Books are magical. They can teach us, transport us, make us feel safe, push us out of our comfort zones, and make us feel like we know people and places that have never even existed. Books can teach us about the world, and they can teach us about ourselves. From the very beginning, books and reading can have a transformative effect on your life. Today, we had the opportunity to check out a book that shows what makes books special, and how they can transform your life. It offers an opportunity to think about the books that inspire and shape you as well.

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Turning Pages: My Life Story was written by Sonia Sotomayor and illustrated by Lulu Delacre. In this book, the Supreme Court Justice shares what inspired her on her journey and made her into the accomplished woman that she is. For her, the answer lies in the books that she read. She takes the reader through important points in her life, and shares the books that shaped the woman that she is. She shares how each book helped her get through difficult moments in her life. From her diabetes diagnosis to the death of her father, books have helped her along the way.

What makes books so special?

This tribute to reading and the power that books can have on our lives is an inspiring read. It encourages the reader to take a look at the role that books and reading have had on their lives, and inspires them to see how their favorite books have shaped them as well.

Her life story is inspiring, and viewing it through the lens of books is a fun twist on the typical autobiography. I love how she dives deep into her favorite books and shows how they affected her. The illustrations are beautiful and colorful, weaving books into the tapestry of her life. The book also includes photos from her life and a timeline of events, giving the reader more of a glimpse into her life.

Books that Shaped Me

This book inspired me to take a look at the books that have shaped my life. From my favorite childhood stories to my current favorites, each of these books has had an impact on my life. This exercise really forced me to think about the books that have touched me, and how they have shaped me.

One-Minute Fairy Tales

by Shari Lewis
My parents read to me out of this book on my very first night home from the hospital. It’s a story that they have told me many times throughout my life. That started a nightly reading routine that lasted throughout my childhood. On my daughter’s first night home from the hospital, I read out of the same book. The book has become symbolic to me, reminding me how my parents shared their love of reading with me, and now I’m sharing it with my daughter.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!  

by Dr. Seuss
While I remember reading this book as a child, it took on special meaning for me when I was graduating from high school. I was working with a class of fifth graders at my former elementary school, and one of the faculty members read it aloud at the moving up ceremony. Since I was graduating from high school a few days later, it made me tear up a bit as I thought about what the future would hold. When I graduated with my Masters Degree a few years later, my parents bought a copy for me. It is now a treasured part of my collection, and it reminds me of all the special teachers who have shaped me. The book inspires me to reach further, try harder and be true to myself.

I Love You Because You’re You

written by Liza Baker and illustrated by David McPhail
This book is one that has recently become a very important book for me. It is one of my daughter’s favorite choices for bedtime reading, and I love the message that it shares. Not only does it tell my daughter that I will always love her and be proud of her, but it also reminds me during the frustrating moments in parenting to take a deep breath, hold her close, and love her even harder. .

Check out more of our favorite books about love here!

Llama Llama Red Pajama

by Anna Dewdney
This is another of my daughter’s bedtime favorites. The story about a little llama who doesn’t want to go to bed on his own definitely reflects some of our bedtime battles. However, the reason this one makes the list is because of the way that Mama Llama soothes her child at the end. Her reminder that she is always near even if she is not right in front of him is a reminder that my daughter and I repeat to each other any time we have to be apart. (It also reminds me as a frustrated parent that her bedtime battling has more to do with being afraid than trying to annoy me, and I should meet her concerns with love and support and not anger).

32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny: Life Lessons from Teaching

by Phillip Done
This book is a hilarious collection of stories that I read while I was working towards my degree in education. I spent a lot of time in schools during those years, and had lots of tough days. This book gave me a lot of laughs, reminding me to find humor and positivity in the difficult days. This not only came in handy in the classroom, but also as a parent. Reading this book solidified for me that I was in the right direction with my career.

The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World

by the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams
What is joy? This incredible book dives into the meaning of happiness and joy and how we can find fulfillment in our lives. While that may sound heavy and intimidating, the book is actually a fascinating read. It changed the way that I looked at happiness, fulfillment and gratitude, and it gave me actionable strategies for putting these new ideas into practice. I read this book at a crossroads in my life, and it has honestly shaped how I look at life today. Check out my full review of the book here!

For more books on happiness, check out my list here!

The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World

by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu
This book is another one that I read at exactly the right moment. I was faced with a situation that bred a lot of anger, disappointment, and hurt feelings. This book really made a difference in helping me to forgive those who had hurt me. It doesn’t give you a magic cure for your injuries, but it absolutely helps you to move on from the terrible wrongs, and put yourself on the path to forgiveness. This book helped me through one of the most difficult points in my life so far, and has helped me to deal with smaller indiscretions since.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
I just recently read this book and loved it. This book is a love letter to the power of books, much like Sonia Sotomayor’s story. The story takes place after World War II has ended, and a writer is drawn to the island of Guernsey by a fascinating group of people. They created a literary society during the German Occupation, and it helped them get through the unspeakable tragedies surrounding the war time. The book is full of so many poetic statements about the power of books to bring people together. Since one of my favorite parts of this blog is sharing that love of reading with my daughter and my readers, this book really spoke to me. It reminds me that sharing books can change your life.

Examining the Books that Changed You

Books can have a profound impact on our lives, our personalities, and our relationships with the world. To inspire kids to take a look at their own reading journeys, I created this simple puzzle printable. Have kids fill the puzzle pieces in with their own favorite books and talk to them about their answers. What did they learn from these books? How did reading these books have an impact on their lives? What lessons do they hope to take into the future from these books?

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor tells her own story for young readers for the very first time!
As the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor has inspired young people around the world to reach for their dreams. But what inspired her? For young Sonia, the answer was books! They were her mirrors, her maps, her friends, and her teachers. They helped her to connect with her family in New York and in Puerto Rico, to deal with her diabetes diagnosis, to cope with her father’s death, to uncover the secrets of the world, and to dream of a future for herself in which anything was possible.

In Turning Pages, Justice Sotomayor shares that love of books with a new generation of readers, and inspires them to read and puzzle and dream for themselves. Accompanied by Lulu Delacre’s vibrant art, this story of the Justice’s life shows readers that the world is full of promise and possibility–all they need to do is turn the page.

AUTHOR BIO:

Sonia Sotomayor was born in the Bronx, New York. She earned a BA from Princeton University and a JD from Yale Law School. She served as Assistant District Attorney in New York County, and then as a litigator at Pavia & Harcourt. In 1991, when President George H.W. Bush nominated her to the US District Court, Southern District of New York. In 1997, President William Jefferson Clinton nominated her to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. President Barack Obama nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on May 26, 2009, and she assumed this role August 8, 2009, becoming the first Latina to ever hold such a high position. She is the author of My Beloved World and The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor.

ILLUSTRATOR BIO:

Lulu Delacre (www.luludelacre.com) has been writing and illustrating children’s books since 1980. Born and raised in Puerto Rico to Argentinean parents, Delacre is a three-time Pura Belpré Award honoree. Her thirty-eight titles include Arroz con Leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America; Us, in Progress: Short Stories About Young Latinos; and ¡Olinguito, de la A a la Z! Descubriendo el bosque nublado/Olinguito, from A to Z! Unveiling the Cloud Forest.Delacre has lectured internationally, served as a juror for the National Book Awards, and exhibited her work at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, among other venues.

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