Once Upon A Time...

Once upon a time when I was a child…

            My mother would always read Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig.  This was one of my favorite children’s books because it had such great illustrations and an interesting story line.  The fictional picture book was about a young boy (donkey) who collected pebbles and came across a magical pebble that would change the weather and anything he wanted.  After taking advantage of the powers that came along with the pebble, the young boy (donkey) came across a hungry lion and he wished he had turned into a stone and stayed as one for months.  It sends the message of  “be careful what you wish for” to children.  This book shows children to appreciate what they already have.

I don’t remember exactly when I started learning how to read but I do remember it being difficult and fun at the same time.  Learning to read started with memorizing stories that my parents or older sister would read to me.  I was lucky enough to have an older sister who would read to me before bedtime, getting me initially interested in reading.  I loved reading and being read to as a child, which started my love for books.  My favorite books as a child consisted of: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Where The Wild Things Are, Judy Bloom series, Goodnight Moon, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and Charlotte’s Web.  I do continue to read, however, it is more required reading for school.  One of my greatest memories with reading and school was when my second grade class took a trip to our local library.  It is important to have  a classroom filled with a variety of different books on different reading levels.
Here is a story book animation for the book:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DjlrXQBkfA0