Jamie Lee Curtis sparkles at IRA’s 53rd Annual Convention

Known for her movie rolls in films such as Freaky Friday and A Fish Called Wanda, Jamie Lee Curtis welcomed attendees to IRA’s 53rd Annual Convention during Monday’s Opening General Session as a fan and author of children’s books. She added that she also has deep respect and admiration for educators and has long held the IRA in high regard. “I feel you are the gatekeepers of our children and the future, and you let me in the gate and I’m overwhelmed to be here,“ she said.

During her speech, Curtis explained how she—an actress—became an author of seven children’s books, which have collectively sold more than 5 million copies. “It has taken some time to get some street cred as a writer,” she said. “The truth is it’s something I’m very passionate about and take seriously. It’s not a just another ‘Hollywood-thing.’“

She wrote her first book after sharing a humorous moment with her then 4-year-old daughter. “She came into the room and said. ‘When I little, I wore diapers, but now I use a potty,’” Curtis recalled, mimicking her daughter’s youthful voice.

The idea for the book, When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old’s Memoir of Her Youth, popped into her head and she quickly wrote down other thoughts related to the idea and her daughter. “At the end, it made me cry,” she said. “I realized it was a book.”

She said in writing children’s books, she has no agenda and she’s not out to write children’s self-help books. “The fact I became an author is a miracle,” she said. “It’s the greatest gift and thrill of my life.”

She said the idea of having parents throughout the country read her books to their children during the sacred time devoted to reading each night before bed means a lot to her. “The idea that I’m a catalyst for that is truly a profound thrill in my life,” she said.

Acknowledging she is preaching to the choir, Curtis expressed concern about education and the way some people see reading. “I think reading has become a means to an end and I think of reading as a means to a beginning,” she said. “I don’t think of reading and learning as the means to a degree.”

Curtis said she believes truth doesn’t come to people in one big, dramatic instance—it arrives in small doses along the way. She hopes her books collectively offer one small sliver of truth to those who read them and listen to them being read. “My goal is just to be a part of that mosaic,” she said. “I think you guys are laying the mosaic and hopefully they’ll eventually see the big picture.”

In closing, Curtis read a copy of her new book Big Words for Little People, which will be released in September. The book was written about 17 years after Curtis’ editor cut the word “consequences” from her first book because it was deemed too big a word.

Found in its first few pages is the phrase “Although you are small, you can use big words, too.” The book explains the definitions of larger vocabulary words—including “consequences,” by using common situations children often find themselves in. It also focuses on “big” words such as family, respect and love, showing sometimes the size of a word is found in its meaning. As she finished the book, Curtis was given a standing ovation and showered with applause.

“Thank you,” she said. “It was a true privilege in my life to be here.”