Anna Staniszewski

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting Curious Jane Camp in Boston and talking about writing and fairy tales (and making some origami frogs). It was a small but enthusiastic group of girls, and I had a lot of fun.

As I was thinking about the event afterward, I realized one of the reasons I enjoy talking to young readers is that they remind me of how enthusiastic I was about books when I was a kid.

During my talk, I always show pictures of some of my favorite reads from when I was young:

Undoubtedly, there are oohs and aahs in the audience when I show these covers because the kids also know and love these books. It’s amazing how we can connect over stories that were written years ago.

Another reason I love doing events: I often meet young people who confess to me that they want to be writers, too. And again, they remind me of myself as a young girl, scribbling away in a notebook and wanting more than anything to be like my childhood hero, Beverly Cleary.

I know we’re always afraid of kids not reading and of books being in jeopardy, but talking to young people gives me hope that there are kids who are fiercely dedicated to stories. Just like I was.