What is real? Is the essential question of The Velveteen Rabbit. And although this question is being asked by a toy in relation to its existence, the answer to the question, spoken by the Skin Horse, is a truth that will carry through every other facet of a child’s life until death…

“… Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

This answer tells a toy what makes it real, but to me it also tells what makes a dream—the thing that you longed for your entire life—real. Most lifelong dreams take a lot of work to make happen and often you might feel like giving up on your dream along the way. People might question why you don’t give it up, but when it finally happens, you might feel like you’ve been through the fire and traversed the entire world, but the dream is has finally come true… to others who also didn’t give up on their dream, you’re not “crazy” but to those who gave up, they simply just don’t understand why you continued.

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NO. 9: THE WITCHES — RONALD DAHL

First, I got to say thank you to, my 5^th grade teacher, Mrs. Tidwell for having us read The Witches as a class. I remember how skeptical I was about reading Witches because I, honestly, didn’t like the cover artwork. However, my skepticism quickly diminished as we started reading this book.

Witches is a quintessential horror book for kids. It’s got just enough mystery and comedy to allow kids to experience the horror genre without the fear of nightmares.

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NO. 8: DAYS WITH FROG AND TOAD — ARNOLD LOBEL

Days With Frog and Toad is all about friendship and life, and for kids just learning to read, this book will quickly become one of their favorites—just as it was for me. In addition to teaching me the differences of physical appearance between a frog and toad, this book taught me about resilience and perseverance through the small story “Kite.”

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NO. 7: JUNIE B. JONES #16: JUNIE B. JONES IS CAPTAIN FIELD DAY — BARBARA PARK

Out of all the amazing Junie B. Jones books, why is Junie B. Jones is Captain Field Day the only one to make the cut? The answer is simple… it holds an emotional tie. I think that I was in 1^st grade when I first read Junie B. Jones is Captain Field Day, and I eagerly awaited the day that I could participate in field day. Plus, I always loved being the top dog, the boss, so the title alone just spoke to my little kid heart.

But much deeper than the surface level emotional tie that I hold to this book, is the life lesson that leaders don’t just boss others around… they lead by example and encourage others to do their best.

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NO. 6: MAGIC TREE HOUSE #35: NIGHT OF THE NEW MAGICIANS — MARY POPE OSBURNE

Part of the reason that I like this book so much is that I discovered it at a time where I really wanted to visit Paris and the Eiffel Tower. The other part is because this book is how I first learned about Alexander Graham Bell and some other important inventors… “They’re like magicians in disguise.”

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NO. 5: HATCHET — GARY PAULSEN

I must admit that in elementary school when we read this book class I found it interesting, but I would have never considered it a favorite then. Somehow over time after we had long finished reading Hatchet, it slowly started to creep its way onto my favorites list (sometime during late middle school).

I didn’t realize it at the time, but reading a book about a young boy who is trying to survive in the wilderness after a plane crash, was the foundation for my adaptability and resilience traits.

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NO. 4: OLD YELLER — FRED GIPSON

The only reason that Old Yeller is not in my top three is because of what happens to Old Yeller in the ending… and if you read this before, then you know exactly what I’m talking about.

These next two books actually tied for second place, but there can’t be tie in a favorites list, right?

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NO. 3: HERO — MIKE LUPICA

Honestly, it’s kind of hard to remember the specifics of why Hero made the list because I’ve only read it once in seventh grade—a long time ago—and I don’t own my own copy; I checked it out from the school library. But I will say that the cover is pretty cool, which probably part of the reason.

However, it my memory serves me right, then Hero is about stepping up to the plate and overcoming unexpected challenges.

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NO. 2: THE MOUSE AND THE MOTORCYCLE — BEVERLY CLEARY

How can you not like a book about a mouse riding a toy motorcycle?

But much deeper than that… this book is a book about chasing your dreams and looking for opportunities. It wasn’t some type electricity that made the motorcycle move, it was Ralph’s belief that it could move that made the motorcycle drive… it was just a toy, but to Ralph… it was an escape from reality.

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NO. 1: THE LAST OF THE REALLY GREAT WHANGDOODLES — JULIE ANDREWS EDWARDS

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles is the only book that will never be tough for me to rank; it has been my #1 favorite book ever since we read it in my 1^st grade excel class—and it will remain my #1 book long after death.

Sidenote, I know that I’m recommending children’s books; however, if you’re an adult and you’ve never read The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, then I highly recommend that you read it… I promise you won’t be disappointed, and you will wonder why you never read before now.

So, why is The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles my all-time favorite book?

