Rusting metal bars criss-crossed around the titanic building. Not a single door could be found on the faded, once-red wall. I was walking into a horrible jail to be held hostage for the rest of eternity.
Then, my mother took my hand and told me to hurry so we could find the best seats for the reading class. The illusion shattered. I was just a first grader about to do extra reading practice with her mother again.
While I can't remember what actually happened in these comprehension classes, I do remember the first book I read on my own, provided by the program, as well as the feeling it gave me.
As my eyes slowly scanned the pages and the words registered in my mind, they filled my heart until I all but bursted. By the end of Syd Hoff's "Grizzwold", I was jumping up and down telling my parents and grandparents and uncle and just about everyone I knew that I could finally read by myself. The newfound confidence "Grizzwold" gave me felt like a gold medal.
Later, as I encountered trouble making friends, the lovable bear Grizzwold came to my aid once again. His journey to find his place in the world inspired me to have an adventure of my own. I dove into countless books, befriended countless characters, and explored countless worlds. They were the sanctuaries as Grizzwold found his own, but unlike his uncomfortable refuges, my books continue to fill up my heart.
The building with the bars may have seemed a prison to the active imagination of a six-year-old, but my time there freed me to explore the infinite worlds hidden between the pages of the portals we call books.
YOU ARE READING
Me in Riddles
Short StoryA First-Grader's First Book: Even a short book can give a young girl years of happiness. After all, the first of anything is bound to be the most special. And other glimpses of my life. Look hard enough and maybe you'll find my soul.
