Literacy Narrative
I could spend hours on end wrapped up in a good book. I confess… I don’t spend as much time reading as I would like to, but when I get around to it I can’t put the book down. My favorite book as a child was The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, this little book really sparked my interest in reading and carried me forward into my love for learning. At the age of five, my Auntie Laurie started taking me to Borders every month. Every time we went she would make a big deal about it. I learned to read at an early age and was very proud of myself, showing off whenever I could, so we would spend hours reading books. So on our first surprise trip to the book store, I was in awe of all of the books. We climbed into the car and headed to Garden City to do some Kindergarten school shopping at Gap and the Children’s Place. On our way out of Garden City my aunt made an unexpected stop at Borders. I had never been there before and when I walked in it was like a whole new world. There were books everywhere, all different sizes, colors, and filled with so many new words I couldn’t wait to learn. As a five year old I was very nosy and touchy, so the first thing I did was run away from my aunt and touch everything I could reach. She quickly chased after me and grabbed my hand dragging me to the kids section.
The kids section was better than anything I had ever seen before. I was so excited. Yes, I’ve been to a library but those were old used dusty books, here at the book store everything was new and shiny. My aunt sat in the wooden alligator chair and let me roam around the kids section for an hour picking out books that interested me. After narrowing it down, I was left with The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein and Today I Feel Silly by Jamie Lee Curtis. We cashed out and headed to the Starbucks café and bought hot chocolate. Right as my aunt and I got to the big carpeted seat I spilt my hot chocolate, I’ve always been a clumsy person. But today was a special day, I didn’t get yelled at, she just picked up the cup and went to get me a new one. Right before leaving I asked if we could come back, Auntie Laurie told me we could come back whenever I wanted. As we walked out the door, I was planning for another visit the next day.
Now, as a seventeen year old I look back to that day and think about how much reading has taken a role in my life. I found someone to share my interest with and it made me feel like someone understood me. Today, it is a rare occasion to find a teenager, or actually anyone, who reads in their spare time and has two huge bookcases filled with books, but that’s me. I could spend hours on end in a bookstore or library. Every time I open a book it takes me away to a new place, somewhere unique and exciting that I’ve never been to before. One day, I hope to bring the same excitement that I have for reading to my little brothers and sister.
