I Opened a Book
by Julia Donaldson
I opened a book and in I strode
Now nobody can find me.
I’ve left my chair, my house, my road,
My town and my world behind me.
I’m wearing the cloak, I’ve slipped on the ring,
I’ve swallowed the magic potion.
I’ve fought with a dragon, dined with a king
And dived in a bottomless ocean.
I opened a book and made some friends.
I shared their tears and laughter
And followed their road with its bumps and bends
To the happily ever after.
I finished my book and out I came.
The cloak can no longer hide me.
My chair and my house are just the same,
But I have a book inside me.
From Crazy Mayonnaisy Mum, first published 2004 by Macmillan Children’s Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers International Limited. Text copyright © Julia Donaldson 2004
English writer and poet Julia Donaldson has an output that might make you question just what you’ve been doing with your life.
Not only does she speak English, French, German, and Italian, she’s published more than 184 books. Before becoming a full-time author, she wrote songs for children’s television.
In 2011, she was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to literature — then in 2018, she was upgraded to Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. But to millions of kids, she’s the lovely lady who wrote the rhyming stories they love.
In this poem, she perfectly captures the way exceptional books can transport us to somewhere new.
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