Description: Originally published: Newtown, NSW: Walker Books Australia, 2016.
Review Quotes: Pencil drawings by Shaun Tan as well as photographs of the authors when they were young are visually engaging...this will likely be a favorite for those wanting a glimpse into the secret world of writers as well as a handy resource for book reports. Candid and inspirational.
--Kirkus Reviews
--Booklist Ridge asked thirty-two authors (mostly from Australia and New Zealand) about the books that influenced them, and the responses are engagingly varied...Cartoons by Shaun Tan punctuate the collection with answers (often characteristically bizarre) to the question "Why do you read?" from imaginary people and creatures drawn by Tan.
--The Horn Book Impassioned and intimate, these essays create an eloquent ode to the power of story.
--Publishers Weekly Many of the selections would work well as a classroom read-aloud...Inspirational and handy. Consider for narrative nonfiction high school collections.
--School Library Journal The book's best audience is potential writers curious about other cultures.
--VOYA