A Reading Biography: My Home Run Books

This summer, I started back to school to get my master's degree in Library Media Science. It's something I've always wanted to do, but really didn't know HOW to. I remember telling my high school guidance counselor that I wanted to be a bibliotherapist. It was a word I'd come across somewhere, but my thought was that the right book could help a child through a dark time. It's something that I've always believed: words can heal.

Unfortunately, that guidance counselor laughed and told me to go into elementary education. So, here I am literally 25 years later, starting back to school.

One of my first assignments was to share my reading biography -- my earliest memories of reading, my successes and failures. I encourage you to think of your experiences. Maybe even write down a thought or two. You may be surprised.

Here are my thoughts:

My Reading Autobiography and Connections to Students Today

“I think I can. I think I can…,” my grandmother read to me. I was probably three or four years old – my oldest memory of being read to as a child and the earliest memory I have. An elementary schoolteacher, Grandma had a dramatic voice that rose and lowered when needed, pausing for emphasis while I waited -- as if I didn’t know the next words (when in fact, I knew the story by heart).

Every time I visited my grandmother and grandfather, I begged Grandma to read The Little Engine That Could. No matter how busy she was, Grandma would pull out the worn Watty Piper book that still had her name written in the front as “Mrs. Kimball,” and I’d climb into her lap – the perfect lap for cuddling up with a book. When we made it to the most dramatic part of the book where it’s unclear if the little tank engine would make it up the hill, Grandma would point to the words and have me read along with her, “I think I can… I think I can.”

Grandma clearly had the biggest impact on me as a reader. First, she was a reader. There was always a stack of novels and magazines on her nightstand, and she filled her free time with reading. Second, Grandma modeled what it was like to be a true reader. Most importantly, Grandma showed me that she was never too busy for me and that books can entertain.

Beyond those early memories of The Little Engine That Could, I have vague memories of learning to read. My mother claims that I was a reader by the age of 4½ -- thanks to the neighbor girl who was in third grade. Kim was my idol. Not only was she beautiful with her big brown eyes, but she read big girl books: chapter books. I remember sitting out front of our house under a big oak tree as we played school, and she taught me my letters and my letter sounds.

As I became a more fluent reader, I remember reading everything: cereal boxes, Grandma’s old Reader’s Digest condensed books, Mad magazines my dad had collected when he was younger, and lots of books.

My “home run” book that clearly made the biggest impact on me as a reader was Beverly Cleary’s Ramona the Brave. Here was a spunky gal that had adventures unlike any other protagonist I had read before. A little bit naughty and a little bit ornery, Ramona still had a good heart and intentions: she reminded me of myself.

From there, I plunged into the rest of Beverly Cleary’s books. Henry reminded me of my older brother, and Ribsy was just like the mutt my family adopted when we moved to central Illinois. That summer, my mother bought every single Beverly Cleary book for my tiny bedroom library. We didn’t have much money, and I knew that it was an extravagance to own the entire series of Beverly Cleary books. When we headed out on a road trip to Florida, my mother packed up the entire series and rationed out one book/day for me to read. If I finished the book before the day was over, I was done – no more books, no more reading. That was when I discovered the art of re-reading!

In fourth grade, my family moved again -- during the middle of the school year. It was a difficult transition for me, and one of the few positive memories I have of that year occurred on my first day at my new school. During story time, my new teacher pulled out a book I had never heard of before: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. For those thirty minutes, I forgot all about being the new kid in the class as I sat spellbound and listened to the stories of this poor boy named Peter whose brother Fudge sounded an awful lot like my little brother -- “home run” book #2.

As a child, I was lucky to be surrounded by readers and adults who supported and encouraged my reading. I found characters I identified with and admired. All of my memories and connections to reading have been positive.

Obviously, many things have changed since I was a young reader. Still, there are many similarities between young readers today and my experiences. Children still love to be read to, and they love to read – despite being surrounded by technology and all of its attraction. My observations on children and their book choices are based on the two schools where I volunteer in the classrooms and libraries.

This past year, I’ve been a recurring guest reader at our elementary school library. We started the year with picture books, eventually graduating to Ursula LeGuin’s Cat Wings and then Beverly Cleary’s Henry Huggins. Over the year, my audiences grew until the final Monday in June when the children spilled out of the library and into the hall.

During the year, I fretted over every book I read, wondering if the children would make a connection and enjoy it. I worried that the plots weren’t fast enough or outdated. Instead, I was amazed at how engaged the children were – just as engaged as I was listening to Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. The biggest compliment I received was when the assistant librarian referred to the crowd of children as “my groupies.”

One of the changes I see between my middle school library and a current middle school library is the emergence of graphic novels as a completely new genre. They are hugely popular at our middle school library where students check out multiples in a series at the same time – most likely because they’re able to read them so quickly. It reminds me of my mother rationing my books on long summer car trips, and I appreciate the students’ need to “stock up.” Often, I smile to myself as a handful of boys rush in the library between classes to quickly scan the shelves and see if any books have returned in the series they’re currently reading. Their love for reading and anticipation at getting a new book is inspiring.

In Growing Up Digital, Don Tapscott refers to this generation of young adults as the N-gen for the “network generation.” He points out that this is the first generation to grow up totally surrounded by technology and all of its influences.

As a result, the N-gen has nearly immediate access to any questions they have and any research they may need to do. As a young adult and college student, I spent lots of time in my school library, researching topics for my research papers. Now, students rely on the Internet for much of their research. This spring, my older daughter performed most of her term paper research online after getting a quick a quick tutorial about what makes a website reputable. If a question comes up at home, my 9-year old daughter frequently tells me to “just Google it.” Thanks to the Internet, answers are literally at students’ fingertips within a matter of seconds, and the library is no longer the center for research.

In Growing up Digital, Don Tapscott writes that “N-geners have a strong sense of independence and autonomy.” According to Tapscott, children created online clubs related to their favorite book series like The Babysitters Club – long before adults thought of it.

Partially as a result of these online fan clubs, children are more aware of the release of new books in their favorite series. Highly anticipated books are released with great fanfare, and bookstores and libraries plan elaborate events, vying for readers’ attention. When I was younger, there was little fanfare attached to the release of new books. I didn’t have a clue when the next Judy Blume book would be released. Instead, I’d stop by my library and scan the shelves for my favorite authors. In contrast, my family and I went to two different book stores to take part in the pre-release activities for the release of the seventh Harry Potter book. The day of the release, the mailman hand-delivered our copy to my squealing ten-year old.

As the parent of a fourth grader and seventh grader, I realize that the pulls on their time are great – school activities, sports, electronics, and friends. At the same time, there is more content for children to read – new genres like graphic novels, online clubs, and Internet blogs. My twelve-year old daughter followed the blog of 16-year old sailor Abby Sunderland long before her boat capsized in the Indian Ocean, and her story was plastered across the news media. As Tapscott points out in his book, there is no age in the online world, and there are no boundaries.

For young readers, the library is no longer the center of the reading community, and to reach young readers through the library, I think that literary promotion is even more important. We’re vying for the attention of young readers who have content everywhere. Students are still reading – although the content and mediums are very different than when I was a young reader.