ABSTRACT
Leaving a child alone to savor a book, to get from it what he will, and then holding one's tongue when that child closes the book requires a tremendous act of faith—faith in children and faith in books. Sad to say school systems are not designed to easily accommodate acts of faith. They demand records: competency checklists and adherence to scope and sequence. Trusting children and books is a revolutionary act. Books are, after all, dangerous stuff. Leave a child alone with a book and you don't know what might happen.
