In this article, the author describes the Texas Bluebonnet Award (TBA), a program designed and implemented in Texas to encourage children to read more, explore a variety of current books, develop powers of discrimination, and identify their favorite books (www.txla.org/groups/tba/about.html). TBA began in 1979 through the effort of Dr. Janelle Paris, a professor in the Department of Library Science and a former school librarian who decided that Texas should join the growing list of states that encouraged children to read through a state book award. Dr. Paris was aware that the habit of reading was one that needed to be cultivated early and often. She approached her fellow librarians and assisted in creating a foundation for what has come to be known as the Texas Bluebonnet Award Program for the state. Now, TBA is a thriving program that continues to extend beyond schools to public libraries and homeschoolers. As TBA moves toward its third decade, educators who care about books and children and the magic of bringing the two together in meaningful ways echo the sentiments of Dr. Janelle Paris.