One reason is because this was the first book that I saw come alive in my mind. I first read this book in 1^st grade, but there’s no telling how many books I read before this book because as a kid I was an avid reader—I do think this was the first chapter book I read though, but I’m not completely sure about that. And honestly, even now as an adult, whenever I need to escape to a magical world, I pull this book and start reading; yet the images are still just as alive and bright as they were when I was in 1^st grade.

In fact, one of things that my 1^st grade excel teacher had us do is make our own bookmarks by drawing what we imagined a Whangdoodle to look like.

To avoid spoiling the book for anyone who hasn’t read it yet, I won’t go into grave detail about the second reason The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles is my favorite book. But I will say that the second reason has to do with a tall, thin house with shuttered windows that’s half obscured by trees.

One last reason that this is my favorite book is because this book is where I discovered one of my favorite words… fiddlesticks.

So, just as Edwards hoped readers would discover Whangdoodles for themselves so do I. From kids to adults, this book will sure be one that you will remember forever because of where it takes you… adventure awaits!

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Now, looking back over my top 10 list, I can see how these books are attached to me being an Enneagram Three and an ENTP on Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). This list also fuels some of my top five strengths, specifically, adaptability and responsibility.

My personality and internal make-up aside, I think that not only are these books great reads for children, but that they can even be enjoyed by adults… especially, The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles.

Disclosure: The BW Printing Press Bookshop is an affiliate of Bookshop.org and will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. It also serves as the companion shelf to the Substack publication, The BW Printing Press. Thank you for supporting independent bookstores and the work of The BW Printing Press!

And there are two quotes from Maya Angelou’s books I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now that have done just that… they have formed my life philosophy.

BIOGRAPHY

Poet, dancer, singer, activist, scholar, and author, Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri as Marguerite Ann Johnson. Her childhood was not an easy childhood. Due to her parent’s volatile marriage and their later divorce, Angelou lived with her paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas at an early age.

At the age of seven, Angelou went back into her mother’s care for a brief time. It was during this time that Angelou was raped by her mother’s boyfriend. Her mother’s boyfriend was jailed for and later released; however, upon his release from jail he was killed. Angelou believed that it was her testimony that led to his death, so she became mute for six years. Angelou’s mutism lasted through her teen years while she again lived with her grandmother in Arkansas.

Despite the challenges of her early years, Angelou developed a deep interest in written word which was evident from an early age. Upon her return to Arkansas during her teen years, Angelou took an interest in poetry and memorized works by both Shakespeare and Poe.

Angelou later graduated from Mission High School in the summer of 1944 and soon after gave birth to her only child, Clyde Bailey (Guy) Johnson. In 1949, Angelou married Tosh Angelos, an US Navy electrician; however, their marriage ended in divorce in 1952. Although the marriage did not last, their connection remained through her name as Maya adopted a form his surname which she kept throughout her life.

Some of Angelou’s most famous poems include “Phenomenal Woman,” “Still I Rise,” and “On the Pulse of Morning” (recited by Angelou during President Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration).

In 1969, Angelou published her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings which went to become the first nonfiction bestseller by a Black woman.

I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS

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When I first read Angelou’s book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, I was in sixth grade. And I, for the life, cannot explain why “The caged bird sings with a fearful trill, of things unknown, but longed for still, and his tune is heard on the distant hill, for the caged bird sings of freedom” was something so poignant to my sixth-grade self, but this quote has lived on in my head ever since—not a day has passed when I haven’t thought about this quote.

But the thing that I find most interesting about my time reading I Know Why the Caged Bird sings, is that it has built some strong mental imagery in my head. This imagery is so strong that to this day when I think about this quote, I’m literally transported back to sixth grade—I feel and smell the things that I felt every morning as I stepped off the school bus and walked down the hall to take this book out of backpack and start reading.

Now, here I am thirteen years later and I’m still trying to figure the deep soul connection that I hold with Angelou’s book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Well, that was until now…

As I’m writing this article, I’ve finally found the connection between this book and me—I finally understand why this specific quote has been so poignant to my life. Unbeknownst to me, my sixth grade soul was acting as Virgil and guiding me to a revelation that I just now come to notice at 25 years old.

You see, although sixth grade me didn’t realize it, I was in a cage—the illusion of calling.

But now that I think about, I kind of did know that I was in a cage—I just didn’t know it was cage language—because for years I’ve always said that I didn’t want to be a pastor, but I was called to be a pastor from the age of five.

And the reason why I connected so deeply with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is because my, even then, my soul knew that the pastoral work that I was called to was deeper than the pulpit.

And although even in sixth grade I knew I was called to being a pastor but didn’t want to be a pastor, it wasn’t until high school that I began to feel unsafe in my calling and started to wrestle with what my actual calling was. And despite this wrestling, I still went to college in pursuit of becoming a pastor; however, by the time I had the courage to admit that I probably got my calling wrong, I was already a sophomore in college and thought I was too far into my educational journey to make a switch without starting back at zero.

