# data[].attributes.body
Coming to college was the biggest change I have experienced in my life. There are a lot more people, which means a lot more backgrounds to learn about, and more opportunities to try new things. All of this comes with reading a new world. In elementary school, there were kids from all over the city. Now I go to school with people from all over the world. Now I read people and situations associated with different countries and parts of our own country. Because there are many different people, there are many different cultures to learn and read. For example, even my friend from Wisconsin reads the world in Missouri differently sometimes.

# data[].attributes.body
As a kid, I had two major worlds that I was reading, which were school and home. Home was safe and familiar. School, of course, had different people from different background, which I learned to read. I "read" situations between classmates, teachers, and friends on the playground, which shaped me into who I am now in the world.

# data[].attributes.body
Throughout my life I have read either because I wanted to be like my family or because I wanted to be entertained by an adventurous story or relatable story. I used my imagination a lot as a kid, so it was fun for me to learn how to read and then write to channel that strength.

# data[].attributes.headline
"I recall you reading and liking 'inspirational' books and stories. Then you would write your own little stories after. You had an active imagination."

# data[].attributes.subject
"I recall you reading and liking 'inspirational' books and stories. Then you would write your own little stories after. You had an active imagination."

# data[].attributes.body
- My Dad

# data[].attributes.headline
"We never had to force you to read. You always wanted to read and get new books from the book fair."

# data[].attributes.subject
"We never had to force you to read. You always wanted to read and get new books from the book fair."

# data[].attributes.body
- My Mom

# data[].attributes.body
My sister played a large role in my literacy as a kid. She and my older cousin would read to me every day of summer. I was fairly young, but seeing two older girls I thought the world of read made me want to learn to read too. When my sister read a book, I wanted to get better at reading so I could read it too.

# data[].attributes.body
Although I do not have as much free time, I still try to read for fun. I typically look for books recommended by my friends or books that have something in them to which I can relate. Before I Go is my favorite book right now because it gives a very real and honest story about a girl in her early twenties. This is fairly different from what I read as a kid, but I think that as I have matured, my preferences have changed. However, I still enjoy books that make me turn the pages quickly and easily keep my attention.

# data[].attributes.body
When I reached the end of elementary school and came close to middle school, my favorite type of book to read was adventure and mystery. The Boxcar Children was one series I read during this time in my life. I looked for books with exciting plots because I was an adventurous kid.

# data[].attributes.body
Like most girls my age at the time, I loved reading Junie B. Jones books. I think that how they were written is why so many young students enjoy them. Junie B. writes and then scribbles some stuff out, which makes it seem like a diary, and Barbara Park writes in a conversational tone, which makes it easy to read. Junie B. also experiences a lot of things that the average elementary schooler does such as sleepovers, having a little sibling for the first time, and having embarrassing moments in school. These were also some of the first books that I read completely on my own for fun outside of school. These books made me realize that I loved reading stories I could relate to. At this point, reading became more than understanding words, it became understanding a different world than my own and learning from it.

# data[].attributes.body
I remember the stories in this book very well, especially The Princess and the Pea. During this time of my life, reading meant time spent with my parents and sister because they were the ones who read to me. Bedtime stories were one of my favorite parts of the day as a kid. My parents almost never failed to read to me every night.

# data[].attributes.body
I read I Spy for fun with my sister when I was fairly young, and studying in the College of Education has allowed me to see why these books might be beneficial for young kids. These books make kids identify pictures of what they are reading. In the classrooms I have been in over the past year, teachers encourage students to look at pictures for clues about what they are reading. I'm not sure if the I Spy books are meant to do encourage the same, but they were a big part of my becoming a reader.

# data[].attributes.body
This is the first book I remember reading as a kid. I grew up in a Catholic family, so it was no surprise that one of my books was The Beginners Bible. I loved reading it because of the pictures, and it made me feel like an adult since I knew we learned about the Bible in church.