“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents”

—Emilie Buchwald

“My daughter is seven, and some of the other second-grade parents complain that their children don't read for pleasure. When I visit their homes, the children's rooms are crammed with expensive books, but the parent's rooms are empty. Those children do not see their parents reading, as I did every day of my childhood. By contrast, when I walk into an apartment with books on the shelves, books on the bedside tables, books on the floor, and books on the toilet tank, then I know what I would see if I opened the door that says 'PRIVATE--GROWNUPS KEEP OUT': a child sprawled on the bed, reading.”

Anne Fadiman (Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader)

I CAN HARDLY DEAL WITH THE ADORABLENESS: I'm sitting in a coffee shop and two little girls and their mother just walked in. The mom goes to order and the girls stand back. The girls are each holding "Olivia" books. The older girl begins to shout "I'M READING A BOOOOK" over and over again. Her mother shushes her, which prompts the younger one to copy her sister.

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