What children's book made a difference in your life?

[Dianne de Las Casas, Author, Award-Winning Storyteller]

There are so many children's books that I love and so many that touched me during my childhood. But I'll pick one that really spoke to me as an adult. I love Peter Reynolds' The Dot. It celebrates creativity and has a message of self-esteem (though definitely not forced like so many books). I keep it prominently displayed in my office and read it often. It makes me feel like I can be a creative success. Everyone should read this book! Plus, Peter Reynolds is a fantastic guy.

[Judy Pancoast]

The book that made the biggest difference in my life as a child was the Random House Treasury of Children's Literature. I got it for Christmas when I was six years old and had just begun to read. I read the whole thing, cover to cover. It is a fat book filled with everything from Nursery Rhymes to Limericks to excerpts from great children's literature by authors like Hans Christian Anderson plus delightful illustrations. I was so proud to own this big book that I could read that I took it to school and was allowed to read my favorite stories to the class. I was delighted to learn that this book is still published and when I became a mother I purchased a copy for each of my daughters. Every home should have one!

[RJ]

Jack Spratt was my favorite children's book. I would ask my Mom to read it almost every night. I memorized the book.... the rhyming words and sing-song way my Mother read it, made it so very interesting to me, that I could not wait to be able to read new books - all by myself. I believe my love of reading, as well as, my respect for the books themselves, began with Jack Spratt. Also, seeing my Mom reading inspired me to want to be like her - I wanted to do the things she did.

[lili09]

My favorite book was "Watership Dawn" by Richard Adams. it really changed my life, because I started to look at things differently, understanding that there are so many different communities in the world.

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Cholesterol treatment
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[Lee Welles]

It's a real toss up between Watership Down and the Little House series. Both are driven by great writing that makes the outdoors come to life. I loved the epic nature of Watership Down, but equally loved learning Pa made bullets for his muzzle loader! I grew up on a small family farm, so I especially love Farmer Boy. I always imagined my Grandfather as Almanzo and desperately wished we had horses.