindgren - idyllic childhood in Sweden.

OK - I was about five when I first absorbed these classics in my local library. Mum noticed I liked books very early on and took me to the library every week (but somehow I always found my way home again, tiddy boom) - I read everything I could get my hands on in the children's section, most several times. When we moved house and I wasn't going to be able to get to that library any more I decided I loved it and its books so much I was going to keep the books I had on loan - the two listed above.

Roll on a couple of decades and a bit more and add another decade or so. I'm now the manager of a large public library and you wouldn't *believe* how cross I can get when people have the audacity to nick my lovely lovely books.

I did actually pay for the ones I'd pinched eventually - I couldn't bear to part with them so it was several weeks pocket money well spent. After all that, you'd think I still had them somewhere, wrapped up delicately in tissue paper so I could look at them now and again... It wuz library books wot made me love my library and even decide to become one of its custodians, I should treasure every page, every datestamp. Of course not, I was nine, I must have lost them within a matter of weeks. Or covered them in mud. Or given them away. Or something.

But I do still believe that if I ever lay eyes on either book again I'll be a gibbering wreck of nostalgia. Hence neither will ever be allowed in any library I manage. Regardless of how many inter-library loan requests for either I receive.
(cisco, Tue 20 May 2008, 22:13, Reply)