The bell rings for lunch at the primary school I have been working at as a teaching assistant. The children take one look outside the rain splattered window and collectively sigh – indoor break it is.
I am on lunch time duty and decide that storytime might lighten up a small class of 10-11 year olds. Upon suggesting this, some children smirk in disdain, others simply chuckle out loud,
‘Storytime!’, they exclaim with mock disbelief, ‘How old do you think we are!’.
Nevertheless, I had recruited enough children to join me on the carpet by the teacher’s desk. My hands danced over the bindings of the assortment of colourful books on the shelf – Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Judy Moody, Terry Denton. I marvelled at how brightly these books stood out in contrast to the dreary selection which often graces the non-fiction section in WHSmith. I decided upon Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Most of these children had seen the film – only a few, however, had turned the pages of this magical novel.
Three children sat with me on the carpet as I delved into the world of wizards and house-elves. As the words moved on the pages before me, they soon created visions of flying cars, spiralling towers and the cobbled streets of Diagon Alley. I found myself more and more captivated by this novel, awakening that childlike wonder of all things magical and otherworldly within me.
‘It was a dream, I dreamt a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards’ – the sharp pang of the bell suddenly rang out across the classroom – jolting us all out of our enchantment. I looked up and noticed that at least 10 other children had joined us as we had read on, their faces no longer smirked but were now alight with wonder and intrigue.
It is easy to assume that we have outgrown such novels of golden snitches and whispering spells. However, I realised that novels such as these are, in fact, timeless pieces which have the beautiful effect of awakening that childlike sense of imagination which still resides within all of us adults – a sense of creativity and wonder which we too often dull in our adult lives.