"Children who read widely understand more about the world;

"Henceforth it will be the task of this sacred congregation not only to examine carefully the books denounced to it, to prohibit them if necessary, and to grant permission for reading forbidden books, but also to supervise, ex officio, books that are being published, and to pass sentence on such as deserve to be prohibited." Pope Piux X ,1908

"The heroic books, even if printed in the character of our mother tongue, will always be in a language dead to degenerate times; and we must laboriously seek the meaning of each word and line, conjecturing a larger sense' than common use permits out of what wisdom and valor and generosity we have. The modern cheap and fertile press, with all its translations, has done little to bring us nearer to the heroic writers of antiquity." - Henry David Thoreau


"Children who read widely understand more about the world; they think and thinking lays the foundation for making better decisions. Fiction, especially, gives that reading child a tool to decipher the mysteries and paradoxes of being human. Give a child a nonfiction book explaining the cycle of life and death, and he may come to a cerebral understanding of the concepts. Give a child "Charlotte's Web" and his heart will burst. He'll feel empathy in a deep and lasting way. Children perceive much more than adults may want to recognize. Well written books that show regard for a child's intelligence enable readers to identify with the protagonist's mental and physical struggles. This helps children to see different perspectives which armors them against the confusing, frightening, numbing and seemingly contradictory realities of life. Isn't a thinking child preferable to a child who accepts the world at face value and has no desire to change it for the better?" - Susan Patron