This month schools across America will invent creative ways of inviting children to read in celebration of "I Love to Read Month."I am a fan of reading. My love affair with books started when I was a child with Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein. The word rhythms of both authors enchanted me. I checked out "Where the Sidewalk Ends" at least 50 times while I was in elementary school.They both remain among my favorite authors, and their works are well represented in my personal library.This year my husband, David, began teaching at McCrossan’s Boys Ranch in Sioux Falls. Part of their daily curriculum is DEAR time. It stands for Drop Everything And Read.The students have DEAR time both before and after lunch. They are able to read books or the newspaper – no comics, notes or magazines. When David told me about the program, I thought it sounded great and told him he should participate as well.It was not too surprising when he said that he used that time to prepare for class and watch the students. This made sense to me because he rarely reads books at home. I, however, LOVE to read at home and often wish I had a mandatory DEAR time in my daily life.It would be so nice for a bell to ring, indicating that the world had stopped so that I could have a good 20-minute block of quiet reading time.Of course, this doesn’t happen and I am lucky if I grab 15 minutes before bed to fulfill my literary soul.This week, in an effort to encourage the world to read a bit more, I am digging deep into my brain to choose my top 40 books. It would be too difficult to compare my favorite novels with my favorite children’s books, so I will give my Top 20 of each.Although I am 27 years old and have read the 20 books on my children’s book list dozens -— if not hundreds — of times, I still adore them. My mind and my creativity have them to thank. The hours my parents and teachers spent reading me those books shaped my personality.If my mother would have read me the JC Penney catalog before bed (which happens in some households), I don’t think I would be nearly the avid reader I am today. Instead, she read us every Dr. Seuss book published, including his earlier and more risqué stuff.As for adult reading, I am still working my way through the classics and find it impossible to keep up with modern literature. Therefore, my list is a combination of the stories I come back to over and over again, like "The Lord of the Flies" and "The Catcher in the Rye," and books that have changed the way I think.If there are books or authors on this list that you haven’t heard of, then head to the library and start a new adventure. Here in southwest Minnesota we should have another good month of winter. Don’t be a prisoner of the weather; let a good book take you somewhere new.Story ideas or comments can be e-mailed to Lexi Moore at lexim@star-herald.com or called in at 962-3561.TOP 20 CHILDREN’S BOOKSWhere the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. SeussJames and the Giant Peach by Roald DahlThe Lorax by Dr. SeussThe Light in the Attic by Shel SilversteinWhere the Sidewalk Ends by Shel SilversteinCars and Trucks and Things that Go by Richard ScarryYertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. SeussBridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald DahlThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. LewisThe Shaggy Baggy Elephant by Kathryn JacksonThe Giving Tree by Shel SilversteinThe Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric CarleAlexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith ViorstFrog and Toad All Year by Arnold LobelBed Bed Bed by They Might be GiantsThe Minstrel by Bernard BensonCharlotte's Web by E. B. WhiteThe Monster at the End of this Book by Jon StoneMY TOP 20 NOVELSJitterbug Perfume by Tom RobbinsThe Catcher in the Rye by JD SalingerLord of the Flies by William GoldingFool on the Hill by Matt RuffAnimal Farm by George OrwellSlaughterhouse-Five by Kurt VonnegutStill Life with Woodpecker by Tom RobbinsNine Stories by JD SalingerSet This House in Order by Matt RuffOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken KeseyFierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom RobbinsNaked Lunch by William BurroughsTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeBreakfast of Champions by Kurt VonnegutImmortality by Milan KunderaThe Tommyknockers by Stephen KingUtopia by Thomas MoreFahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyOn the Road by Jack Kerouac