Dr. Esther M. Leerkes

Professor, Human Development and Family Studies

Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey

As a developmental psychologist, I reflect often on the experiences that shaped my own development. When I was a child, my father, a dairy farmer who worked excessive hours, took my brothers and I to the local library most Friday evenings after dinner. My mother encouraged this outing. The local librarian in this rural town was delighted to see us and stayed open late in the hopes we would come. My brothers and I checked this book out over and over again simply because we loved the way my father read “kaplink, kaplank, kaplunk” as the blueberries landed in the pail. My parents, community members, teachers, and extended family supported a life-long love of reading and learning that has served me well. I am grateful to them all.