A Book Recommendation to Remember
January 7, 2005
This is a story about reading books, a ten-year-old girl, loneliness, and the power of reaching out to others. It's a story like Because of Winn-Dixie—except for one thing. Because of Winn-Dixie is a novel written by Kate DiCamillo. This story really happened.
In this story, the girl's name is Pari, not Opal. Pari doesn't have a dog like Winn-Dixie—even though she'd like to. And it isn't Gone with the Wind that Pari reads aloud like Opal reads to Gloria Dump. In this story, Pari reads a biography, to herself. Until one day when Pari writes a letter...
In California, a nine-year-old girl named Pari Cariaga enjoyed reading about the wives of the presidents, often called the First Ladies. When she finished the one book she had about First Ladies, Pari wanted to know more. She went to the bookstore with her parents and found a biography of First Lady Laura Bush, wife of President George W. Bush.
In reading Mrs. Bush's biography, one of the things Pari discovered is that Mrs. Bush is an only child. Pari also learned that Mrs. Bush played with dolls when she was young, pretending she was their teacher and her dolls were her students.
Pari has dolls too. "American Girl" dolls, to be exact—dolls named Samantha, Felicity, Kit, and Nellie, Samantha's friend, and an unnamed "American Girl Today" doll she named Anne.
During the summer, Pari was feeling very sad because she too is an only child. She started crying in her mother's lap. Hard. Really hard. And it just so happened that her father walked in the door and said, "Well, why don't you write a letter to Laura Bush? It might make you feel better."
Pari wrote a draft and then re-wrote it. "Dear Mrs. Bush," her letter began:
My name is Pari Cariaga. I am nine years old. I am an only child and sometimes I get so sad I just burst into tears and cry in my mother's lap. My mother had a miscarriage when I was two. Can you please tell me what you used to do to keep yourself company? Sincerely, Pari Cariaga.
She sent off the letter. And that was that.
In early September, Pari came home from school and found a big manila envelope addressed to her, lying in the middle of the kitchen table. Pari, being very curious when she comes home from school each day, had a sense that something was definitely up. Her parents didn't open the envelope. Maybe they had a hunch about its contents and were being were nice by pretending not to be curious about it. That's what she thought. When Pari opened the envelope, the first thing she noticed was the book. Even though it was wrapped in paper, Pari could see the title through the thin wrapping paper. And there was a letter. "Dear Pari," it began. Pari was amazed. Mrs. Bush had written back:
Thank you for your letter. I remember being lonely as a child at times and understand how you feel. Finding ways to help other people is a good way to make friends. Perhaps your mother could help you find a Girl Scout troop or a girls club to join. Or maybe a teacher could help you organize a pen pal club to write to children your age in another part of the United States or in another country.
Hobbies, such as arts and crafts, are one way to keep yourself company. I never felt lonely when I was reading. From the time I was very young, my parents read to me a lot, and I learned to love books. My favorite was Little House on the Prairie. My mother read it to me, and when I was older, I read it to myself. She also took me to the library almost every week to check out books. I loved seeing all the books and couldn't wait to read them.
I hope you like reading. The more you read the better you will do throughout school and the more opportunities you will have. And for the rest of your life, as long as you enjoy reading, you will always have a friend by your side, ready to go with you on the most interesting of adventures. Enclosed is one I hope you will like...
Pari opened the package. It was a copy of Because of Winn-Dixie inscribed by Mrs. Bush.
Not long after, a reporter wrote a story in the local newspaper about Pari's letter and Mrs. Bush's reply. And one Sunday at her church, Pari's pastor asked if Pari would stand. He told everybody in the parish how brave he thought Pari was by writing the letter. But Pari didn't think she was being brave. "I was just speaking my feelings," she said.
Pari's mother hopes that her daughter's story will let other children know that they too can reach out: to their moms, their dads, to the President of the United States, and to the First Lady—and never to be afraid to take that chance and reach out.
Recently Pari turned ten. This past Christmas Pari got a Christmas card from the White House. It was addressed to her.
And not long ago, Pari Cariaga stood before three hundred people and told a true story about a reading a biography and loneliness and a manila envelope with a book and letter inside from First Lady Laura Bush, letting Pari know that as long as she reads, Pari will always have a friend by her side, just like Opal did because of Winn-Dixie.
