KMarcus118@aol.com
My first two books were The Cat in the Hat and The Big Ball of String. I first read them in 1955 to the best of my recollection. My dad gave me 6 beginning reader books and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I was 6 years old.

C17itzme@aol.com
I do remember The Cat in the Hat & One Fish,Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Curious George & Madeline as being the first I could read on my own (and of course, Dick & Jane) .But my very earliest recollection though is of a book entitled THE WATER BABIES. The Boxcar Children is remembered as my first grown up book though.

T55Walsh@aol.com
I remember Tom Swift, boy astronaut, taking us into space for great adventures: "Tom Swift and His Ultrasonic Cycloplane" for instance. Now, it's all real. But, back in the late fifties, these were unbelievable!! Tom Swift paved the way for my interest in Science and reading. And, of course, there was Superman and BatMan comics!! In school, I remember the attraction of Poe's poem "The Bells." It helped to open an interest in that author, later in the sixties. Thanks for this question: I liked to respond to it!!

CShank1246@aol.com
The Secret Garden began my lifelong quest for the magic. I am very grateful for this book which was actually read to my third grade class by our teacher and after which i read and reread many times.

C14525@aol.com
I'm an oldie...so most people won't recognize my references....but, I remember learning how to read before I went to school because my mom read nursery rhymes to me constantly...like "This is the house that Jack built" and such..and I learned to associate the spoken word with the word her finger pointed to. Although I don't remember the actual first book I ever read...I do remember these books fondly from my early childhood...
*the horse stories of Walter Farley like "The Black Stallion" *the Lad dog stories by Albert Payson Terhune (I may have the name and spelling all messed up) *"My Friend Flicka" and "Thunderhead" by Mary O'Hara. I was a tomboy, animal lover and these books fed my imagination. Ah, to go back to those simple times of love of nature and animals!

GinSperry@aol.com
I remember a book titled "The Root Children", which I asked one of my parents to read to me almost every night, as a child. This was in the late 1920's or early '30s. Somehow, when we moved to another house, that favorite book was lost! I wish I could find a copy now, since it was such a beloved story.

EDMARYMOM@aol.com
The first book I read by myself was THREE LITTLE KITTENS and I remember being very excited when I figured out that I was actually reading!

DCCJ1@aol.com
The Wailing Siren Mystery (Hardy Boys, grade four) by F. W. Dixon. I later heard that The Hardy Boys series, the Bobsey Twins series and the Nancy Drew series were written by the same author. Is this true?

paulachambers@webtv.net
I'm sure this wasn't the first book I ever read---but when I was seven or eight, my uncle,who every Christmas went to a bookstore and asked for two books appropriate for a child my age, gave me a book called Bertram ad his Fabulous Animals---and also a beautifully bound copy of Grimm's fairy tales.I read both of them many times over. In my mind I can still visualize the illustrations---I'm now 61 years old.

Eyespy203@aol.com
"PUT ME IN THE ZOO" by Robert Lopshire was my absolute favorite book to read when I was very young. I am becoming a grandmother for the first time this year and my grandchild will have this in their library as soon as they are old enough to read.

YMuso@aol.com
The first book was of course Dick and Jane (along with Spot)

TackneyNY@aol.com
The first book I ever read out loud was a book of Fairy Tales my mother bought me when I was about 4. That started me in a lifelong addiction to reading! I read everything I can get my hands on.
...When the past makes you laugh
and you can savor the magic
that let you survive your own war
You find that that fire is passion
and there's a door up ahead not a wall...
Magic and Loss

AMYASL100@aol.com
I loved the Judy Blume and before that the bevely Cleary books. They were my first books that I loved and I knew I loved books from then on.

Lgwenjoy@aol.com
The first book that made an impression on me was The Box Car Children. What an adventure...I was ready to find a box car!!

Cameo82290@aol.com
I remember dying laughing at "Are You My Mother?" I thought that book was hysterical when I was six. I have three sons now and they have each read and loved that book as well. I also loved Pippi Longstocking when I was a little girl and read my first one at age six.

SeawolfSSN1@aol.com
My first subjection to fictional adventure was my dad's 'Doc Savage' books. Loved them all!!

KLHawke@aol.com
The first book I read was ANN LIKES RED by Dorothy Z. Seymour. It was part of the Early-Start Preschool Reader series. I still have it and my other favorite, BALLERINA BESS. Even after so many years, I still have ANN memorized, which amazes my children! I wish some publisher would bring this series back into print.

ImNpieces@aol.com
I remember what grade I was in, the 3rd, and the reading book was called "Through the Green Gate," one of the Alice and Jerry books that were used in our schools back then. I loved it so much, that at the end of the school year, I said that I lost the book so I could pay for it and keep it. That was in 1947, and I still have the book. That is the first book that I remember being so attached to that I could not bear the thought of being separated from it.

HGMenocal@aol.com
The first book I remember reading was "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr Seuss. After that I read many other great books. My first chapter book was one of the Little House books.

