uaranBooks

With Ava Sofia Mattox

Why did you start reading aloud?

Well, I got the idea because I babysat two years ago for a family friend. I would read out loud to her at night before they went to bed, and then they moved to LA and I was really sad! I actually read A Wrinkle in Time to her–she was too young. She did not get it. [laughs] Plus I used to read out loud to my stuffed animals when I was a little kid because my sister never wanted to play with me. It’s fine. There’s a picture of me somewhere with a baby doll and a bunch of stuffed animals lined up and me with a little book. I’m five or six or something like that. During quarantine I was still [reading out loud] and I would go live for an hour a day. Then I just decided to upload the videos since absolutely no one was watching the lives. I’m currently reading the Anne of Green Gables books. I did not realize that there were eight and now I’m committed.

What is the first children’s book you can remember reading or being read?

I don’t know! [sighs] I think one of my favorites is Chrysanthemum. And I still have it. That’s what I read out loud for Bronx Bound Books and I realized that it was signed. There was also this book called Mama Went Walking that I loved, I also still have that. It’s about a mom who’s really adventurous and the daughter always comes and saves the day. 

What is the first book you read that you identified with?

I don’t even remember! I feel like I just liked being read to and would read anything that anybody put in front of me. The one time I can really remember throwing a tantrum, and I wasn’t a really big tantrum kid–you’re welcome mommy and daddy–was when my dad was on a phone call. He was late to come read to me so I started reading the book myself. He came upstairs and I was almost done and he said, “Oh great, well then you don’t need me to read it to you. You’re good, have a good night.” I literally put my little face to the bottom of the door crack and was like, “NOOOO. READ ME MY STORY.” He was like, “Okay! So sorry! Be right there sweetheart!” I started reading when I was four. I think my parents started reading to me and then I started reading by myself when I was four or five. Did all the summer reading for the library, always got the personal pizza, yes ma’am, always hit those goals. When we lived in Bayview we lived up the block from Bayview library. I was friends with one of the librarians, Jesse. He was a younger black librarian. He always let me get away with turning stuff in late. One time he said I could keep a book and then maybe he forgot to take it out of the system or something because two months later I got a huge bill. I was like, “I’ll return it!”