The Key to a True Treasure

The journey of reading independently is a milestone for every young bookworm. Do you remember the first book you read alone as a kid?

The other day, as I was scanning my bookshelf, I ran up on the book that helped me take the initial steps of that big-kid journey. The Key to the Treasure by Peggy Parrish, holds a special place in my heart as the first chapter book I remember delving into, completely independent of my mom.

I can even remember the setting of that reading experience. It was a crisp fall day, and a stubborn cold had laid me up on the couch in our small farmhouse. Whenever we were sick as kids, my mother always made the most delicious vegetable soup, and she allowed us to eat away from the dining table if we weren’t feeling well. So, sitting curled up under a blanket on that couch, she served me some of her famous vegetable soup and a book she’d likely picked up from a library or yard sale.

I wasn’t all that excited about reading alone. My mom had always read to me. Rather, I’d planned to watch “The Wide World of Sports,” which was the usual Saturday fare. I may or may not have been guilty of pushing the book aside at first, but eventually, I must’ve finished my soup, snuggled under that blanket, and begun to turn pages. Before I knew it, I was enthralled and determined to finish the entire book in a day. Without looking now, I even remember the protagonists of the story. I’d never come across the name Liza before, so in my mind, I read it as Lisa. I still have to correct myself when I see that name.

Despite my likely having a stuffy nose and an occasional cough, The Key to the Treasure kept me rapt that whole afternoon. (I was and still am a slow, intentional reader.) I probably didn’t understand as a kid the transformative power of books after just one solo reading experience, but it’s funny how, over time, a book with a bright, yellow cover became, for me, the key to so much more than just one treasure.

Also, I wonder if that's a soup stain on the cover.

What was your first independent read as a kid?