My Life…As a Readerby Doreen Platt

My Favorite Book Ever

The ‘Secret Garden’ by Francis Hodgson Burnett has been

my favorite book since I can remember being read to. My

third grade teacher, Mrs. Starks, read this wonderful book to us every day after

lunch. I fell in love with reading because of ‘The

Secret Garden.’

Reading In My ChildhoodAlthough I know my parents read to me when I was a child, the only clear memory I have of being read to was during a hospital stay when I was 11 or 12 years

old…my dad sat by my bedside for almost a week and read ‘Heidi’ to me.

Reading In My Childhood HomeReading was important in my home

when I was growing up. I was raised on a ranch in rural Wyoming,

and winters were long! Many a winter evening, after chores were

done, my parents would settle in to read: my dad, the newspaper, my

mom a mystery novel. Whenever my parents would go on a

trip, they would always bring me a Nancy Drew mystery as a gift.

Reading With My ChildrenI really became a reader and a lover of children’s

literature when I became a mom. I read to my children all the time: story time, naptime and

bedtime. Any time was a good time to sit down with a book and read to my kids—dishes could wait, housework could wait; nothing seemed as

important during those years as snuggling up with my kids and reading their favorites: ‘The Spooky

Old Tree’ or ‘ The Berenstain Bears’ B Book.’

Reading In My Own FamilyAs my children grew, they all

became avid readers—something I’m very grateful

for. Reading became an important part of our family

life. And when we discovered books on tape, we never again went on a

trip in the car without something wonderful and

exciting to listen to!

Reading With My GrandchildrenMy greatest pleasure now is

reading to and with my grandchildren. I’m known as “The Book Grandma”

because I always give books for gifts—at Christmas and on

birthdays, my grandkids all know that a package containing books will be coming in the mail from

Grandma Doreen.

Reading For Pleasure

When I’m not taking classes, and during the summers, I get the chance to read for pleasure. I enjoy reading young adult novels and historical fiction. I’m a great

fan of Mary Higgins Clark, have loved the Harry Potter series, and recently discovered the ‘Mitford Years’ series by Jan Karon. I’ve been known to hold up in my room for an entire day during Christmas vacation, reading—not even coming out to eat!

Reading For ClassesAfter 30 years of pursuing it, I earned my Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education last December, and I’m now taking classes for my Library Certification. Consequently, I spend much of my “reading time”

reading textbooks…a few that have been worth my time are: ‘You Gotta BE The Book’ (good job, Cynthia!),

‘Growing Readers’ and ‘When Readers Struggle: Teaching That Works.’

Reading That Fills My Soul

No story of my reading life would be complete without mentioning the reading that fills up my “spiritual

bucket.” The books and magazines I read because I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saints add a very important dimension to my life. They help me to be the best person I can be.

My Reading Life Is…important, relevant, satisfying, necessary…it’s

the part of my life that keeps me sane!