The Reader in Me

​I have been a reader forever. I started with picture book favorites like The Snowy Day and Clifford the Big Red Dog.  I moved onto Nancy Drew and The Little House books. I loved Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web. I followed the Yellow Brick Road through Oz, the whole series!

The best part about books – they took me to places I could never visit. They introduced me to people I could never meet. My favorite books were biographies, historical fiction, and fantasy. 

I became a teacher because I wanted to help kids learn to read. I bought picture books from Judith Viorst and Jan Brett. I found chapter books like Horrible Harry, Magic Treehouse, and Magic School Bus. I had over 15 tubs of books when I retired. 

​I became a writer because a bat found me, and I thought it was a good story. I quickly discovered writing was harder than telling a story to my class. I took that first story to Highlights. My reader said it was good garbage, in a kinder way. Good gave me hope. There was something there, but garbage told me I had a lot of work ahead and a lot to learn.

So how did I get better? I read and read and read. Then I picked my top ten books and they became my teachers. I also took classes with “real” authors who showed me my mistakes, and what was right.

I still read as a writer – to learn how to get better, to keep up with the trends in children’s literature.

But I also read for fun. I still love historical fiction and fantasy. If you combine them, you get my favorite genre – time travel,

Keep your eyes open! My next three My Read reviews are all time travel stories for kids. I absolutely love all three!