“Ms. Washington would read to us every day after lunch, and her voice was like ten different musical instruments.  She could make her voice go low and deep and strong like a tuba, or hop, hop, hop quick and light like a flute. When she’d read, her voice wrapped around my head and my heart, and it softened and lightened everything up. It put a pain in my heart that felt good. When she told stories it made me want to tell stories. I wanted to read like her, so that I could have that feeling anytime.”

                                           -Excerpt from Ida B, Katherine Hannigan