It may have taken thirteen years, and the epiphany may have happened unexpectedly, but I have finally figured out the soul connection that I hold to this book, and to that end, I would like to adapt the quote a little bit… The called kid sings with a fearful trill, of things unknown, but longed for still, and his tune is heard on the distant hill, for the called kid sings of authenticity, belonging, and freedom.

WOULDN’T TAKE NOTHING FOR MY JOURNEY NOW

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The second quote Angelou that has shaped my morals and thinking is from her book Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now.

‘I looked up the road I was going and back the way I come, and since I wasn’t satisfied, I decided to step off the road and cut me a new path.’

…

Each of us has the right and the responsibility to assess the roads which lie ahead, and those over which we have traveled, and if the future road looms ominous or unpromising, and the roads back uninviting, then we need to gather our resolve and, carrying only the necessary baggage, step off that road into another direction. If the new choice is also unpalatable, without embarrassment, we must be ready to change that as well.

I think that the reason that I love this quote so much is the same reason why I love the Enneagram… it speaks to the power that we each hold within ourselves to be dynamic beings and to not be defined by our past, but to write the story for the ending that we want.

You know… with all things considered, it’s kind of funny how unaware yet aware my middle school self was. I think that had my middle school self truly understood the fundamental truth of these two quotes, especially the caged bird quote, I would be in a similar but different station of life right now. Maybe, just maybe, had I truly understood their fundamental truths, I would have been awakened to my true pastoral work much earlier in life and I wouldn’t have developed a slight disdain for the work of ministry. To that end, I want to challenge you to grab a copy of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now to reflect on where you might have been if you would have discovered the fundamentals truths of these books sooner.

Disclosure: The BW Printing Press Bookshop is an affiliate of Bookshop.org and will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. It also serves as the companion shelf to the Substack publication, The BW Printing Press. Thank you for supporting independent bookstores and the work of The BW Printing Press!

Today, I’m proud to officially present to you The BW Printing Press Bookshop. Okay… so, The BW Printing Press Bookshop is not something that is brand new, but rather it’s a re-brand of something old. I first became an affiliate with Bookshop.org in the summer of 2024; however, as a multi-passionate entrepreneur, I’m constantly thinking, especially recently, how I can have all of my brands be more cohesive and incorporated within each other.

For those of you who already know about Bookshop.org, then you know how important the work that they are doing is. However, for those of you who this letter may be the first time that you’re hearing about Bookshop.org, when you buy through Bookshop.org, you’re ensuring that your love for reading also contributes to the sustainability of independent book retailers. Furthermore, your support goes further when you purchase a book using The BW Printing Press Bookshop’s affiliate links—you’re supporting independent bookstores and supporting the continuing work of both The BW Printing Press and me who receives a commission from each purchase.

There are two types of stores that I have always wanted to own… a bakery and a bookstore. Becoming an affiliate with Bookshop.org, allows me to start living part of that dream right now because I get to choose books to feature on my shop page.

— Braylon Williams, Braylon Williams Becomes An Affiliate With Bookshop.org , 2024 Press Release

So, let’s talk about why. Why rebrand? And why incorporate Bookshop.org into The BW Printing Press and make it a companion to The Press?

The reason that I felt like it was a good move to rebrand is because, lately, I’ve been trying to think of ways to make all of my brands feel more like a family of brands—they all still remain as separate entities but feel more like a family. This mode of thinking has also led me to do some modifications to the overall Braylon Williams brand… The House of Braylon (more to come on this at a later date). Which partly answers the second question of why incorporate Bookshop.org into The BW Printing Press and make it a companion to The Press?

The other part to that answer is that in the far future I not only want to own a bookstore, but I want that bookstore to be part of my publishing company. Yes… you heard it right… I wish to own my own publishing company one day. And this incorporation of Bookshop.org into The BW Printing Press is a small step into that future.

So, from here on out, any post that mentions a book will be linked to Bookshop.org using The BW Printing Press Bookshop’s affiliate link. But you may have also already noticed that there’s a new tab in navigation bar of The BW Printing Press, this is also a part of the re-branding. This new section is a quiet corner of The BW Printing Press—where you can explore my mind and trace the history of my life through personal book lists and reflections. From all-time favorites to recent reads, this is where curation meets curiosity because this bookshop is for the quietly curious.

Well… that’s pretty much the whole story. But before I go, there’s one last thing that I want to say. I truly hope that when you see a book mentioned on The BW Printing Press, that you will click through using the link in post and make a purchase that will not only support the mission of Bookshop.org (giving back to independent book retailers) but will also support my work as an entrepreneur and the work The BW Printing Press.

Braylon Williams

Editor-in-Chief