One of the perks of retirement is I can devote my energy to those causes I’m most passionate about. As a retired educator, I’ll always do whatever I can to promote literacy and writing. I saw many students blossom after they fell in love with reading. One of my favorite daily activities was reading to children, regardless of what grade I taught. (I was a teacher in grades 2-6 during my career.)

Reading to children is one of the best ways I know to build vocabulary, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. Equally important is when children observe how much fun teachers/adults have reading to them. Children develop a desire to want to become better readers themselves. I constantly recommended favorite authors and titles based on a student’s interests, so I could help foster a love…