A long long time ago, in a decade far far away – okay, so not really that far or long away – in the 90s, I was a kid. As a stressed out college student on the brink of entering the 'real world,' I find myself wishing I could go back to being a kid now more than ever because it was basically always playtime. I'm sure you had a go-to toy to play with like Playdoh, Hot Wheels, or a Polly Pocket, and I did too. Back in the day, if my parents were tired of "The Lion King" being played on loop in our living room for the hundredth time or there were no other kids around for me to play with, my favorite toy to play with was not Barbies. In fact, it wasn't even a toy. It was books.

Some of my best childhood memories are having one of my parents read to me. It was a way for us to spend time together, and it turns out that was good for me too. According to the National Education Association, children who are read to are more likely to know their alphabet, be able to write their names, and start reading earlier than children who are not read to. It has also been noted that these children have a higher success rate in school. There is no doubt in my mind that books played a big part in getting this far in college and also becoming a writer, so thanks Mom and Pop! Here are some of my top favorite children's books that started it all:

Imge via toysrus.com

"Goodnight Moon"

Margaret Wise Brown's book of soothing rhyming rhythms always helped me drift off to sleep – if my dad didn't fall sleep first. Now that I'm all grown up and out late at night, my dad will text me, 'Goodnight, moon,' when he goes to bed. It's one of the first books I remember having, and I'm not going to lie, I'll still read it once in awhile when I can't fall asleep.

image via amazon.com

"Love You Forever"

Written by Robert Munch, this book will hit you right in the FEELS. I have memories of my mom reading with me in her arms, and every time the famous repeated part came up, "I'll love you forever / I'll like you for always / As long as I'm living / My baby you'll be," my mother would rock me back and forth, back and forth, just like the mom did in the book. If you haven't read it, bring tissues for the ending, because you will #brbcrying. Now that my own parents are getting older this book just means that much more to me, because it's a reminder that as we're growing up, our parents are growing older.

image via byheartbooks.com

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar"

A lot of Eric Carl's books were an awesome part of my childhood with their bright illustrations and characters that were critters, but this one was my favorite. Getting to see this little insatiable caterpillar's journey through food (literally) was the best – especially if you had the pop up version of the book. This guy understands my love for food and gives me hope that I'll still be a butterfly, even after that cake and ice cream.

Even if books were not your thing (or still aren't), think about the impact you can have on a child if you simply sit down and share a story with them. I know it only brought me good, and I can't wait to share these books with my own kids some day.