Scamozz@aol.com
When I was eight years old, I read LITTLE WOMEN for the first time, sitting on the steps of my grandparents' long spiral staircase. I read it all in one day and was hit by a thunderbolt--as I closed the back cover, I knew that I wanted to be a writer and write something that would give someone else the same joy I had just received by this long-gone author. The work spoke to me so intensely that I have never forgotten that moment. And I'm still trying to write my own great American something . . .

Stepher95r@aol.com
The first book I can remember reading, or at least the one that had an impact on me was Judy Blume's "Are you There God? It's Me Margaret."

WAYUPTOWN@aol.com
I loved the Bobbsey Twin books and the Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.

Whheee@aol.com
My first book was either Harry by the Sea, Harry the Dirty Dog, One Fine Monday Morning or Are You My Mother. I was probably about 4. My mom's friends say I was reading the NY Times at age 7.

Kittal@aol.com
My favorite aunt gave me Louisa May Alcott's Little Women one year for Christmas. I was very young, and I truly feel that this is what sparked my interest in reading. I have a doll collection, and in my doll cabinet I have the Little Women porcelain dolls by Madame Alexander. There is also a copy of the book on the shelf with the dolls.

BobbyP7714@aol.com
The first book I borrowed from a library was Mrs. Pickering Goes to Mars. I was so excited that I read the book in one day. I returned the following day to take out another Mrs. Pickering book. That was at least 45 years ago.

WB6TCA@aol.com
My grandmother taught me to read at age 3 with the "funnies" ( Katzenjammer Kids, Popeye, Little Orphan Annie)... I progressed from there to read whatever I could grab.. but the book I remember as being the most influental was "Girl of the Limberlost" by Jean Stratton Porter. I'm not sure I spelled her name correctly..its been a long hard week. There were many great books that probably influenced my thinking... but somehow Girl of the Limberlost popped into my mind first when I read your question. Now, at the age of 69, its difficult to remember WHY it was so influential.... maybe I should read it again.... Thanks for asking.....I love BookReporter...although my work makes my pleasure-reading time very limited.

Jaws451@aol.com
toss up... early ~ Charlotte's Web
12 years old~ It's Like This, Cat

Mms51@aol.com
Golden Book about the holidays. I especially remember the pictures of the 4th of July and the little girl holding a sparkler.

JThoma4602@aol.com
I don't remember my first book, but I remember vividly a book I read at age 18 or so called "High Treason". It was written by Arthur Kahn I believe. It related the story of the growth of unionism in the U.S. and it told about the union busters hired by Henry Ford and other industrialists to break unions, These thugs used any means, including murder to achieve their ends. The book opened my eyes to the need for union representation.

deedledeedum@msn.com
There were many, but I remember loving the Bobbsey Twins. I read the entire series.

Fbower444@aol.com
I used to read stories by Clair Bee. They were about high school kids in sports and they really taught a lesson in morality. Play hard but play fair and do your very best. The main character in these stories was Chip Hilton and his friends and teammates. Excellent series of stories for kids.

Cipsi2@aol.com
Although I read voraciously as a young child, most of what I read I simply remember as part of a series - all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, the Bobsey Twins, Nancy Drew and a series of books on historical events and figures that we checked out at school. But the first specific book I remember receiving and reading was a book titled "Bright April" , about a black girl named April. In our elementary school we had no black children, and I was so delighted to have a storybook friend who was black. As I look back on it now (and this book dates from the 1940s), the author of this book depicted April as a girl just like me. I do not recollect the story line at all, but I have always been grateful that I had this exposure to something other than the Uncle Remus type of fictional characters.

Nankm@aol.com
The Bobsey Twins. The two sets of twins participated in activities that all children could relate to. There were always more of them coming. The vocabulary was such that small children could handle without parental assistance.

GPRL207@aol.com
Hillary Knight's Mother Goose. Loved the illustrations and can still vividly recal what the cover looked like, although I haven't seen it years. Still looking for a copy of it for my young sons, as a matter of fact.

NFeatherst@aol.com
My first book that really made an impression on me was my mom's copy of "LITTLE WOMEN". I remember that it had a red cover,hard back, and was very thick. From the very first page I was captured, and I even remember my grandmother telling me that she was sick of seeing me with a book in my face all the time. I was about 10 years old at the time. I loved that bok so much that I read it about 5 times !

RJCONLON@aol.com
Pokey Little Puppy, a Golden Book. This year Hallmark put out a Pokey Puppy ornament. I have a dog Christmas tree for my schnauzer Lacey and also a 50s retro tree, with Lucy and Dezi, Howdey Doodie, Lassie, Rett and Scarlet, I Dream of Jeanie and etc.

bluhrig@inct.net
I don't remember having any children's books at home or many books at all. I do remember reading Dick and Jane in school. I loved that big black umbrella.

Teyaekeo@aol.com
A childhood book that had an impact on me:
The House That Jack Built given to me by my preschool teacher. I still have it tucked away. When I read that book, for a brief moment, I wanted to be an architect long enough to build a house like Jack's, knowing all of the rooms would have books I could enjoy.

