College Admissions Essay: The Value Of Picture Books

My grandmother introduced me to reading before I’d even entered school. She babysat me while my parents were at work, and spent hours reading to me from picture books as my wide eyes drank in the colorful illustrations. As a result, I entered my first year of school with an early passion for reading. Throughout elementary and middle school, I was captivated by tales of fire-breathing dragons, mystical wizards, and spirited foreign gods. A book accompanied me nearly everywhere I went, smuggled into my backpack or tucked safely under my arm. I was often the child who sat alone at lunch, not because she didn’t have friends, but because she was more interested in a wizards’ duel than the petty dramas of middle school girls. I was the child who passed every history test because she was the only kid who didn’t mind reading the textbook in her spare time, and the child who the school librarian knew by name. Reading provided a

sanctuary for me throughout my early years of school, and as I advanced into high school it provided the structure for both my education and personal growth.
As I began to grow out of children’s fantasies, I swapped dragons for young adult novels, wizards for historical fiction, and mythology for the classics.

I began to read not out of entertainment but out of curiosity, for in each new book I discovered an element of real life. It is possible that I will learn more about society through literature than I ever will through personal experience. Having lived a safe, relatively sheltered life for only seventeen years, I don’t have much to offer in regards to worldly wisdom. Reading has opened doors to situations I will never encounter myself, giving me a better understanding of others and their situations. Through books, I’ve escaped from slavery, been tried for murder, and lived through the Cambodian genocide. I’ve been an immigrant, permanently disabled, and faced World War II death camps. Without books, I would be a significantly more close-minded person. My perception of the world has been more significantly impacted by the experiences I've gained through literature than those I've gained

myself.
Books are invaluable resources but are often overlooked beneath a cover of technological development and dominance. Because of books, I have the ability to walk in others’ shoes, and the opportunity to see the world in a different light. Perspective has become extremely important in today’s society, where the needs of the disadvantaged are disregarded by the powerful few. Books have provided a source of significant growth in my life, and I hope that because of the insight I have gained from literature I will live with the consideration for others that society lacks. Every book impacts its readers in some way, but it’s up to the reader to capitalize on the change.