3rd Grade Reading

Third grade reading time was the event that propelled me into reading. Most of my classmates would typically find a book that interested them with ease and quickly find a place to begin reading; whereas I would have an oddly hard time finding a book of interest. So much so that I developed the habit of just grabbing a random book, to give me a guise as a reader. As a kid I just could not get into reading for such a small amount of time, and on top of that the books kept in the teacher library were uninteresting. Now most of the time I would choose traditionally structured chapter books. Comics didn’t really appeal to me because of the layout and I always felt that I was missing some part of the story. One day my teacher, Ms. Given, realized …show more content…
I soon realized this was something I enjoyed reading; it was funny because it was everyday life made hysterical. This simple comic caught my interest in reading and began my addiction to Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin and Hobbes is a comic strip written about a bratty kid, Calvin, and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes. After my introduction with the book, I would binge read and was scolded because I could not contain my laughter. I would get in laughing fits over the comic and the teacher would come around and say, “Ok, Jason if you can’t stop I’m going to have to take the book away from you.” Containing my laughter felt like I was coughing with my mouth closed eyes red and tearing up barely able to breath. At the time the political, economical, and psychological elements of satire just flew over my head. What appealed to me was the crazy activities Calvin and Hobbes would do, activities I would never dream of doing. Such as, Calvin getting out of his bath naked and completely soaked, running around the house as his mom chased …show more content…
When I finally finished the book I was disappointed because I thought there were no more tales. I asked my teacher permission to bring the book home so my parents could try and find more. At Christmas I received a collection of five books filled with Calvin and Hobbes. I couldn’t stop reading them. I read during school lessons and before bed everyday. This began my addiction to not only Calvin and Hobbes but to reading in general.
As years passed I moved on from the ridiculous stunts of Calvin and his tiger, but the books remained on the shelf in my room. Every now and then I would open one again and I realized my understanding was amplified as I gained maturity and knowledge. Rereading them was funny because I was able to understand the political, economical, and psychological elements involved in the higher level humor. I realized how limited my understanding had been in the third grade. If I had not encountered Calvin And Hobbes my interest in reading never would have