How I Caught the Reading Bug

It’s rare to catch me without a book. There’s always a chance there might be time to read, so I usually have a book or two in my bag or my Kindle stashed nearby.

It’s been like that for almost as long as I can remember, but every bookworm can usually point to something that gave them the reading bug.

For me, it was because I desperately wanted a Care Bear when I was in first grade. There were no upcoming holidays and I didn’t have any birthday money in my piggy bank and my parents didn’t much believe in buying toys just because. But oh, how I begged for a Care Bear.

And finally, they told me that if I were to read a Care Bears book without any errors, I could have one. They selected a longer and more difficult Care Bears book than some of the smaller picture books I had in my room so I’d have to work harder for my Care Bear. Specifically, Sweet Dreams for Sally, which was about a little girl who was afraid of the dark so she didn’t sleep well, which made her really grumpy and mean during the day. Bedtime Bear and Grumpy Bear came to help her.

I read it and got my Care Bear: Friendship Bear, though I really wanted Cheer Bear, but he was nowhere to be found. I collected a few more, and watched some of the specials, like “The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings.”

Though I went on to other books, the Care Bears held a special place in my heart for starting my love of reading and I remember squealing when I was in my early 20’s and saw Care Bears in stores again. I gave my oldest a Care Bear for his first Easter, which he later named Hoppy (it had Easter ears) and slept with for years.

Because of all of this, it makes me so happy to hear about the new Netflix Original Series, Care Bears & Cousins, premiering on November 6, 2015. In this series, The Care Bears are reunited with their long lost, rambunctious relatives — the Care Bears Cousins! They show up in Care-a-Lot bringing plenty of laughs, hugs, cares and shares along with them. Here’s a peek:

To celebrate the launch of this series, you can join in a twitter party this Friday, November 6, 2015 from 9:00–10:00pm EST, using hashtag #CBCousins. To RSVP and see all the cool prizes, you can click here.

Did you have a Care Bear when you were younger? If you’re a bookworm like me, do you remember what book started it for you?

I’m a Care Bears™ Share Your Care Ambassador, however this is not a sponsored post, I just wanted to share a memory with you and spread the excitement about the new series.