Once Upon a Time When I Was a Child...

My earliest memory of being read to is the book "The Snowy Day" written by Ezra Jack Keats. 

Once Upon a Time When I Was a Child...
I can clearly remember my grandfather reading me this story while I sat curled in his lap in front of their large bay window. My grandparents had a closet in their guest bedroom and I would take my grandfather's hand and lead him in there and he would let me pick the book of my choice. I can also remember when I began to be able to read and the joy I found in reading to my grandfather. 
Reading has always had a happy and positive connotation in my life. Throughout my school career I never struggled with reading. I can remember being bored with whatever books my teachers read with me in guided reading or as a read aloud to my class. I guess I can blame my parents for enriching my literature life so much that I had always already read the books that were offered in school. However reading still remained a happy and easy pastime. 
As I reached the  upper elementary grades I would always be in trouble for reading when I was supposed to be doing something else. I can remember reading "The Babysitters Club" or "Nancy Drew" but never any of the educational books that we were supposed to be reading. 
I remember an English teacher in high school who let us read whatever book we wanted and wrote a paper on it. I was so flabbergasted that she let us do this it was very difficult for me to choose a book and I ended up choosing "The Scarlet Letter," because I did not want to choose something different. 
This now takes me to my college career of reading. Throughout college I am ashamed to say that I have not had much time to read for pleasure. Most of the time that I am reading it is something for a class or a student's essay. However I do still very much enjoy reading.