Rewillia@aol.com
I don't remember the first book I read, but I DO remember being unusually attached to "Amelia Badelia" !!!!

Joan2014@aol.com
Wizard of Oz was an early one. Either that or Bambi. I enjoyed the entire Baum series actually. Later I loved the Nancy Drew series which I know many make fun of. But if you think about it, she actually was a great role model for young girls. She had a boyfriend, Ned, but her 'mystery to solve' always came first. And she had lots of determination and courage.

JMccorm817@aol.com
There were many influential books as a child but the all-time favorite was: The Little Engine that Could.

Whimsey03@aol.com
The first "books" I read were comic books. Archie and Superman enabled me to breeze through Dick, Jane, and Spot when I got to that point. (Although I remember having trouble with the word "sigh" when it appeared in a balloon over someone's head.) But my favorite children's book was THE BOXCAR CHILDREN. I loved the world of the abandoned railroad car and the children who created their own place.

SalbyC@aol.com
I remember being incredibly affected by the book The Hundred Dresses. It was a book that I made sure my daughters both read when they were old enough. It imparted such an important message on appearances and judging people by how they looked. I'll never forget it.

Helene3cat@aol.com
Anne of Green Gables.......and I haven't stopped since!

DEV122@aol.com
First book I remember was "The Little Green Goblin." Author unknown. I know I was under nine years old when I read it and it scared meto death. However, I returned to again and again.

LDP6552@aol.com
Any biography

LuvsComet@aol.com
Two books stick in my mind from my childhood. "Charlotte's Web" and "the Phantom Tollbooth." I loved them both!

Sydpep@aol.com
I remember So 'M I, my favorite book. "There once was a horse named So 'M I who lived with his mother and brother at the famous Whoopshire Stables." So 'M I was knock-kneed in front and bow-legged in back. The story is funny, the artwork (by a cartoonist whose name I can't recall and who may also be the author) is simple and lovely, and the message is clear: Never give up. I still have the book, and I think I will look for it in the basement. It belongs upstairs on the den bookshelves, right next to the traditional classics. Thanks for impelling this fifty-three-year-old teacher of English to spend some quality time with a delightful book from her youth.

DThomas201@aol.com
The Emperor's Hats

Sheila5199@aol.com
I remember a whimsical , magical book that I read called Carbonel the King of Cats. It was my absolute favorite book as a child, Yrars later I came across an ancient copy in a school library. I was so thrilled to find it and bring it to my daughter. I was sadly dissapointed when she didn't like it at all.

Mlmlrm@aol.com
Books I remember as a child -- Many of Dr. Seuss', The Secret Garden, The Wizard of Oz.

Sammye@aol.com
Without a doubt it was Charlotte's Web. My third grade teacher read us a chapter a day every day right after recess. She would turn the lights out and we would all calm down after a 1/2 hour on the playground. I can still see my classmates sitting in the dark all being as still as churchmice. I can still smell the pencils and erasers. I can still see her
sitting at the front of the class with the book in her hand. I can still remember the entire class softly crying through the sad parts. (By the way, that was 42 years ago.) The book was special to me as it was the first book that had a major
character die in the story. I felt VERY grown up listening to this as all my previous books had were happy "children's books." I was stunned when Charlotte died as I had not experienced such sadness in my books before. To this day, I read Charlotte's Web to every child I get the chance. Wow, "SOME BOOK!"

Pkb40@aol.com
The first book I read was Ann Can Fly. It was so thrilling to be able to open the book and actually know what those lines were...words. I still have a fascination with aircraft and a love of reading. Thank you for this question, it brought back some wonderful memories.

Wedofish@aol.com
I remember reading all the nancy Drew mysteries as loving them. As a result I continue to be an avid reader, especially mysteries!

Lilgrazie@aol.com
A Present for the Princess (a Rand McNally book)

Gpace6@aol.com
This is not the first book I read, but I remember the first book I read that I checked out of our public library: Jemima Puddleduck by Beatrix Potter. I remember that I could not wait to get a library card. You had to be able to write your name on the line of the application. The day I got my card ( A-500 ) I checked out 3 of the little bity Potter books. I read all three of them in the car before I got home and wanted to go back!

Beegbarb@aol.com
My first book was See Spot Run. I remember the family and wished mine were like that. Unfortunately, that type of family was only a dream for me at that stage in my life (age 5). My first really memorable book was Hitty. It was the story of a doll's adventures from attic to excitement. I really wanted a doll like that and a life that included such wondrous adventures. The most wondrous adventure in my life at that time was being able to walk to the public library myself and finding that book.

MOMACALADA@aol.com
I recall several books I still remember from childhood. First was robert Louis Stevenson's A child's Garden of Verses" And there were several books of fairy tales like the Grimm Brothers and I think there were books like the Red book of Fairy Tales and the blue book of Fairy Tales (not sure I've got the right colors) I still recall a fairy tale or Aesop's Fable called Little Black Sambo which seems to have disappeared due to political correctness but has been made into a play called "Spinning into Butter" and I loved all the Aesop's Fables. Later there was Tales from Shakespeare, which I still own and recently sent a copy to my Granddaughter!!!!

