One of the first questions on my Wake Forest application asked me about what novels piqued my curiosity. I am sure that admissions was expecting me to provide them with a scholarly list of critically acclaimed books that dove deep into my highest academic interests. However, I thought there was no better way to answer this question than to be completely honest.

Therefore, the first book I listed was Dr. Seuss’ sophisticated novel Green Eggs and Ham. I chose this complex novel because it is the book that taught me how to read! Find out if your favorite children's books are listed below.

Green Eggs and Ham

A true classic. This book was the first one I ever learned how to read and believe it or not I was not so interested in it because it was about food. My true reading curiosity was piqued through Dr. Seuss’ brilliant rhyming scheme. It was so perplexing and amazing to me and I wanted to be able to interpret it by reading the words myself.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

I can relate to the main character of this book because I also find it necessary to eat everything in sight! This book could never be one treat at bedtime because whenever I was reading it I would have to be enjoying a fat snack. On a more serious note, because this Caterpillar devoured everything in sight, he taught all of us children that it was okay to make mistakes, as long as we show that we’re sorry when we do.

Goodnight Moon

Now, this one must be on every single person’s favorite childhood books list. What better way to calm yourself down after an exhausting day of arts and crafts, having your parents cook all your meals, and playing in the yard with your friends than a sweet book like this one? Its very purpose is to peacefully have your parents tell you all the objects you can say goodnight to. And best of all, it rhymes!

The Giving Tree

This book is what taught us all to be caring people. All of the messages that it encapsulated were some of the most important ones my parents would try to impose. This book is especially important because of how it preaches to embraces selflessness and the positive impact even the smallest act of giving can have.

Where the Wild Things Are

The best part about this book is how it tells people that is completely ordinary to feel different. The story teaches every child that books can take you on adventures and that no dream or idea is really impossible. My favorite part about Where the Wild Things Are is its message to connect with people who are different than you.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

Being a triplet made this children's tale even more intriguing to us. It was a comedically brilliant spin off the original story of the Three Little Pigs. My brothers and I were never able to put this book down because we each pretended to be one of the pigs from the story. We even went as far for dressing up as the three little pigs for Halloween one year!

The Cat in the Hat

One of the greatest novels ever written. The sheer creativity of this story was so enjoyable as a kid. I loved reading this book because it was full of adventures and extremely peculiar situations. I always hoped that someone like the Cat in the Hat would be put in charge of babysitting my brothers and me one day so that we could have a quirky adventure. An absolute classic.

Love You Forever

Now this one's a tearjerker. Whenever my brothers and I would get in trouble for doing something we know we shouldn’t have, we would usually get a brief timeout but then my parents would have us read Love You Forever. It showed us that it was okay to mess up sometimes and make accidents, but our parents would still love us forever.

Oh The Places You'll Go

Many of my friends have a copy of this book that they have kept for a long time, and I do too. Through each milestone in my life, I would like to revisit it and smile because I could recognize how much optimism it gave me as a kid. The drive to thrive that this book instilled in me was part of my motivation for many accomplishments. The day I was accepted into Wake Forest I found my original copy in our basement and read the entire book through. This book teaches us, kids, that anything can happen.