Tana Hoban, a photographer who became a writer of children's books died on January 27, 2006 in Paris. Ms. Hoban happened to write a book that holds special memories for my son Ben and me.

When my son was born, we lived in Travelers Rest. The library in that little town was in a run down store front next door to an auto mechanic's shop. The children's picture books were kept low to the ground at eye level for toddlers. Ben and I went to the library every Saturday and checked out books for the week. We read twice daily before naptime at mid-day and before we went to sleep at night. One of Ben's early favorites was a book by Tana Hoban entitled "A Children's Zoo." Over the course of a year or more Ben chose this book to take home at least 100 times. I memorized the book and could recite it by heart.

When I happened to find "A Children's Zoo" at the Greenville County Library used book sale a couple of years ago, I thought I had found gold. When I brought it home, Ben was pleased to see the book again and says it smells like his childhood.

The words that Tana Hoban wrote and the pictures she created are part of my child's life and are in my heart forever. Tana Hoban wrote, designed, illustrated and published more than 100 books, which won dozens of awards. Ms. Hoban's thoughts about her children's books provide insight about children in general. The New York Times quotes Ms. Hoban as saying, "My books are about everyday things that are so ordinary that one tends to overlook them." Often a child's eyes are more acute and clear than our own as adults. I like being reminded of that fact.