Fgiitter@aol.com
The first book I remember reading was "The Overall Boys" by Eulalie Osgood Grover. My aunt Rose inscribed and gave it to me for my 7th birthday, and I still have it.

Solittlehm@aol.com
I loved the "Raggeddy Ann" books by Johnny Gruele

VALAITISH@aol.com
Island of the Blue Dolphins was the first book I checked out of the library. I LOVED it. During my childhood, I read it eight times. I also loved the Trixie Beldon mysteries and Nancy Drew.

Rishathra11@hotmail.com
I was reading very very early, and became a voracious reader early..my escape from a difficult childhood, reading became my survival journey; and has continued so into adulthood...i remember reading a series of girl's books but the name escapes me so far...however, the series which most intensely impacted my childhood? ANNE OF GREEN GABLES..The entire set..without a doubt..

anLCA@aol.com
In my 1943 kindergarten class, it would have been "Little Black Sambo."

BAP3492@aol.com
My first reading experience came from school. One day the teacher had a teacher from a nearby classroom come to our room after class. My teacher asked me to read a passage aloud. Both teachers seemed so happy, and I was obviously pleased as well. Needless to say, I have enjoyed reading all my life.bap3492@aol.com

PSHorn@aol.com
The Exorcist was the first horror book I read. It scared me, but, I couldn't put it down until I was done. I was 17. From that point on I have love reading those kinds of books.

PLampe4313@aol.com
I had read many books as a child but none touched me like Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink, which I read when I was eight years old. It was the adventure of two sisters who ended up in a lifeboat with three (or four?) babies after their cruise ship sank. They landed on a desert island and coped with life until they were (alas) rescued. It was the book that made me love reading. I have read it many times as an adult, to my children (now grown) and just to myself.

Renger@aol.com
My Poems of Childhood by Eugene Field was enhanced by the beautiful and sometimes frightening illustrations of Maxfield Parrish. I loved the book, read and memorized many of the poems and recently found a delightful Field ABC, very like Shel Silverstein's Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book. I suspect Uncle Shelby found it before he did his own. My Peter Pan Picture Book was harder to read, but I had seen the play on Broadway (1925 with Marilyn Miller) and so loved this Barrie favorite that twenty-seven years later I named my first daughter Wendy.

MLWReader@aol.com
I remember the first time that reading thrilled me. I was ill, home from school, and my mom went to the library for me. She brough home about six or so books, each one about something different. I felt like I had a whole new world opened to me that week. Each book was better than the last. I had no idea that such treasures awaited me at the library. Thus began weekly pilgrimages to the library, lugging the read books back, and lugging the unread books home. The children's library was on the second floor, up what in my memory was a very tall staircase, and there were weekly story sessions, which I loved. I still love to be told stories, and that must be why I like to listen to books on tapes, although I still prefer to read actual books. Thanks to my wonderful Mom, who opened up a world for me. My Mom had a tenth grade education, but she loved to read, and she passed this along to me. I in turn, have passed my love of books on to my sons.

EvieD@aol.com
I don't remember the first book I read, but the ones that I enjoyed a lot included Mary Poppins, Shirley Temple's Story Book and White Swan. These were all read before I was 10.

DRMOLSEN@aol.com
When I was in HS I read The Mature Mind. It has had a profound impact on my personal development.

Winefrid@aol.com
My favorite book as a child was My Father's Dragon. I still have this book somewhere on my bookshelf waiting to read to my future grandchildren. My children both loved it and also the stories I told of when I first read it. My Aunt Eleanor Allgier was a school librarian, so she had the most wonderful books. One wintery night she cuddled close to me on the couch and we started reading this wonderful book of a little boy who goes to the deepest darkest far away place to rescue his father's pet dragon. My Uncle Charles had built a fire in the fireplace and after we finished reading he threw "magic" crystals in the fire to make it dance with color. How do I remember so clearly? Aunt Eleanor gave the book to me that night and every time I visited for the next ten years we repeated our ritual. Is it little wonder that I grew up loving books and storytelling?

LorynK@aol.com
I think the first book I ever read was "Are you my mother?" by P.D.Eastman. It holds a special place in my heart.

DRJohns365@aol.com
This first book I remember was Cinderella. It was a big beautiful book and it belonged to my sister. I still have the book and read it to my children and now that I have a granddaughter I plan to read it to her also. I grew up with the Dick and Jane books so this was so eye appealing and when I got left home to start my first year teaching i asked my mom if I couldn't have this book.

TLWood61@aol.com
The first book I ever read was One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. I received it as a Christmas present. It was also the first book I owned. Prior to receiving the book, I thought that all books were found in the Library. I didn't realize you could purchase books. I was four at the time.

Myskas@aol.com
The book I read when I was nine was my first mystery, and put me on the path of whodunits for life. It was a book written for children called "The Diamond in the Window". I've no idea who wrote it. I've always hoped to find it again, but never have.

