Mary Pope Osborne on Children and Reading

Mary Pope Osborn, the author of the wildly successful Magic Treehouse series, recently spoke to Bookish about the series, her inspiration, and the importance of books in children's lives: Read about her newest book Shadow of the Shark, and the full Bookish interview HERE.

"I think that when children read books, they gain a sense of self that would be hard to experience otherwise. I once read that we are most ourselves when we read because we are creating along with the author—we see print, and suddenly our imagination completes a picture with scenery, people we know, experiences we’ve had. We gain a self this way. Children also gain independence when they read and learn how to think for themselves. And thirdly, reading helps children find a way to escape negative surroundings and circumstances, and this helps them imagine a different future for themselves."

Read about her newest book Shadow of the Shark, and the full Bookish interview HERE.