Super Reader: Born to Read by Judy Sierra

As a new baby in the town of Sunny Skies first begins to look around his room, his eyes fall on some letters at the head of his crib:

"That's ME!" he thought.

"My name is SAM!
I'm born to read. I know I am!"

Sam flashed his mom a hopeful look.
She opened up a picture book.
Then another. Then another. Then another!
Such a perfect patient mother.

Surrounded by preschool classics, such as The Cat in the Hat The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and Pat the Bunny (Touch and Feel Book), Sam soon begins to cut his teeth on bigger and bigger books and becomes the Reading Star of Sunny Skies. When he decides to branch out to become a cycle racer, naturally he turns first to the library for advice:

Sam read books on motivation, concentration,
Muscle action, getting traction,
Good nutrition, grand ambition,
Playing fair and bike repair.

Sam cruises to an easy win, stopping to repair a sprocket problem along the way, to the amazement of the other riders and the crowd.

"Here's my secret," Sam decreed.
"Readers win and winners read."

Then the skies over Sunny Skies are dimmed by the approach of a baby giant, Grundaloon, who brings havoc on the town playground, ripping up teddy bears and dolls right and left. Grownups are too frightened to send this unhappy camper to time-out, but Sam knows just what to do. Loading his basket with snacks and books, he trudges along, following the giant's tracks in the snow until he finds him about to toss the town's toys off a cliff.

"Fee, fie, fo, fum," the giant said.
"I'll grind your bones to make my bread."

"No, No," said Sam. "Have cake instead.
Let's read about a silly cat,
A caterpillar getting fat,
An alphabet that climbs a tree,
A friendly aardvark from TV."

What baby giant can resist listening to an Arthur Adventure or two? Soon Sam has rescued the town's toys and handed off Grundaloon to his mother, who has been searching for her wayward son. Sam is the whole town's hero.

Everyone began to sing.
"READERS CAN DO ANYTHING!"

Following up on their award-winning Wild About Books (Irma S and James H Black Honor for Excellence in Children's Literature (Awards)) rhyme master Judy Sierra and Arthur's creator Marc Brown team up again to promote reading power in their brand-new Born to Read.

It's no accident that Marc Brown made Arthur's last name "Read" and his favorite librarian "Paige Turner." With all the distractions of modern life, reading needs its cheerleaders and cheers--cheers like, say, "Readers win and winners read!"