I don’t remember the book, but I taught myself to read when I was in Kindergarten. So when everybody was doing “Getting Ready to Read” in first grade, I got to go down to the library and read books, and I remember being particularly partial to books about spiders and wolves for some reason.

The Joss Bird…here’s the synopsis: The joss bird pursues the thief who steals her egg.

Hi. Interesting topic. I just have to share my story.

When I was eight or so, my parents bought me an electronics set. It was an unusual gift, since my mother always thought I would grow up to be a wife and mother like she did. I didn’t know what to do with it until I devised a plan that would be both entertaining and get my parents off of my back.

I put together a circuit that, when broken, blared a horn and flashed a light. I taped the tenuously connected wires across my bedroom door and doorjamb and waited.

Like clockwork, my mother cracked open the door around 10pm to check on my sleep status. That’s when I learned that electronics could be used for awesome purposes. Needless to say, my mother stopped checking in on me at bedtime.

As an adult I’ve designed lasers and am thinking about writing an electronics book. I live, happily, with my boyfriend and have no children (much to my mother’s displeasure). Thanks mom!

As far as the first book I could read on my own? It was a Sesame Street book featuring Grover, and it had the theme “There’s a monster at the end of this book”. I recorded myself reading it so that I could later listen to it and scare myself silly. Not sophisticated, but it was a suspenseful story.

Green Eggs and Ham. I’d come into school early and read it with my kindergarten teacher.

There’s a Monster at the End of this book is a real favorite though.

on the topic of books that come out of the depths of childhood, I recently tracked down a copy of In Search of the Saveopotamus. aah, such delight!

“The Foot Book” by Dr. Seus was my first. I used to run around the house shouting the words at anyone who would listen. My sister who was 7 years older than me got so tired of it she hid it in her room. I found it and she stole it from me again, this time tried to flush it down the toiet. It didnt work but made a huge mess and one very unhappy 5 year old with a soggy book.

Of course I remember the first book I ever learned to read, probably because it was the most annoying book ever, and I insisted on reading it aloud to everyone I knew. It was called, “The Teeny Tiny Woman”. I don’t know that you could really call it “learning to read” since the ENTIRE book consisted of the words “teeny” and “tiny”. In fact, the first page of the book was, “There was a teeny, tiny woman who lived in a teeny, tiny house, with a teeny, tiny dog.” See what I mean, throughly annoying. But I was still proud of myself. I’ve since learned to read books with more than just 3 different words, but that book will always have my heart.

Can someone help me?
When I was a little girl, I had this collection of books, a series…with burgundy and tan covers, and gold type on the bindings. In one of the collection, (of I think twenty or so books,)there was the story “Teeny Tiny Woman”. It was MY FAVORITE STORY! In this version of Teeny Tiny Woman, she finds a hen, rather than a bone. I would love to locate this series of books again, but have NO idea who the collection was created by, or when it was circulated….any ideas????

Look Out For Pirates!! is my all time favorite childrens book as well. Reading the book and thinking how cool the captain was. Had it growing up…wish i still did!

I bought this book at a second hand store for my son, he loved this book and read it many times. I am now buying for my grand chlidren. This will be a christmas present for my son actually! He still loves this book and he is 35 years old lol

We still have our copy of “Lookout for Pirates!”. It was my brother’s book and I used to sneak it out of his room to read it. My son now loves this book and is planning on writing a sequel – he thinks the pirates must get off the island some day by building boats out of all of the trees on the island.

My 1st grade teacher (1973) had one of the kids in class read it out-loud to her at her desk. The teacher was seeing how well this student could read. I couldn’t help but hear it and love it. I was about 7 and I asked my parents to buy it for me at the school book-sale a few months later. I must have read it 100 times by the time I was 8. I got lost in the pictures and the beautiful scenery of the Carribean. Whenever the subject of Pirates comes-up I always think about my first-favorite-book. “Look Out For Pirates”.

I knew this book word for word begining to end when I was three years old. If it had not been for this book I probably wouldn’t have started reading so soon. I was the only kid who started kindergarden already able to read in my school and at a first grade level. I held onto that book and now it’s my son’s and he is going to be four in two weeks.

WOW!!
The one big memory I have of this book (besides the fact that I liked it!) was when our grade school librarian would hold up certain books each week and ask if anyone wanted a certain book that had been returned. Activity was low key on most other books but when she held up the book and asked “Look out for Pirates?”, WHAM! There was a rushing tidal wave of eager young readers running towards her to be the lucky winner for that week! I seem to remember it being mostly boys but I’m sure the girls liked it too. Through the years I would remember Grade school days and the reaction that book would get! Randy. May Morley School Class of 1973. Lincoln, NE.

I just wanted to say that I have always vividly remembered the pale green colour
of this book’s cover, and the wonderful illustrations. I was born in 1963 and
must have been borrowing this regulary from my local library in Montreal between
’68 and ’70

Amazing how things like this stick in the memory/imagination. I loved it!