Something to know about writers is that most of us are also avid readers. Many of us discovered books early in life and have never stopped reading. For me, writing is a way of sharing the stories in my head with others, but it’s also (hopefully) a vehicle for helping children learn to love books and to be a life-long reader.
I was the kid who always had a book in my hand, no matter where I was. I got into trouble for reading when I was supposed to be getting ready for school or doing my chores or sleeping at night. Yep, all the time. When I visited my grandparents’ farm, I would climb into the hay loft of the barn with a book or to the top of a tall apple tree so I could read uninterrupted. My grandmother would often come to the apple orchard and look up into the trees to see which tree I was reading in and make sure I was all right.
My parents put in a swimming pool when I was 11 and, in the summers, I would read with my book on the side of the pool. One day, I was sitting on the diving board reading “Gone with the Wind” when my younger brother snuck up on me and jumped hard on the diving board. The book and I both landed in the water and my book has wavy pages to this day!
When I became a mother, I read to each of my children from the time they were tiny babies. I remember reading to my youngest child, Anna, at night before bed and then finding her older brothers sitting in the hallway outside her bedroom listening to the story too. They could read by then but still wanted to listen.
When my boys were nine and seven years old, I read them the entire first Harry Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” I tripped over many of the names and told them that if that author (J.K. Rowling) ever wrote a sequel, they would have to read it themselves! As you can imagine, all my children have read all the Harry Potter books.
During the years that my children were in school at Angling Road in Portage, Michigan, I was a reading tutor for first grade students, and I also volunteered in the school library. Back then, I didn’t know that I would be writing books for children one day or that there would be a painting of Angling Road Elementary on the cover of one of my books!
As an author, I’ve had the pleasure of reading to children at schools and libraries for the last ten years. It’s been fun seeing children look for buttons on their clothing when I’ve read “The Button Box” and hearing them giggle when I read about the antics of Pretty Boy in “Which Came First?” or Tom, the turkey in “The Day the Turkey Came to School.”
I’m a big supporter of libraries and I donate books whenever I’m asked to read at a library. I’ve also sent books to libraries in my hometown and my children’s hometown as well as libraries such as the Ferguson Municipal Public Library in Ferguson, Missouri during the time of unrest in 2014 and to the El Progreso Memorial Library after the shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in 2022. Every single library has sent me a lovely thank you note or letter.
I believe that books and libraries are a great source of comfort and entertainment for many people. I especially love the Little Free Libraries that are sprinkled across our country, and I’ve contributed to many of them over the years. When I lived in Texas, I used to ride my bicycle to donate books to a Little Free Library near my house. Now, I have one just a short walk away in the neighborhood where I live. I donate my books as well as books by other authors on a regular basis.
The school year is almost over, and children will be looking for fun things to do and for great books to read this summer. If you have books you no longer need and are willing to donate, you can look up a Little Free Library near you with this map: https://littlefreelibrary.org/map/ and encourage young readers and perhaps, future writers!
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”~Stephen King
Oh my goodness, we are certainly related! Yes, I read under the covers and my favorite spot was up in an apple tree! When I owned the bookstore I donated books to servicemen, youth homes, prisons, and several assisted living facilities. I read aloud to my children most days and our favorite homeschool days were DEAR days…drop everything and read. After the boys went to college they both said what they missed most was our read aloud time. Now I am introducing grands and great grands to books their parents loved.