![Picture](/uploads/2/3/1/3/23136562/1289274.jpg)
The actual 'prize' I won for a reading contest in 2nd grade.
I was consumed with books in my childhood. When I sat down with a book it was both exciting and unrestricting. My mind could follow a character, devise other scenarios, and conjure up imaginations that were beyond the reach of what I thought possible. I absorbed stories. They affected me. They made me curious for more.
We had "Book Fairs" that would be set up in the hallway next to the main office of my elementary school. My second grade teacher created a competition for her students. Who could read the most books? These books could include ones in the school library, the town library or the Book Fair itself. As a teacher today, I'm not sure how Mrs. Mehl held us accountable for the number of books, but when the end of the time had come for the count, there was a tie. Another girl read just as many as me. I thought - 'no, way'! What I do remember is this was a girl with long blonde hair, quiet but polite. I think we were friends, at least I remember going over to her house to see the pet monkey she had in this cage. I never read about that yet in a book.
Anyway, the prize for being the winner, or in this case the winners, were horses: plastic horses. One was white, the other brown. Our teacher asked which one would each of us like, I said something like--'You, go ahead-you pick first.' My co-winner picked the white one. I still have my 'prize' for reading the most books (well, almost the most) to this day. The filly is over 45 years old; so not so young anymore (wink). The horse is still holding up as is my love for books. I have bookcases crammed with books; it is still a delightful journey to venture into the pages of wonder. They remind me how I became who I am today.
When you open the cover of a book you are holding on for dear life like riding bareback on an unbroken horse. It can be exhilarating, sometimes even scary--but well worth the ride!
**Next: a favorite childhood book.