What's Up With Alice Being Everywhere?

Children's books are one of those things we forget are important. Just as important as your parents, your childhood friends, your first crush, your first big injury. Whether or not you read them determines a large part of who you are; who you'll hang out with when you're older, what kind of things will interest you or motivate you. Will you believe in good and evil? Will you be a tomboy? Will you watch every dinosaur movie made even though they are as bad for you as romantic comedies?

SciFi makes me sentimental, and I have to wake up in 5 hours, so of course I can't fall asleep, so I'm going to lay in bed and read The Curse of the Blue Figurine by Bellairs. And not think about the fact that Alice has been purposely changed from a curious, sort of spoiled child into a representation of creepy dollhouse fantasies with scary terror eyes.

Here are some things I learned, and remember as the big lessons, from my favorite children's books.

1. The universe is very very big and very very small at the same time. Thank you Magic School Bus, Wrinkle in Time series, and that book I read where the kid shrunk really small and went on a journey through someones body. Maybe his own. It kills me that I can't remember the name of that one.

2. Orphans and old people have it worse off than anybody, because it's family that helps you tolerate being poor.

3. Sometimes people will be right when they tell you not to do something. But if you listen to them all the time, you will never know when they are wrong.

4. For gods sakes, don't eat anything just sitting out. Ever.

5. All ugly little girls grow up to be beautiful, and all beautiful little girls also grow up beautiful but pug-nosed.

6. Giant animals are your friends. Mice have more interesting lives than you know. Animals are individuals, like people, and they are capable of being just as cruel and evil. I read Animal Farm really early.

7. The lives of saints really really sucked.

8. Always look behind the clocks, or in the library. All libraries have secret messages somewhere.

9. Your parents could die at anytime.

10. Old people can be friends to kids.

11. If you want to lie all the time, write instead.

12. Just because you are small does not mean you are incapable. When things go bad, you must act tall. Most adults are not any smarter than you, they just know more.

13. It's heroic to play in the woods.

14. Time travel is possible, but not controllable. It can happen anywhere, for any reason, and it's not as much fun as it sounds.

15. It's really far to get anywhere walking. But do not get on randomly appearing trains, or talk to women who smile too much.

16. You must always arrive on time for tea.

17. Never go anywhere an adult is controlling the fun (museum trip, circus, camping ect.) unless you are with another adult or a group of friends. Let someone know where you're going, just in case. Always bring a pocketknife and a small compass.

18. Don't waste time gawking about how you can't believe what you're seeing. Believe it and move on.

19. Magical things will stop happening to you as an adult, unless you become a weird and strange adult. Which means you will probably be alone, but you will have much more fun, and you will always remember to stock soda and cookies.

20. Anyone and Everyone can become a friend.