Personal Narrative: The Berenstain Bear Books

Reading for pleasure allows your imagination to take over. Books expand our minds, and people who read often tend to have a very creative imagination. When you watch television the images are already created for you, but, when you read, you create the images using your imagination. The possibilities are endless when you use your imagination.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go,” wrote by Dr. Seuss. Whether it’s a blog, tweet, text, newspaper, novel, or a poem, people have always read to expand the mind. They read to escape the moment, to gain information, and to help direct them. On pewinternet.org a survey by Kathryn Zickuhr and Lee Rainie, show that in 2013 only 76% of Americans 18 and older have read a book in the past year. As I consider my reading experiences, I realized reading has provided relieve and comradeship on my journey, guiding me and forming my current feelings on reading. Hence my reading memories have befallen parable in my life.

Reading allows me to explore and go on a journey, and take part of myself on that journey. I can relate with characters in books whether they are fictional or real. We all read for pleasure, to explore, even to share all the same feelings we all share reading the book, and feeling the same feelings the authors of the books went through themselves. This is what makes a book fun to read. That is what I think C.S. Lewis meant when he said “We read to know we’re not alone” because books let us feel the experiences others felt, and share the same thoughts and feelings as others around us.

George R. R. Martin once proclaimed, “A reader lives a thousand lives”, which means that I have lived more than my terse eighteen years on this earth. From my parents reading me the classic Goodnight Moon every night, to my three-year-old self loving If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Chrysanthemum (which I strongly felt was written after me), I had an exemplary start when it came to the world of literature. From this introduction, I continued to immerse myself in books while other kids’ interest in books faltered once the pages were no longer filled with pretty pictures and enormous letters. My love and fascination, however, only grew stronger over time and as my skills advanced, I started to go through books so fast that I needed to buy five at a time in order to keep myself entertained by their stories. I have enjoyed my

Reading is a wonderful pastime. It allows me to mentally travel to far away lands in the present, the archaic past, or the advanced technological future. Reading allows me to be present during every struggle or joy the protagonist may face. It is a wonderful way to learn about fascinating cultures without physically traveling to other lands. It is a gateway to long, sleepless nights because I can become fully entranced by a story. Favorite books of mine include Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Both of these stories wonderfully illustrate internal human conflict as well as love, loyalty, and emotional and physical pain. These are just a few of the joys of

Life is full of happiness and sorrows. Yet, life is sometimes really overwhelming. Everybody, at a certain period in life, want to throw all the problems away and run. But responsibilities don't let us go. Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are. Books are uniquely portable magic and reading is one of the most marvelous adventures that anyone can have.

In 5th grade, I remember that our visiting times to the school library decreased and so did my urge to read. I almost forgot how it felt to be reading books of my own choice. The only time when I would read was when my teacher would assign a specific chapter to read of the book Wonder, and a worksheet. Filling out a worksheet after reading or while reading is like a punishment, the sheet is not letting me enjoy what i’m reading. Instead it’s made me a working machine, trying to pick out small details throughout the book. As I recall, I stopped reading for my own pleasure at that time. However the next year, 6th grade, in Language Arts we would visit the library once a month, or I would visit during the quiet S.T.A.R time to pick out a book. I picked off where I left off in my reading journey and starting reading again! I realized then, my interest in book genres had changed. Why, I was more interested in books taking place in middle school/high school, meaning that I enjoyed realistic fiction. Continuing on reading, I transitioned into 7th grade. In 7th grade I kept on reading more and more, I even kept a chart of the books I read! My Language Arts teacher also read along with the class with her own books and also encouraged me. Infact, both of my middle school Language Arts teachers encouraged me to keep reading. They would be surprised every time I announced that I finished a book, that made me want to surprise them more. Overall, this time period with my teachers helped me boost my reading

In the article it stated that two psychologist reported that reading helps people understand other people and to empathize with them. When you read a novel you get to learn about a character and how there life is different from yours and that information can be taken into everyday life. Say you read a book that told the story of a Veteran who suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder you'll gain the knowledge of what affects them and maybe a way on how to help

To me, reading means getting to enter an alternate universe and making up my own story along with the plot. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, I get to forget about the real world for a bit. When I’m reading I get to become an entirely new person with an entirely new story. By reading I get experience the text in my own perspective and give my take on how I envision the world in the story. On the other hand, I also get to learn things that may never be taught to me in school. When I’m reading I get to venture into somebody else’s life through a different set of eyes. My reason for reading also plays into what role reading takes on in my life because when I’m reading I can picture the characters and the world the way that I want to. Getting involved with the story is probably the most important part of reading because at that moment you really get to let your imagination run

Ever since I was a kid, books have provided a refuge for me. I read every single book I could get my grubby little hands on (including Queen of Clean, which has failed to influence my cleaning habits...). Reading allows me to step into a characters shoes and experience the world through their perspective while also allowing me to peak into the author's psyche. The ability to understand different schools of thought is critical for the development of empathy. When you're able to understand the world from various perspectives, you're able to develop an educated view of the world along with other people.

“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily often helplessly into another’s skin, another voice, another soul,” wrote Joyce Carol Oates.I remember how mesmerized I felt when my mom read to me, especially the sensation I felt as I imagined the soft breeze touching my skin, and the fragrance of its nature overpowering my senses. I love to escape from reality, experiencing the story like I was there. Reading has been a big part of my life, but I have had many obstacles that prevented me from really enjoying the pleasure of reading.

Reading is an appropriate way to fall in love, to travel over the world and to make new friends. People who like to read can realize the real meaning of love. I remembered myself when I was reading in my office my coworkers asked me that why are you smiling while are you reading. At that time, I told them I am not here right now, I am outside the country with someone who live between the lines in this book. They were laughing and told me you missed your brain. They could don't believe me because they not only did not have any experience in reading book but also they cannot absorb the art of reading. Also, sometimes I felt I am the character of the story for example when I was reading “by the river piedra I sat down and wept” by Paulo

Reading is a great way to learn without being taught. It can teach you how to spell and even write. Over the years I have respected reading more and more. I first started reading in elementary school, High school has been a lot easier, and reading at home has been a challenge for me. Reading has improved who I am as a student.

Dr. Seuss, a well-known writer, said in one of his many books, “The more that you read, the more that you will know. The more that you learn, the more place that you will go.” My greatest passions are art and math but reading, to me at least, is like another world full of wonder, surprises, and mysteries. I will not say that some of the best things I have ever done is thanks to reading because that would be a lie, but I can say that some of the best things happen within the book. There are people in this world that love to read, I enjoy it but maybe not so much as the next person but when I grab a book, sometimes I get so lost in the book that nothing else seems to matter. Getting lost in a book any in a way is like living within the book can just be one of the best escapes from the real world that I have.

Raymond Mar, a psychologist at Your University in Canada and Keith Oatley a professor An The University of Toronto, they both say that “individuals who often read fiction appear to be better able to understand other people, empathies with them and view the world from their perspectives.” I agree that reading certain types of books can help people further understand and see things from a different point of view. Reading helps to open people's eyes and to teach life lessons or to show there are other things to believe in and know other than what they have always been told to know. Getting different types of books, types that are not always the same as the books that you normally read can help you to view things differently. For example from personal experience a new book can help your imagination grow, readings helps me a lot when I need to come up with new ideas for an art class. The new places a book takes you the new images you see while you are reading the new stores you hear and the happy ending your book might have can change the way you are feeling it can brighten up your day.