Recently, I have started a job at my local, public library. As a lover of stories, it is an amazing job and experience for me. Working there, I get to see people get excited over books. This is amazing to me that stories are such a big part of our lives as human beings. Little kids come to the front desk with handfuls of picture books, their eyes gleaming as they watch me scan them. One little boy had just gotten a new library card and giddy with excitement, proceeded to tell me how much he loved The Magic Treehouse books. An elderly woman comes in a few times a week with a list of books or movies she'd like to check out. When I help kids sign up for our library's summer reading program, I see how excited they are just to pick out books and read. Some tell me how much they love to read, other's I can tell, and some are reluctant (these are usually older teenagers who claim they don't read). With all of these cases I want to let them know how important it is to read and to have an imagination, which reading and stories help build. The kids who don't like to read often think they are uncool or that it is boring, but I cannot stress enough how important it is.

Having an imagination leads to looking at the world a different way: the stars at night mean so much more, a song is more fun to listen to, sitting outside is more peaceful, and life is happier. Reading books, writing stories, or even thinking in depth can transport you to other worlds. In stories you can be anything you want to be: a knight, a hero, a villain. Stories lead you to places that real life can't, it just takes opening a book and reading. Children should be encouraged to read and should be read to, even if they are young. Little kids will imagine great things as you read to them. Just recently I was reading to my two-year old nephew, he took the book and asked if he could read, when I said "sure" he proceeded to mumble on about something he was making up: he was using his imagination!

Working at the library has led me to many great encounters with fellow bookworms, a title I wear proudly. I see little kids excited to pick out books and parents excited for them to read. I see older men and women who read books that take them to new places, to new experiences. One thing in common with all of these people is they all have a great love for stories and endless imaginations. More and more people should pick up a book, especially young children as their minds and personality are developing. Reading sounds boring to some, but let me tell you, it isn’t if you give it a try.

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” – Philip Pullman