If you talk about sharing an apple in our house, prepare for chuckles. That’s because of Ramona Quimby, who once took one perfect bite out of every apple in the house and then tried to implicate her older sister, Beezus, by sharing her snack. (Side note: Has a literary character ever proffered apples with less-than-nefarious motives?)

Reading together is a cherished occupation – I have a picture of my husband, holding our newborn and reading him his first book. (There are so many books, and we didn’t want to waste any time.) Ramona and Ralph S. Mouse were beloved traveling companions and still hold places of honor on our son’s shelves.

Beverly Cleary, who turns 102 today, wanted boys to grow up reading. After one complained to the then-children’s librarian that he couldn’t find any books he related to, she invented Henry Huggins in 1950, then Beezus and Ramona – filling Klickitat Street with her characters.

In honor of her contributions to children’s literature, today is Drop Everything and Read Day (or, as it is known in the Zipp household, “Thursday.”)

Cleary was on to something profound. If you want children to succeed, multiple studies show, read to them. We’ve known for years that it helps their mental development, improves concentration, and builds empathy. But a recent study by the journal Pediatrics shows that reading together also helps parents. Story time strengthens parents’ bonds with their children and improves their relationships. It even can reduce parental stress and depression.

Cleary wanted to entertain children, not teach them to pass standardized tests. In fact, she was a late reader – not learning until third grade. After all, she had a mom to do it for her. “I liked to have her read to me,” she told The Washington Post in 2016. “So I thought, what’s the point in my having to do it myself?” 

Here are our five stories of the day, showing the potential downside when both parties take a "me-first" attitude, the need for empathy, and a contemplative look at slime molds.