JudgePattyB@aol.com
I must be only one of hundreds who loved The Secret Garden and the Little Princess for making magic posssible at a child's level. But, as a 63 year old who is sometimes asked by much younger women and men, how did you get to be a feminist, there is nothing but Jo in Little Women for the answer.

jrigdon@kconline.com
It was Dr. Seuss' first book, "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street". I checked it out from the library in Berne, Indiana every time I visited my grandmother, and I have it read it at least two dozen times to my six year old.

KatherineMC@aol.com
The first book that I ever read was HOP ON POP by Dr. Suese (SP?). My mother bought it to help me learn how to read. Years later, when my little sister was five years old, I pulled out that book and used it to teach her how to read.

Kufungee@aol.com
By all means, The Wizard of Oz was a huge, huge hit in my family. We all read not just that particular book, but there were a whole series of books that followed that we thrived on. Also, Song of the South with its collection of stories about B'rer Rabbit and all his friends were the stories that my older brothers used to teach me to read when I was four.

MTigeress@aol.com
My first book I read on my own was the Ann & Sam books in first grade. My favorite books where the Curious George books! I just loved reading about all of George's adventures!

GandmaRI@aol.com
My most vivid memory of a book was a big old early part of century geography book. It was my Grandma's book. We'd look at the pictures and maps and talk about the places in it when I was a preschooler. When I was 4 or 5, my Dad made me a canoe out of cardboard (complete with a paddle). My doll Suzie would pack a suitcase and paddle around the world in that canoe, complete with the geography book. Paris and the Eiffel Tower were a popular destination. To this day, I still can't read a map very well! Thanks for the memories!

Kingknit@aol.com
Great question. Reading anything was my comfort growing up. I loved the biographies that were done for young readers(they had orange covers). I remember ones about Abigail Adams, Lou Gehrig, Henry Ford and Molly Pitcher. My children read the same books which they thought were just as great as I did. Looking back I am amazed that "girls" had biographies back in the 50's. Also, The Little Maid of Ticondroga was really special. Then I moved on to anything by Frances Parkinson Keyes. They were all based in the South (I lived in the North) and one was better than the next. I still read but grad school has taken most of my free time. I look forward to graduating in May so I can have my reading time back to anything I want.

Tillie1960@aol.com
Dick and Jane! 1968...2nd grade. LOL

Joy4Bound@aol.com
I remember the day quite clearly that I knew I knew how to read and wasn't just parroting the words from memory. There was a clarity of realization that the words were ordered differently than the ones I had memorized listening to the teacher. I still remember how excited I was ... I was reading. I haven't stopped since. Important childhood books - anything Nancy Drew. My aunt had a collection of original books printed during the 30s and 40s. She would take one down from a high shelf. It was like a gift. I wanted to be this plucky, inventive, bright girl. I think I spied on a few neighbors looking for a mystery in our neighborhood. Little Women was another favorite. I thought the closeness of the family was wonderful. I've read that book about once a year since I was 10 or 11. I remember reading the chapter where Amy and Jo "went calling." I dutifully printed up my own "calling cards" and walked from house to house on our block, dropping them in mail slots or leaving them by the door. Strictly for fun, my favorite book was Sweet 'Possum Valley. Impossible to find now, but about a riotous group of kids, always in trouble.

CHRIS7214@aol.com
Wind in the Willows ...I own about 6 different editions and I've given it as a gift to every child I know .I can't wait until my 2 year old nephew is old enough to read it....The friendship and adventures that Rat,Mole, Badger and especially Toad get into just take me away...even though I read for the first time over 30 years ago I still laugh and cry ...no wonder it's such a childrens classic.

WILL5@aol.com
Probably the old "Dick and Jane" reading primer books!

CMSivula@aol.com
Dear Bookreporter:
I can't remember a time that I wasn't read to by one or both of my parents, and yes, I think that this contributed a great deal to my love of books. My first favorites were simple little paper books; one of my favorites was "Timothy's Shoes". This little book was read day in and day out and was believed to be lost. Imagine my great surprise and happiness when I came across this well worn, well loved book as I was cleaning out my parent's home as we were preparing it for sale. It is a darling story. I also remember others of this same series, " Poor Kitty", and "The Little Sunbeam".

This Christmas I was thinking of two of my favorite holiday stories and was trying to relate them to my children (ages 20 and 22). I remembered a story and I was sure that I had shared it with them, but I could not remember the title. After quite a bit of research on the web in the hopes of purchasing a duplicate, I discovered the name of the book . However, I was amazed at the cost of this favorite book, "The Littlest Angel". There were just a few editions available across the country, ranging in price from $95 to $250! As I related the story to my children, they did remember having it read to them. A further search of the attic revealed that I had not lost my favorite book. My very well worn, well-loved book shows its wear much the way that the Velveteen Rabbit showed his love. The cover is off of the book (it is still laying on top of the book, but no longer attached) and the star that used to shine so brightly on the cover is no totally gone. The love and the memories of hearing that story read are still very much intact. It was a nightly ritual all through the Christmas season each year and then was lovingly packed away with the Christmas decorations until the next season. I also rediscovered another favorite, "Twinkle, The Christmas Angel".

