Andrew Bowman was a Hampshire lad, who, like other seven-year-old youths, had a great love of adventure stories. A prodigious reader, with tastes and understanding of a person far more mature.

He even thought of himself not as a bookworm, but as a book-dragon. A what? In the words of Tylor James, a book-dragon is “A wise old mythological beast of great literary merit, snuggled within its hollowed cave, lording over ancient treasures — stacks upon stacks of glorious books.”

Andrew lived with his Mum and Dad in a bungalow on Watership Down. The veranda overlooked a wide meadow and was a wonderful place where he could relax with a good book. The afternoon sunshine on his shoulders made him happy. Below the meadow, the wind in the willows blew a gentle song. Andrew didn’t know the question, but he had heard that “the answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.”

Mum called Andrew in for his lunch. Since he loved American food so much, she served him a bologna sandwich with Fig Newtons. The boy imagined his repast was bully beef and ship’s biscuit. He was Midshipman Horatio Hornblower, serving on the 44-gun razee frigate HMS Indefatigable commanded by Sir Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth.

Oh, how he loved adventures upon the wide ocean! A great story is Westward Ho!, the historical novel by Charles Kingsley. Yes, the story of a young man, Amyas Leigh, who joined Francis Drake and various members of the Hawkins family in adventures along the Spanish Main. Andrew wondered if Sir Amyas ever met Captain Jack Sparrow and the other Pirates of the Caribbean. Captain Jack certainly knew the thrill of storming the bulwarks of a ship he wished to plunder.

At night, warm and wrapped in blankets, Andrew imagined that his bed was a lifeboat, and that he was the lone survivor of storm and shipwreck. Shakespeare had used a shipwreck as a way to introduce his characters into unusual settings, as did Jonathan Swift. But now, the winds were calm, and Andrew allowed the gentle waves to lull him to sleep.

Andrew arose with the dawn. “Good morning, Mum! What’s for brekky?” “Good morning, young Master Bowman! Today, you’ll find nourishment in Cheerios afloat on the White Sea!” “The White Sea, home for beluga whales, harp seals, and ringed seals!” “Now, enjoy your cereal. I regret that you’ll need to remain indoors today as there’s a fierce winter storm expected later this morn.” “That’s okay, Mum. I’ll spend the day in my study. Oh, since it’s a chilly day, could I have a sturdy mug of hot Ovaltine?” “Of course, my mighty book-dragon!”