Tina Louise — a Gilligan’s Island legend and longtime reading tutor — recently wrote her first children’s book, When I Grow Up and joined the First Book team to autograph copies for First Book supporters at BookExpo America. Her inspiring story brings nature and the animal kingdom together to encourage children to reach for the stars in anything they do.

In the book, Louise cleverly compares the role of an animal or insect side-by-side to what a child can grow up to be. Fireflies glow in the dark; an aspiring actress can shine on the silver screen. Spiders spin elaborate webs; an aspiring architect can create a skyscraper.

It was a pleasure to meet Ms. Louise and to learn more about her spirited career — she played the famous Ginger as well as a host of other roles — and her longtime commitment to children’s literacy (Louise has spent years working with Learning Leaders, a NYC-based non-profit literacy group, and a portion of the proceeds from her book go to literacy causes).

During our time together I also discovered we have something very important in common. As she filled out her ballot for First Book’s What Book Got You Hooked? campaign, we learned that the very same book got us “hooked” years ago: The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. Obviously, this First Booker thinks Ms. Louise’s taste in books and her own writing are both first rate.

Visit the What Book Got You Hooked? website to tell us what book got you hooked and to read about more celebrity favorites.

Special thanks to all our friends at Harry N. Abrams, Inc. and Abrams Young Readers for introducing First Book to Ms. Louise.