The Play Lady: Pat Rumbaugh’s Favorite Book

Author Pat Rumbaugh will be an exhibiting author at the Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 16. Below she talks about her favorite book as a child and why that book remains one of her favorites still today.

As I child I always believed I could do anything I set my mind to and when I was young the book that stood out for me was “The Little Engine That Could” by Watty Piper. I loved that book as a child and I still love it today as an adult. When I was a child I always wanted to go out and play, sometimes I was the smallest, only girl playing a pick-up game with a bunch of boys. I didn’t care if they were bigger, stronger or faster, because I wanted to play.

In high school, I loved playing basketball. I had the opportunity to go to basketball camp after tenth grade. That summer we were told one person would be offered a scholarship to basketball camp the following summer, so I tried so hard at camp. I kept thinking, “I think I can, I think I can” and guess what… the last day in camp I was told I received the scholarship. I had a fantastic junior year in high school playing the only three sports for girls. I couldn’t wait to go to camp. Well, that summer, the month before camp, I came down with a virus. I had to be hospitalized. I was there for a month and lost over 30 pounds. I was so weak my doctor would not let me go to camp.

As an adult, I never gave up the belief that I could do anything as long as I tried hard enough. I was a physical education teacher and coach over a 30 year period. The last five years I started to research play. Now I am a full-time play advocate and author. I believe everyone deserves to play. One way I encourage people to play is through my children’s book, “Let’s Play at the Playground.” Another way is through my nonprofit, Let’s Play America. Check us out and remember everyone deserves to play. I think I can, I think I can…