There are too many from my childhood that were favorites to begin to mention. The love of books led to reading and winning many awards at school in both reading and writing composition contests. I moved through Dr. Seuss to Dick and Jane, to Nancy Drew and beyond. My favorite books now are written by Jeffrey Archer and Ken Follett. I love biographies and history and my collection of books now numbers into the hundreds and continues to grow.

I was thrilled to read to my young daughters and have enjoyed watching their reading tastes mature. I am eager to read to my own grandchildren when they come my way.

CIEJECJB@aol.com
I received a beautiful childrens' edition of "Rudyard Kiplings Just So Stories" from 2 of my cousins the year I turned 2 and it is still a favorite. Am now reading it to my grand chidren - the stories still seem wonderful to me. My favorite is [and always has been] "Cat Who Walks Alone"

DDobrjansk@aol.com
Early on I developed a love for science fiction because when I was in my early teens (13-14) I read "R is for Rocket" by Ray Bradbury. The most compelling story in that book was "Rocket Man." It is a story I remember to this day and I'm now 45-years old!!!. I also enjoyed Hemingway's "Old Man and the Sea" but I was in high school then. Because of Bradbury I have read Assimov, Brin, Heinlein, Herbert, Turtledove and many other sci-fi writers and because of this book I gained a love of reading.


DJCAN24@aol.com
I remember a book that my mother read to me as a child. It was "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett . I was in 2nd or 3rd grade at the time and myy mother would read to me in the evenings. It was such a special time for me that I remember it vividly. I suppose it was a special time for her as well. I still remember those times with great fondness. I have read this book to my own daughters when they were young and they loved it as much as I did. It is wonderful to be able to pass on the love of reading!

GATGKT@aol.com
When I was a young girl , I always read the same Little Golden Book at my grandma's house: Rudy Kazooty!! I came across a copy of it last year at a flea market and I still remembered the whole story (40 years later)!!

Charlibee@aol.com
One of the most important books I remember reading as a child was Alice in Wonderland.

Neysa7777@aol.com
Dick and Jane was the first book I read. We did not have school until first grade in rural northern Oklahoma in 1951. I distinctly remember the teacher sitting down with our 6 first graders, showing us the pictures for the story, teaching us a few words on the blackboard, then telling us that we needed to read the words from left to right. WHAT! I thought, who says I have to read it that way. LOL! Reading from left to right turned out to be a pretty important lesson for that day of sight reading!!!

CRESINE@aol.com
The book that was my favorite from Childhood was " A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeline L'Engle, I loved it so much that I couldn't wait for my first child to be old enough for me to read it to him.It's now one of his all time favorites as well. Now he can't wait to read it to his little sister when she's old enough.

PATRICEF99@aol.com
I remember discovering the "Little House On The Prairie" books and loving each one so very much that I couldn't wait to get the next one from the school library (this was a few years before the tv series came out). They must have been very popular because sometimes there was a waiting list for the next book. When my daughter was born, I went out and purchased the series so that she could read them and not have to wait. Recently, I discovered (many, many years since reading the first "Little House" book, that there is another; "Little House in the Highlands" about Laura's grandmother. I couldn't wait to take it out of the library and read it!!! Some stories stick with you and pass easily from generation to generation.

Ih8ubtr@aol.com
I am not sure if it is the first book I read, but it is the first book I remember reading. Tiny Bear goes to the fair by Ruthanna Long. I still have the book. Its a little tattered and torn, but each time I read it to my children or to my nephews, it brings back childhood memories.

winkybear@uswest.net
Hi ! The most important book of my childhood was "The Saggy Baggy Elephant". As a kid growing up in the military, we moved very frequently and I was always the new kid on the block. Reading was one of my few 'freinds' and this book helped me cope with the rejection inherent in moving. Thanks!

KAPEAN@aol.com
The book that most influenced my childhood was "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. I wanted to pattern my life after all the good qualities in the March sisters--especially Jo. I've re-read this book so many times I almost know it by heart.

Kreckmd1@aol.com
My first book was "Mutiny on the Bounty", unless you count such child's classics as "Brass Knuckles", "The Freshman Fullback", ect.

Joyfuljess@aol.com
I remember so clearly the very first book I read. It was "On the Banks of Plum Creek" by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I remember laying on the couch in 2nd grade reading that book night after night vividly picturing what it must have been like to live in a dirt river bank with no windows. Laura's family was so loving and so special, and her descriptions so vivid, I truly felt part of her family and I still remember imagining skipping along the banks of the creek barefoot like Laura and Mary did. I still love that book. The book that I read as a child that made the most impact on me during my childhood was "Where the Red Fern Grows". I still list this book as one of my top ten favorite books of all time. It changed my life and I remember it perfectly even though I read it in 4th grade. The selfless theme of this book and the love that someone could feel for his beloved dogs "Old Dan" and "Little Ann" has stayed with me all these years. I still cry at their deaths. That is saying a lot some 20 years later.

