Don Quixote

I started as a whisper of an idea in a writer's mind in a sunny land called Spain. Before I even had pages, I was filled with adventures about a silly but brave knight. I was a dream of clanking armor, dusty roads, and giant windmills. Then, one day, I came to life with the clatter of a printing press, the smell of fresh ink, and the rustle of brand new paper. My pages were filled with words that would make people laugh for hundreds of years. I am a book, but not just any book. I am the story of 'The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha,' but you can call me Don Quixote.

My creator was a man named Miguel de Cervantes, who lived a very long time ago in Spain. In the year 1605, he finished the first part of my story and shared me with the world. He wanted to tell a funny tale about a gentleman named Alonso Quijano who read so many books about knights that his brain got a little scrambled. This man decided he was a knight, too. He renamed himself Don Quixote, put on some rusty old armor, and rode off on his skinny horse to find adventure. He even found a farmer named Sancho Panza to be his squire, which is like a knight's helper. Together, they had the silliest adventures, like when Don Quixote bravely fought giant windmills because he thought they were fearsome giants with waving arms. People loved my story so much that Miguel de Cervantes wrote a second part, which was finished in the year 1615.

When I was first written, there were not many long, make-believe stories like me. I was one of the very first books that people now call a novel. I showed everyone that stories could be funny, a little sad, and very exciting all at the same time. Over hundreds of years, I have traveled all over the world. My words have been translated into many different languages so that children and grown-ups everywhere can read about Don Quixote's quests. My story has inspired cartoons, movies, plays, and beautiful paintings. I remind everyone that it is wonderful to have a big imagination and to dream of adventures. Even if you make mistakes like fighting windmills, dreaming big is the most important quest of all, and I hope my story helps you start your own.