Dear Third-Graders,

I lived in many places growing up because my Dad was in the Navy. In 3^rd grade, I was the new kid . . . again. My older brother and sister were straight 'A' students. I was just "OK" at school. Good grades did not come easily for me. My older brother and sister were very smart. School seemed easy for them. I wanted to be smart. I thought I was not.

In third grade, my teacher was Mrs. Munsen. Our class was divided into Reading Groups. The groups all had bird names: Cardinals, Hummingbirds, Robins, Blue Jays. Cardinals were the best readers, the fastest readers.

We took a reading test to find out which Bird we would be. I tried to read fast so I would be a Cardinal. The story didn't make much sense to me when I read that fast. I was just sounding out the words. I was embarrassed to be a slow reader. The smart kids were fast! "TIME'S UP!" said Mrs. Munsen.

I was very nervous. Oh, how I wanted to be a Cardinal!

Sometimes it's tough being the new kid. I felt as if I needed to impress everyone so they would like me. I needed to be a Cardinal. My stomach ached; my palms sweated. I thought, "Cardinals. Please make me a Cardinal!" Then Mrs. Munsen called out the groups. She read the names of the Cardinal Reading Group. No Janet.

They were the fast readers. They were the good readers. I thought I was not.

Back in 3^rd grade, I believed reading was just something you did in school. All those months, waiting to be a Cardinal, I never really understood what reading was all about - that it could be fun and entertaining. Why were those kids so content and happy with their noses stuck in books?

Then it happened. I chose a book that turned me onto reading. I checked The Yearling out from the library. I brought it home and read it slowly, by myself, with no pressure. I reread parts I didn't understand; I looked up words I didn't know or asked my mom what they meant. I found a book that touched my heart. I laughed, and cried, and felt like I was reading for the first time.

It no longer mattered if I was only a Blue Jay. What was important was that I was reading and liking it. And you know what happened? Reading became easier. The more I read, the better a reader I became. It's just like basketball. You have to practice jump shots.

Reading about animals made my love for them grow. I never had a pet when I was little because we moved so much. It wasn't practical or fair to the animal. So I would pretend. I would put bowls of milk out for my stuffed toy cat. After reading The Yearling, I understood my own sad feelings about not having a pet.

I read all the books I could find about animals: Black Beauty, King of the Wind, Brighty of the Grand Canyon, The Incredible Journey. I could not have a pet of my own, but I could read all about them.

As an adult, I still read animal stories. But now, I have other passions as well. I like to read books about art and artists, and writers and writing. Kids often remind me to think about my favorite things. Sometimes, as adults, we forget to do that. Kids often ask, "What's your favorite color, Janet Stevens" or "What's your favorite animal?" Now I put lots of periwinkle-blue and wrinkly rhinoceroses in my books.

Picturing images in my mind has helped me understand the books I read. When I was young, I did a book report on The Diary of Anne Frank. I drew each character in the book in great detail. My teacher did not appreciate my lack of words. I didn't get a very good grade. But the pictures I drew helped me understand the book. It's interesting that I now make picture books as a career.

As a child, I had a collection of tales including The Three Billy Goats Gruff. My version only had one picture. It was tiny, and down in the corner of the page. The picture just showed the three goats and the bridge. "Where was the troll? What did he look like?" I always wondered. Later, as a picture-book artist, I was able to draw my own troll - and he is really ugly. Maybe if you drew a troll it would be quite different.

In Tops and Bottoms, I draw Bear one way. If you read Tops and Bottoms without the pictures, just think how you might draw Bear. Where would you have him sleep? There are so many choices. Perhaps he would not wear a tie or shoes. You might imagine your own Bear - maybe a Girl Bear in bellbottoms!

It's also fun to act out your favorite books. You can be your favorite character. You can even rewrite it and make up your own ending, retelling it in your own words! Sometimes when I'm working on a book, I think of it as a play. The characters are actors, and the book is their stage. Sometimes I have the same characters pop up in different roles, in other books! The Hare in The Tortoise and the Hare became Bear's partner in Tops and Bottoms. Sometimes they have a small part in one book, and a main role in another book. The Iguana in From Pictures to Words, for instance, finally gets a major role in my new book, Cook-A-Doodle-Doo!

What a treat it is to share a book, to be read to. One summer, my son Blake read James and the Giant Peach aloud while I illustrated Anansi Goes Fishing. He would reread the best parts, and we'd laugh together. Try reading your favorite parts of a book to your little brother or sister or a neighbor - or have them read to you. That way, you get to relive its adventures and laugh or cry again. It feels different than reading silently to yourself. You're sharing a book, and it's fun!

When my son Blake is home sick, sometimes he'll take his well-worn copy of The BFG (he's read it about 30 times), and reread that book because it comforts him. My daughter Linze, who is sixteen now, was cleaning out her room the other day, and packing away her picture books. She kept several favorite books out on her shelf. I asked her why. "These are my special books", she said. "They bring back all sorts of memories of when I was little, both happy memories and sad ones. They're sort of like friends."

I have a special chair up in my room that each member of my family likes to sit in and read. It's very soft and comfortable. Sometimes we fight for the reader's chair. I think we need to get a few more! You might like to read in the grass outside, under a tree, on a rock, or on the couch in the Public library. My kids can even read in the car! I hate that. I want to read in the car, too. Unfortunately, I get carsick! But I can listen to books on tape, now.

Wouldn't it be fun to show Mrs. Munsen all the books I've written and illustrated as an adult! Or perhaps show them off to the teacher who gave me a "D" on my book report. I know now that being a Cardinal is not so very important. A Blue Jay can write and illustrate books! I've realized now that what is important is how you feel about reading - that you enjoy it.

Jump into a book like a cool swimming pool on a hot summer day, and feel it all around you. Read at your own pace. Reread the parts you don't get - or that you like the most. Dive into it! Become the character in the book; feel all the feelings.

A little girl once wrote me, "Janet Stevens, your book took the sadness out of me." Tears came to my eyes when I read her letter. We were connected as author and reader. In a letter, a boy told me, "Your stories are like milkshakes - tasty and good for you."

Third Graders, all I can say is, "Enjoy the milkshake!"