SmartBanking Blog

November is Family Literacy Month, and we at The Savings Bank are proud to support our local libraries and other literacy initiatives. In honor of this great cause, we asked our employees to talk about books that are important to their families or that they enjoyed reading growing up.

--

“My favorite book as a child and my favorite book to read to my grand-kids is “A Light in the Attic” by Shel Silverstein. My Mom always read a few poems at a time to us out of this book every night.” – Wendy Wimbley, Lending Center Receptionist

“What was your favorite book as a child? Brown Bear, Brown Bear

What’s your favorite book to read to the kids in your life? The Gruffalo

What’s your favorite book to share with family members? To Kill A Mockingbird” – Michelle Nusser, Customer Service Representative

“What was your favorite book as a child? The Giving Tree

What’s your favorite book to read to the kids in your life? My daughter and I read the Harry Potter books nightly (currently on Book 6, The Half-Blood Prince).

What’s your favorite book to share with family members? Any of the Gregory Macguire Twisted Fairytales books, Harry Potter, or Stephen King.” – Erin Barthelmas, Accounting/eAccount Specialist

“My favorite book as a child would have to be "The Snoring Monster". Every time I would visit my grandparents' house, I would toddle up to my Pawpaw before bedtime with book in hand, climb up into his lap and he would proceed to read to me in his comforting tone, giving each character their own unique voice. It's a precious memory that will stay with me for the rest of my life.” – Kari Landenberger, Credit Administration

“[My favorite book to read to the kids in my life is] Robert The Red Rose Horse.  My kids and grandkids love this book.  Robert is a horse that is allergic to roses and sneezes all over the city.  One day his sneeze saves this city. … As a child I loved getting Highlights magazines in the mail. My parents kept journals.  Our family loves looking thru decades of their journals together.” – Julie Schmeltzer, VP Retail Operations

“My favorite book that I read to both my sons & then all 4 of my grandchildren and they loved was, The Three Little Pigs.  Nana (me) always made fun funny noises while reading this book to them that made it so fun for them. Now they are not littles anymore. 17, 13, 9, & 7. It sure is a great memory.” – Ruthie Belt, Operations Clerk

“What was your favorite book as a child? T-Bone: The Babysitter. A Children’s book from 1951. It’s about a usually demure cat who suddenly gets into mischief and ends up separated from the baby it watches over for his owner.  I always enjoyed the beautiful illustrations and the love between the baby and her cat! 

What’s your favorite book to read to the kids in your life? Winnie the Pooh! It is filled with many short stories, so it keeps the kids’ attention. 

What’s your favorite book to share with family members? The Night Circus is one I always suggest to family. All the characters have such a rich personality and the way the author builds the world is extremely atmospheric.” – Nikki Vandagriff, Customer Service Representative

“My favorite book to share with my family is Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. It’s a classic with a great message, and we love watching all of the film adaptations every December, too!”– Jenny Rainey-Agresti, Marketing Manager

“[My favorite book as a child was] The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Great novel we read in school full of adventure that was my absolute favorite! I shared the book and the movies of course with my kids.” – Courtney Wright, Branch Manager

“As a child I loved reading “Ulysses” by James Joyce. I first heard about it from Allan Sherman’s song “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah.” I think that pretty accurately sums up my journey through life.” – Justin Atkinson, Accounting Processor

“My mom and dad introduced me to Stephen King when I was in middle school, and I've been a huge fan ever since. Some of my favorite memories include going to the library to pick up a new stack of books, and sharing my favorite moments with my mom. But overall, my favorite memory is listening to the Dark Tower series on audiobook with my mom.” – Maddy McCain, Accounting Processor

--

This November, be sure to share a good book with your family, and don’t forget: your local library is a great place to start!