Photo Credit: commons.wikimedia.org

One of the first ways children express themselves creatively is by exploring their vivid imaginations.  I remember playing with toys, particularly dolls and stuffed animals, and enjoying visits to my own version of the “Land of Make Believe”.  In addition, I loved those moments when my mother would read simple, and memorable, nursery rhymes and stories from books for young children.

The next stop was the moment I learned to read.  It’s amazing how a book can elicit emotions.  Although I was only seven years old, I remember crying at the end of Charlotte’s Web, then questioning my mother as to why I was crying. It was a strange and foreign feeling, never having experienced such and emotional reaction to the end of a book.

At that moment I learned the power of the written word.  It can elicit feelings a person is not aware are looming under the surface as well as inspire imagery for each reader, in his or her own special way.

This was the first step in my lifelong love of books.  My travels would take me in a variety of different directions.

What was the first book you read that made an impact?  Did it have any bearing on how you approached books going forward — positively or negatively?

Let’s Talk!!!