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My mother loved poetry and all things A.A. Milne. She would read those imaginative stories and recite those poems over and over. My brothers and I can still recite many of them from memory!

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My reading blossomed in 5th grade when my teacher handed me The Mixed Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I couldn't read enough after that and fell in love with series like Sweet Valley and Babysitter Club. Thankful I had a teacher who let me read anything!

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My mom created a *cassette tape* recording of the stack of Little Golden books we had growing up. At every page turn, she played a xylaphone tone, so my sisters and I could participate! No wonder I love audiobooks! 📚📼🎧

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Before I could read, I was captivated with the drawings in The Giving Tree. I remember my sister laughing at me because I cried as the tree became less and less. I was so mad at the boy.

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My mother would be 100 years old now and my earliest memory of her is sitting on her lap after lunch listening to her read to me. You can be certain I always read to my own children and now to my grandchildren.

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I devoured books as a child. I remember checking out stacks of books at the public library. Nancy Drew, Ramona and Laura Ingalls Wilder were some favorite characters.

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Going to the library as a child was one of my favorite experiences. As a parent of 4 children now, going to the library with them and sharing this time with my

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Mrs Smith did a read aloud everyday after lunch. One was The Pearl. That was 40 years ago

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My favorite reading memories are bedtime stories with my parents and now my kids.

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I loved bedtime stories. I have fond memories of my mom reading stories to my sister and I each night.

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Mr. LaMere was my 5th grade teacher.  A big man with a red beard... he brought his dog to school some days.  He always read Where The Red Fern Grows.... and he always cried... openly, at the end.  I'll never forget watching that man... sobbing as he finished the story... the entire class was teary.

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My first and second grade teachers read Winnie the Pooh throughout my first grade year.  Each of the teachers took the parts of each character, and the teacher who took the role of Eeyore was so dry and grumpy that you couldn't help but laugh.  I'll forever remember this wonderful experience!

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I remember wanting to be a librarian and taking all of my books of the bookshelves and lying them on  our house steps.  I would then make my friends browse the books giving them a brief synopsis of each book and recommendations of what he or she might enjoy.

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I will never forget my mom sharing her love for reading with me. I looked forward to bedtime because I knew I would sit in the rocking chair with my mom and she would read using different voices for each character.

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My fifth grade teacher read aloud A Wrinkle in Time. He used a different voice for Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Whatsit. I've never forgotten it

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While I would never, ever discount the power of an individual title (I have read so many, many wonderful ones), there is something special about books in a series. My family did not have much money and we had no library in our elementary school. Friends of our family did have more money and fortunately for me their older daughter let me borrow her books. We could hardly wait for each new book in the Nancy Drew series. I vividly remember the thrill of holding the newest book and starting a new adventure. Getting hooked on books in a series can be a lifeline for readers.

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When I was in elementary school my room was very tiny but my closet was huge. Not only did my closet store my clothes but also my books. Two very large bookshelves that had come from my dad's dorm room in college now lives in my closet with all of my books. I would crawl underneath my clothes and read for hours.

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I remember reading my way through the babysitters club very quickly and wanting more good books. The librarian suggested Bridge to
Teribethia and I could not put it down. The characters seemed so real and then when Leslie died I
was heart broken. It was the first book that made me cry and showed me how powerful books and stories could be.

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I was so proud of myself the first day that my mom said I could walk to the library myself. It was only a couple blocks away, but to me it was such a big deal! I took time to find a special tote bag (so I could stuff it full of books!) and left early in the morning one summer morning, eager to be there when it first opened. Once there, I sat in the corner by the window and read Matilda cover-to-cover. I loved it! I remember being so happy, sitting there in the sun, learning about this character who loved books as much as I did. :)

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When I was in sixth grade, remember staying home sick for a week or more. My mom went to the library to choose some books for me. Little Women. Jane Eyre. That began my love of reading and escaping into other worlds- worlds that existed in the past. To this day, I still love historical fiction, specifically from those times.

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I remember reading Peter Rabbit to my mom over breakfast before heading to kindergarten. It's still one of my favorite memories with my mom.

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I actually dreamed last night about The Girl who Drank the Moon. A book that burrows that deeply into my brain is one that has touched something deep inside.

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When I was in fourth grade my teacher read aloud Hatchet. After school I'd run to the woods and pretend that I was Brian trying to survive the Canadian wilderness.