When I was growing up in the late 80s, I had a pretty staple diet of books. While I can’t say I was a “library kid” in the same sense we use today, I definitely read more than my fair share of books. What motivated me? My elementary school participated in the Book It program, so the lure of monthly pizza was always strong. Also reading is fun and enjoyable.
So what was I reading when I was a kid? I tended to read a lot of non-fiction, especially on the Civil War. I exhausted my school library and even made a reasonable dent into the local public library’s collection as well. The Civil War is ultimately what led me to becoming a librarian.
She kept me in books for years. I was lucky that my elementary school not only had an excellent library, but an excellent librarian as well. She was an absolute gem.
I also read a lot of the Hardy Boys series and Matt Christopher’s sports books. The most popular books from my childhood were probably the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure series. I usually ended up getting eaten by a bear or some similar fate, but the best part of this series is you just back tracked and tried again till you found a better ending.
The first series of books that I can remember reading are the classics by Dr. Seuss and The Berenstain Bears. I also
My memories of childhood always involved books. One thing I enjoy about working in public libraries is being able to instill the same love of reading in today’s children.
I hope you have the same fondness for books that I had when I was a kid and that you instill that love into those around you.
Keith L Greenawalt, Library Director