My earliest memory with reading was in first grade. I received a package in the mail from my great aunt and to my surprise found “Junie B., First Grader: Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff)” inside. I had never met my great aunt and was pretty confused by the gesture but obliged and took the book up to my room to put alongside my other books. I had never read a chapter book on my own before, so the thought of putting a chapter book with my picture books and beginning to read books made me a little uncomfortable. But, I put the book down on my shelf anyways, planning for it to be read to me later by my mom.
That night I came back to the book though, curious as to what may lie in store. I picked it up and began reading. Soon enough I found myself enthralled by the story and refused to stop reading this book. My mom called me down for dinner, but I didn’t hear. All I could focus on was that book and the story of Junie B. Jones lying out in front of me. The next thing I knew, I had finished the book. I went bounding downstairs to my family in the living room and a plate of cold food on the counter.
“I read my first chapter book on my own!” I exclaimed, beaming from ear to ear. In that moment nothing could diminish the pride and excitement I felt. I read my first chapter book on my own.
Finishing that chapter book left me with a sense of longing; longing to pick up another chapter book to prove that I could do it again, all on my own. I wondered why I had never had the courage to read a chapter book on my own before and realized the world of reading I had been missing out on. My “Junie B.” book turned into a collection of children’s fiction which turned into sci-fi and fantasy and later turned into a collection of YA novels. After reading my first chapter book I couldn’t stop reading and read practically anything and everything I could get my hands on. I was desperate to find even more books that gave me the same sense of freedom that “Junie B., First Grader: Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff)” had.
Who knew that it’d be Junie B. Jones that would open up a world of reading to me that I would love for the rest of my childhood.
Hi Kayley,
I can definitely relate to your story. Books don’t really sell themselves well, but when you pick up a good one, you just can’t put it down. There are times where I’ve stayed up until it was 3 AM, reading a story because I found it fascinating. I’ve never read “Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff)” but it sounds like a fascinating book. I am just curious thought, from “Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff)” where did you go? I know you mention the genres, but were there any other specific books that had an impact on you? And in that same regard, what is your favorite genre?
I like how you talked about the sense of pride that you got from reading all on your own; since I started reading mostly through my family members, I also felt that pride when I finally was able to read independently. I also like how there is a specific story that you can remember that is tied to your reading experience; mine would be The Lorax by Dr. Seuss that I have read more times that I could count.