We all carry certain books with us long after childhood ends. They sit quietly on the shelves of our memory; dog-eared, underlined, loved, while shaping who we become and teaching us how to dream. Some stories came easily. Others were challenging, the kind where you held an encyclopedia in one hand and the book in the other. But every one of them mattered.
For me, one of those books was Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry. Anastasia was smart, funny, opinionated, and wonderfully imperfect, and I loved following her adventures. In fact, I read every Anastasia book as it was published. When the final book was released in 1995, I made sure to buy it on its release date, even though I was almost 30. That is the kind of connection a truly great book can create.
About a decade after discovering Anastasia, I wrestled with William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Shakespeare was not easy reading, but there was something powerful about working through the language and discovering the rhythm and wit beneath it. That challenge built confidence and curiosity (and the absolute personal belief that Kate’s sister, Bianca, was a brat, but I digress).
Books can transport you anywhere. More importantly, they can change your life. When we pass that love of reading on to a child, we do more than help them sound out words, we open doors. We show them that stories belong to them, that imagination is a gift, and that perseverance pays off.
Looking back now, I realize those books did more than fill my shelves. They helped me Be A Reader. They taught me that reading is not just a skill; it is a doorway to knowledge, imagination, confidence, and possibility.
That belief is at the heart of the BeAR Literacy Project. As we look ahead to the 2026 – 2027 school year, we are seeking volunteers willing to spend just one hour a week helping a second grader strengthen their reading skills.
Are you interested in becoming part of a child’s reading story? Contact Robin Ford at 757-321-2304 or rford@ujft.org. It’s never too early to think about making a difference.