5.10.2011

{transformation} morgan morning

when working through julia cameron's book vein of gold earlier this year, she instructed us to think back to our early childhood and recall our three favorite books.

this is the first one that i remembered...


{written by stephen cosgrove + illustrated by robin james}

it is the story of an adventurous young horse, morgan, who wanders away from his mother, tumbles over a waterfall, gets hurt, and is unable to return home. after a cold night alone, the morning star magically transforms him into a unicorn.

my sister and i cried at the end of this book every single time my mom read it to us. we frequently requested it as a bedtime story. not wanting us to end up in tears before sleeping, my mom would say, "are you sure you want me to read this one?" we always nodded our heads in confirmation of the choice.

when i found it on my best friend's bookshelf recently, i decided to bring it home and spend some time reading it again. it is just as beautiful as i remembered. the story is heartbreaking and the illustrations are gorgeous.

upon reflection, i can see why this story was meaningful to me as a child. the story of transformation is one that has captivated me from the beginning. in fact, this message was present in all three of the books i recalled.

if you would like to try this activity, take a few moments to think back to your early childhood stories...



quickly name your three favorites.

one. two. three.

do you see any similarities in the themes or characters of those three stories? have the elements of those stories been present in your life journey? are they in your life now?

p.s. i have been listening to a random internet radio station as i write this, and a song just started to play that features the sounds of pouring rain and a horse galloping around. magical!

10 comments:

::The Beetle Shack:: said...

I recently worked through 'the artists way' with a group of friends (we were part of a little social action group/ artists collective called the stained glass collective)- it was quite challenging in many ways... especially the 'morning pages'. Have you read that one?

xo em

Anonymous said...

- A Light in the Attic
- Where the Sidewalk Ends
- Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Anonymous said...

The Lonely Doll
The Phantom Tollbooth
A Wrinkle in Time

All three deal with children on a journey.

cb said...

i think i read this one too! i also remember their being one about a bunny too! i love looking at my old childhood books, they are just so cute!

xo,
cb

Maria said...

Wow your-blog re-design is looking colourful! I'm currently searching for two children's fairy tale books that I read - mainly for the gorgeous illustrations. I believe the majority of our childhood books went to the local charity shop some time ago. However favourites like "The Bad Tempered Lady Bird" and "The Hungry Caterpillar" are still there to look at in the book shop!


Follow here for a present!
http://eveninglanterns.blogspot.com/2011/05/just-few-of-my-favourite-things.html#more

diane said...

em...yes! i did 'the artist's way' with a group of friends years ago and absolutely loved it. 'vein of gold' is essentially part two. i still do morning pages every day and artist dates every week. both books have been challenging but life-changing for me.

felicity...shel made me laugh and cry as a child. i loved him dearly and still do.

mim...i remember being completely enthralled with 'a wrinkle in time.' there is a play of 'the phantom tollbooth' that i have heard is excellent. are the children on a specific kind of journey in all three?

silvii...thanks for the design love! i have never heard of 'the bad tempered lady bird' but would love to read it just because of the title. thank you for the present! <3

Rebecca said...

I have The Bad-Tempered Lady Bird. It's the British version of Eric Carle's Grouchy Ladybug! I picked it up when I was in Ireland because the title contrast was irresistible.

My 3:
Millions of Cats--Wanda Gag
The Little House--Virginia Burton
Juniper (The Bunny's Nutshell Library)-Robert Kraus

These are just the picture books of course. So hard to pick just three. And then there are chapter books like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The list goes on and on.

Unknown said...

island of the blue dolphins
where the wild things are
the girl who loved wild horses

[these are the first three that came to mind...and the similarities/themes/possible psychological implications are kinda freaking me out! thanks for exercising my brain this morning :)]

diane said...

sara...isn't it fascinating to ponder the connections? you're welcome for the brain workout. i love stuff like this. xo

AmandaDee77 said...

I loved this story as a child. I had just moved to a new city and knew no one. I had gone for a walk alone and got lost. Ending up at a 7/11 I met a girl named Cheryl she was my age and she brought me back to her house so I could call my mother and tell her I was ok. While I waited for my mom to pick me up Cheryl and I read a couple of her books and this was one of them. Cheryl gave me the book to bring home. A couple weeks later she moved away but the experience was so special to me that I named my first born Morgan. It's 30 years later and I still have the book and both of my children have enjoyed it as a bedtime story. My son Morgan who is 17 now often says the book is his most praises possession.