Which book made you a reader?

“A long time ago, when all the grandfathers and grandmothers of today were little boys and little girls or very small babies, or perhaps not even born, Pa and Ma and Mary and Laura and Baby Carrie left their little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. They drove away and left it lonely and empty in the clearing among the big trees, and they never saw that little house again. They were going to Indian country.” ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

That’s how it began, both the story and my life as a reader. Little House on the Prairie was my reading textbook in first grade. When I finally worked my way through to the end, I was a reader.

It was certainly not my very first book. I had worked my way through more basic books, like Fun with Dick and Jane and countless golden books. Many more books were read to me, usually by my parents during bedtime story time. What made this particular book special is that I was the one reading the words, and those words painted a story that caught my imagination. I went on to read the entire set of Little House books and countless more books in the months, weeks, and years that followed. Reading is still among my favorite pastimes. And it is through reading that I learned to write. I am still learning.

Now I'm working on passing the love of books to the next generation. My son already has several shelves worth of books, which he loves to pull down and flip through. We read together every night at bedtime, and as often as possible on the weekends. I wonder which book will be the true reading catalyst for him. I have high hopes that there will be one.

Think back to your earliest reading memories. Which book made you a reader?