Mocky1@aol.com
The first book I remember reading was called I Want to Read. But the ones that hooked me were the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books. I love those to this day!

LorenzMB@aol.com
Dick and Jane
Kids: Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs Ham

Name Withheld by Request:
As a child, my mother would often sit me on her lap and read to me. One of the last books she read to me--I was getting older, soon too big to sit on her lap and ready to read on my own--was Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. It was a double treat: the thrills and chills of a pirate tale, combined with the pleasure of being near my mother. (Yes, I may have been a Mama's boy...) Soon(as indicated), I'd graduate to reading on my own completely, and I even read Treasure Island one last time: and it was just as--well, almost as good as it was before.

Aimeegeee@aol.com
First Book which I remember that my mother read to me: "Horton" by Dr. Seuss. First Book I remember reading: "Betsey's Little Star" (which I still have!) Another favorite first book: "Kiki Dances"

KJ4FM@aol.com
Little Women

Red3948@aol.com
Dear Sir: My favorite childhood book was "Little Women" by Louise Alcott. I had four sisters and we were just fascinated by the sisterly relationships in this book. So much so that for a period, we encouraged out parents to address us by our middle names - mine was Elizabeth and one sister's middle name was Louise.

GrameeBabs@aol.com
Secret Garden. Read to us by Mrs. Creighton, sixth-grade teacher with a flair for the dramatic. We thought we were entirely too old to be read to. Wrong! She made the words come alive and even the boys (!) were enchanted. The whole class shared in the magic together. I wonder whether anyone else remembers this a fondly as I do!

Klynnm@aol.com
When I was in high school I loved the book Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daley. I thought it was so romantic.

Eliza129@aol.com
Don't know the first book I read but the first book I received as my own was Heidi and I think that started my love of books. I love to read them and I love to own them.

NGroves@aol.com
I remember several books that were read to me in the preschool years: one had to do with a girl and her teddy bear, another with a girl taking ballet lessons, and a third was a more complex book involving a white horse. It had a sad ending, because I remember crying and wishing it had turned out another way! I no longer remember the titles, but I'd probably recognize them even though it's been about 40 years since I looked at them. I clearly remember reading and loving the Dr. Seuss books. "Bartholomew and the Oobleck" and "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins" were special favorites. I still get a kick out of them. As an older reader, my favorites included "Rascal," "Diamond in the Window," and "The Hobbit."

AuntLara@aol.com
I remember the book Corky, about a black dog, and also Never Tease A Weasel, which I have tried to find a copy of many times since then.

DPorsia@voa.com
Green Mansions impressed me very much - fed right into my fantasies.

Niffter@aol.com
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel was one of my favorites ... as a girl!

gcarter01@sprynet.com
I think the reason that I love Charles Schultz's "Peanuts" strips so much is because that was what my mother used to teach me to read when I was little. She'd read the paperback books of the comics to me nightly - until, that is, I began being able to read them myself. Eventually she left me to my own devices and I've had my nose buried in books ever since. Whenever I see one of my own old "Peanuts" paperbacks, or see some in an antique store, I remember the greatest gift my mother ever gave me: the ability to read.

Sblokzyl@aol.com
The first book I remember reading was, Mrs. Wiggins and the cabbage patch. My favorites as a young girl was the Nancy Drew books.

ClouderMom@aol.com
I must have read many books before "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" but none made a lasting impression until then. I was convinced the story was a dream. When I was old enough to go to the library to look for it, I was thrilled to find it was real.

MHWALSH@aol.com
A book I read as a teen and have read several times since then is "Mrs. Mike" by Benedict and Nancy Freeman. Interesting that this question should come up just now because I was surching for a copy online this weekend. I wanted to get a copy for my granddaughter. I hope when she is a teen she will read it. This is the only book I have read multiple times(about 5). It is about a young girl who goes to the Canadian wilderness, marries a mounty and has quite an adventurous life. I can hardly wait to read it again.

rongardner4@home.com
I don't remember the name of the book, but I was in first grade and remember standing in the kitchen and reading it to my aunt. I also remember being frustrated because I didn't have the ability to read the chapter books I saw on the library shelves!

LtldrlgH@aol.com
The first book I can remember that left an impression on me was called The Silver Pencil. I have been reading books nonstop since then, I was about eight years old. Next week I'll be thirty-two years old.

TessTea@aol.com
Dr. Seuss - my parents used to read to me and my sister every night, and Dr. Seuss was high on the list. And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street was a big hit, even though it was a long time before I could stay awake all the way through. Bears on Wheels was a favorite. My tastes evolved over time, and I recall ordering Little House in the Big Woods from the book club in second grade. It was thicker that anything I'd ever seen, and I finally managed to read it the following year. Then I promptly worked through the rest of Wilder's books. By fourth grade, it was Nancy Drew all the way. The mystery bug has stayed with me, and right now I'm reading one.

