Arguing that children are not taken seriously in the United States, this lecture states that basic education is not simply computing and decoding, but also dreaming and imagining. The lecture urges educators not only to stick to the reality of budget cutting and deficit spending but, for the children's sake, also to stick to a dream. In the lecture, the speaker (an award-winning writer of children's literature) describes several instances in which young readers responded to her books by digging below the surface, generating thoughtful, probing questions and gaining insight through repeated reading of the same book. The lecture also argues that those people who do take children seriously should stop apologizing for what they do and take delight in caring for and nurturing young readers. The lecture concludes that adults can learn from the young how once again to come to the printed page with wonder and excitement and a humility which allows delight and compassion to flourish. (Fifteen notes are included.) (RS)