Piling into the ‘’big bed” to read the Sunday funnies in color with my parents was my earliest adventure with reading. Being able to escape into a different world was so fascinating to me that I don’t remember exactly when I started to read. Soon I was bringing home armloads of books from the library. Adding to my bookshelf at home. Devouring the daily paper. And, when nothing else was available, reading the cereal box.

One of my best adventures was volunteering as a reading tutor in an elementary school. Freddie was my first student. Oh, how he struggled to read with flow and understanding. After two months of intensive work, I was delighted to see the light in his eyes as he suddenly grasped the rhythm and meaning of words on the page.  Introducing a young student to the wonderful worlds hidden in books is an unforgettable experience.

Writing for children keeps me honest. It encourages me to speak with my own voice. Not to worry if it sounds odd. Wacky.  Even upside-down. Because children will tell you the truth. Whether they like your story. Or not. Quite honestly.

So keep asking those questions that encourage you to see from a cock-eyed perspective.  Jump out of that pesky box. Keep asking yourself “what if…?”