The very best thing my parents did for me was making sure that I loved to read. Every night before bed, the whole family would gather around on the couch and Dad would read to us. My brother and sister would each pick out a novel, and Dad would read one chapter out of each novel until it was done. Then they’d pick out another, and another. I picked out children’s books until I was old enough to pick out novels. Dad’s lap was my spot, so even before I could read, I followed along on the page with him as he read to us.

One day, one of my siblings picked out The BFG by Roald Dahl. I fell so completely in love with The BFG that I begged my parents to buy it for me, even though I couldn’t read yet, because I was afraid that by the time I could FINALLY read for myself, it would be out of print.

The BFG is a love story. It’s a love story between an eight-year-old orphan and a runty giant, a father-daughter/big brother-baby sister/devoted pet owner-beloved pet relationship in which Sophie, the girl, gains the parent and friend she’s never had, while the BFG, the giant, gains a pet he would do anything for – even risk letting the military know of him and possibly lock him up. And even as I loved the relationship of the two together, I loved them each just as much as separate entities.

I loved Sophie. I loved watching her grow from being afraid of the BFG to being outraged when the other giants roughed him up. I loved how, even though she was convinced that the BFG had kidnapped her in order to eat her, she didn’t panic. I loved how it was her ingenuity, the brilliance of a child, that saved dozens of children from becoming giant-food each night.

And I loved the giant. I loved his pure innocence, his bumbling and endearing way with language, his nighttime hobby of giving children sweet dreams, and how it was his immense bravery that put Sophie’s plan into action to save those children.

But The BFG is also so much more than a love story. It’s about standing up to bullies, even when those bullies outnumber you and are twice your size. It’s about valuing intelligence and bravery – in the end, it was one child’s mind and one giant’s courage that saved the day. It’s about telling the truth, even when the truth might make you look crazy. It’s about not judging people, because scary-looking giants just might have the purest souls and friendless orphans just might save the day.

The BFG taught me that orphans, outcasts, and the least likely people could change the world for the better, if only they believed that they could.

What is your favorite childhood book? Let me know in the comments!