Dear Eve,
Dear Eve,
Being a famous children's book author, I am sure you get fan letters all of the time. It is probably annoying sometimes, but I just had to say how much I appreciated your book, The Wall.
I truly believe that books have a way of changing a person and shaping them to be who they really are. To be quite honest, I knew hardly anything about the Vietnam War when I walked into my Social Studies Teaching Methods class this morning. I had never really thought about it too much. Then my teacher started by introducing your book The Wall about the Vietnam Memorial Wall in D.C.
After discussing a little bit about the Vietnam War and the wall, we read the book.
It changed me.
I guess I have never realized how lucky I am and how many people have fought for the freedoms and safety which I enjoy. There are over 58,000 names carved onto the black granite wall that is so shiny it serves as a reflection for those who see it.
Our teacher had us do a little "poem" by picking out our favorite phrases from the book and making it into a poem. Here is mine:
This is the wall, my grandfather's wall.
The wall is black and shiny as a mirror.
The names are the names of the dead. But the wall is for all of us.
...it's a place of honor. I'm proud that my grandfather's name is on this wall.
But I'd rather have my grandpa here.
I have been lucky to never have dealt with much loss in my life, but I know that in every life loss has been felt.
I used to love fairy tales and only fairy tales. I guess it was the happy ending that always drew me in. I still LOVE stories with happy endings. I adore them. I relish them. But sometimes life doesn't have happy endings. We all know that. I used to shy away from books that did not have happy endings. I thought they were too negative and represented a very cynical view of life. But when I read your book, my feelings changed. It was the last line of the book that changed it for me:
But I'd rather have my grandpa here.
I guess you could say that it is not exactly a sad ending, but maybe a pensive ending. And who said all books have to end, "And they all lived happily ever after"?
It's funny how a children's book is helping me grow up. I guess that is the magic of books. They have a way of changing you.
Eve, I just wanted to say THANK YOU! Thank you for writing your book. It has really changed me. I guess you could say I am finally growing up. Thank you for helping me do it. I wish you the best in all of your ventures in making books that change not only childrens' lives, but adults' lives too.
THANK YOU!
Love,
Sabrina
Being a famous children's book author, I am sure you get fan letters all of the time. It is probably annoying sometimes, but I just had to say how much I appreciated your book, The Wall.
I truly believe that books have a way of changing a person and shaping them to be who they really are. To be quite honest, I knew hardly anything about the Vietnam War when I walked into my Social Studies Teaching Methods class this morning. I had never really thought about it too much. Then my teacher started by introducing your book The Wall about the Vietnam Memorial Wall in D.C.
After discussing a little bit about the Vietnam War and the wall, we read the book.
It changed me.
I guess I have never realized how lucky I am and how many people have fought for the freedoms and safety which I enjoy. There are over 58,000 names carved onto the black granite wall that is so shiny it serves as a reflection for those who see it.
Our teacher had us do a little "poem" by picking out our favorite phrases from the book and making it into a poem. Here is mine:
This is the wall, my grandfather's wall.
The wall is black and shiny as a mirror.
The names are the names of the dead. But the wall is for all of us.
...it's a place of honor. I'm proud that my grandfather's name is on this wall.
But I'd rather have my grandpa here.
I have been lucky to never have dealt with much loss in my life, but I know that in every life loss has been felt.
I used to love fairy tales and only fairy tales. I guess it was the happy ending that always drew me in. I still LOVE stories with happy endings. I adore them. I relish them. But sometimes life doesn't have happy endings. We all know that. I used to shy away from books that did not have happy endings. I thought they were too negative and represented a very cynical view of life. But when I read your book, my feelings changed. It was the last line of the book that changed it for me:
But I'd rather have my grandpa here.
I guess you could say that it is not exactly a sad ending, but maybe a pensive ending. And who said all books have to end, "And they all lived happily ever after"?
It's funny how a children's book is helping me grow up. I guess that is the magic of books. They have a way of changing you.
Eve, I just wanted to say THANK YOU! Thank you for writing your book. It has really changed me. I guess you could say I am finally growing up. Thank you for helping me do it. I wish you the best in all of your ventures in making books that change not only childrens' lives, but adults' lives too.
THANK YOU!
Love,
Sabrina
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