Jeffers’ Fosters Love of Learning

When I learned to read at a young age, it quickly became the only thing I would do. Countless hours were spent reading picture books in our small family room as I raced through words at lightning speed. One book that really resonated with me, and still does today, is “The Incredible Book Eating Boy.” Like me, Oliver, the protagonist, loves books, but he eats them instead of reading them. The endearing and funny joke as I look back on it is that Oliver is literally consuming books, just as I was consuming them in a different sense. Then, the book was a lovable way to encourage me to read a lot and to remind myself that reading was a pastime that should be enjoyed, but now that I am older, I recognize the greater importance the book had on my life. “The Incredible Book Eating Boy” and his quest for knowledge as he ate books illustrates to me now that knowledge is power and that it’s all right to want to be smart. Sometimes, curious children are labeled as nerds in school, but this book taught me otherwise and I hope now that my love for books and knowledge never fades.