If You Give a Child a Book

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Literary Essay

by William Weger

“If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. When you give him the milk, he'll probably ask you for a straw.”

And so goes the circular chain of events in Laura Numeroff’s wildly popular picture book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

And when you give a child a book, a whole new adventure begins. And one book leads to another. And another. And a young reader and lifelong learner is born.

Kids learn that books are like magical doors. Open one, and they might land on the moon, travel back in time, meet a fire-breathing dragon, save the world, or simply learn how to make spaghetti and meatballs—all without ever leaving their chair.

My first magical door opened with the treasured classic, Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman. Published in 1960, the picture book is about a baby bird in search of his mother. It is part of the Beginner Books series edited by Dr. Seuss.

My journey continued with Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat. These imaginative Seuss stories, filled with silly rhymes, playful language, and funny drawings, made reading feel like an adventure rather than a lesson.

By fourth grade, I graduated to The Phantom Tollbooth which fascinated me. A mysterious tollbooth whisked Milo away from his boring life and into a world where numbers, words, and places became wonderfully whimsical. It showed me that books could transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

It was The Phantom Tollbooth that inspired the writing of my own middle-grade novel, Marshmallows Over Manhattan. In this fantasy tale, Hugo finds a magical subway token and begins a wild adventure ride from Manhattan to the Kingdom of Menlo to rescue his amazing weather machine. Will it save The Big Apple from the Blizzard of the Century?

But books open another important door to lifelong learning. Reading helps children learn, think, communicate, imagine, and make sense of the world around them. It strengthens the skills they need in school and supports almost everything they will do throughout life.

In an age often overwhelmed by social media—and increasingly by artificial intelligence (AI)—reading matters more than ever. Unlike endless scrolling, reading encourages children to slow down, explore ideas, concentrate, comprehend, analyze, and consider different perspectives. It asks them to follow a story, wrestle with an idea, and make connections rather than simply slide to the next piece of content.

Children need strong reading skills to understand information, recognize misinformation, ask better questions, and think independently. Reading builds vocabulary, knowledge, curiosity, empathy, and confidence—qualities that technology can assist but never replace.

Raising Readers “Takes a Village”

Helping children become strong, enthusiastic readers is not one person’s job. It really does take a village. Parents, guardians, babysitters, teachers, librarians, booksellers, community organizations, nonprofits, businesses, and local leaders can all play an important role.

The key is increasing both children’s interest in reading and their access to books. That is not always easy, especially for struggling families and low-income communities where books are scarce or where children have limited opportunities to discover the joy of reading.

We can help by putting books in children’s hands, creating welcoming libraries and bookstores, reading aloud at home, supporting school and public libraries, giving books as gifts, and making reading a visible and valued part of community life. Even small endeavors can open big doors.

Books give children a chance to imagine, discover, question, dream, and grow! We are opening a magical door—and inviting them to a world of wonder and imagination.

Books & Bards, through our Read Street initiative, supports nonprofits that promote literacy and a love of reading.

Read Street: Where Books & Minds Meet

Vision: All children with bright futures inspired by their ability to read and succeed in life.

Mission: To promote children’s love of reading by increasing access to books and literacy resources.