Afnak@aol.com
When I was about 9 yrs old, my mother gave me her old copy of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES and said she thought I would like it. And she was right; I read all of the Anne books and finally, about 15 years ago, my husband and I went to Prince Edward Island. We visited all of her old haunts, stayed at a lovely bed-and-breakfast place, and toured the island about a week. My daughter read most of the Anne bks, too.

RWilkes48@aol.com
I think the first book I read was a Nancy Drew book. My mom would read us a chapter at night and I could not stand the suspense. so I started to read it myself. My mother is a very smart lady, as she really knew how to get me interested in reading!

N2HUL@aol.com
"Ping, the story of a duck on the Yangtze river", was always a favorite of mine!!

AJL1121@aol.com
When I was 8, my family spent the summer in California. I had never been inside a library, or been exposed to books. My parents were not big on reading anything beyond newspapers. My Aunt Thelma gave me my very first book, called "Genevieve Gertrude" I have no idea who the author was, but the story was of the adventures & misadventures of a young girl. I devoured that book. My aunt saw how much pleasure it gave me and took me to the library to get a Library Card. She also lent me lots of the books she had read as a young girl. I will always remember that book and that summer. I've been a voracious reader ever since and I'm now 54.

KuniP@aol.com
I remember the first book I read. It was up in Seth's Room by Judy Bloom.

WhiteSea48@aol.com
The three bears. I knew it backwards and forwards way before I could read.

MOM2BNB@aol.com
Do you remember the first book you read, or any book that was important to you during your childhood?

I don't know that it was actually my FIRST book, in fact, I'm sure it wasn't. But the first "big persons" book that I read was Black Beauty. I absolutely loved that book. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm going to read it again -- about 25 years later.

LOVEMOMM4@aol.com
Spot
See Spot Run
Run Spot Run
Wow I wish I could get ahold of that to show my kids....now....

VCotledge@msn.com
Hello. The first book series I read as a young child was "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries." I cannot remember which book of the series I read first, but I read the entire series. To this day, I can still vividly remember the mystery stories. Another book and author that was important to my reading years as a young child, and whose works I still savor as an adult is Agatha Christie. The first book I read of hers as a young child was "Elephants Can Remember."

Eazy52@aol.com
Yes! The first book I ever read was SuperFudge by Judy Bloom. I was in 2nd Grade. I thought the book was hilarious and laughed the whole way through. Then I went on to read Blubber and some of her other books and I have been reading ever since.

Sashaandlaurent@aol.com
wide open;nicola barker
scar culture;toni davidson
once in a house on fire;andrea ashworth
corpsing;toby litt
all hail the new puritians:various
the lawn mover celebrity;ben hatch
armidillo;william boyd
Just a few of the many fab books i have read.

Im4asmile@aol.com
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

WKF11@aol.com
The first book I remember reading was my first grade primer. The adventures of two children Alice and Jerry and their dog. The next books I remember were the Bobbsey Twin Series. My mother had her old copies. Too Bad we didn't take better care of them, but if she hadn't let me read them, would I have known that reading could be fun.

Robb084@aol.com
MY favorite book as a child and the first one I remember ever reading was Peter and The Wolf. What a wonderful book it was.

MACN4MONEY@worldnet.att.net
My mother and father always read a story from Egermeier's Bible Story Book and 365 Bedtime stories at bedtime, a ritual I treasure in my memories. Those stories were read many times over until I knew the stories and illustrations by heart. What meant the most was the closeness I felt to my parents. The other books from early childhood that I treasured and read many times over were "Black Beauty" and "Heidi". Finally the Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House on the Prairie" books were near and dear as I grew up near the Ingalls homestead in South Dakota. I read those books to my son when he was small and he loved them as much as I had.

Britadon@aol.com
I loved a series called "Betsy, Tacy and Tib." Then, my dad had a lot of old books stored in the basement and I recall reading both the Five Little Peppers and How They Grew and a Horatio Alger book called Sam's Chance. They might not compete with Dr. Seuss, but, I do recall the stories these many years later.

RODAKOTA@aol.com
I have been a reader since I can remember. But the book that I remember as the most pinical in my early years of reading is still my favorite book today. I reread this book once a year since I was 16yrs old. I have given this incredible book as a gift more times than I can count. I count on this book to take me, return me, to a place and time in my memory and in America's history. I re-enter to rediscover a time and place far from where I am. The book of which I speak, write, does not need a discription of it's prose, plot, or charaterization. It does not need my endorsment as a reader and writer. It is my inspiration, my foundation, and my place to go when the current fiction I am reading does not capture my attention. "Gone With the Wind."

Manduzz@aol.com
The first books I can remember reading on my own, and the ones that were definately important to me as a child were the Little House on the Prairie Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Wcpainter@aol.com
The first I can remember reading was a very old Grimm's Fairy Tales, published in 1890, that had been my great grandmother's storybook when she was a child. I loved the original version of the tales, and the detailed illustrations were wonderful - scary stuff!