Books made an impression on us at an early age. It started with the stories we were read at bedtime. What could be more magical than the Arthur Rackham illustrations in The Golden Book of Fairy Tales? I can still recite much of the text of the Little Golden Book, My Little Teddy Bear,  with the incomparable illustrations by Eloise Wilkins. Before we had a grasp of words on the page there were books whose pictures inspired our own made-up stories, such as Volume One & Two of The Childcraft series. Once school started, the bright, full-color illustrations of Dick, Jane and Sally readers (and the even more beautiful illustrations of the Alice and Jerry readers) motivated us to read on our own.  Then it was Ding-Dong School Books (who can forget Looking Out the Window?) and more Little Golden Books from Eloise Wilkins, such as Prayers for Children and Hansel and Gretel, not to mention Golden Book Disney titles such as Bambi and Cinderella.  Going to the library for the young baby boomer was better than a trip to the candy story (almost). The Maj Lindman series about triplet boys Snip, Snap and Snurr and triplet girls Flicka, Ricka and Dicka had memorable illustrations. Does anyone else remember The Man Who Woudn't Wash His Dishes? And The Lonley Doll by Dare Wright, with those intriguing black and white photos of Edith and her Bears. Later there was Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys and The Bobbsey  Twins,  though they were all written pre-baby boom. I couldn't get enough of the Childhood of Famous American series, particularly the life of Louisa May Alcott, the Ringling Brothers, and Babe Ruth.  Another non-fiction favorite series was We Were There. This was just the beginning of our reading adventures; the earliest memories. I could write a book on all the books a baby boomer longs for. It's time to start collecting!   Ebay is a great place to start on your baby boomer wishlist