"The prime purpose of being four is to enjoy being four, of secondary importance is to prepare for being five." -- Jim Trelease
Jim Trelease (born March 23, 1941), also known as James Joseph Trelease, is an educator and author who stresses reading aloud to children as a way to instill in them the love of literature.
Trelease was born in Orange, New Jersey to George Edward and Jane (Conlan) Trelease. In 1963 he married Susan Kelleher; the couple has two children: Elizabeth Jane and James Joseph, Jr. Trelease received a BA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1963. He served in United States Army Intelligence from 1964-1966 as a First Lieutenant.Trelease lectures to school groups and educational gatherings across the nation, often in conjunction with purveyors of books for young people, about the fundamental importance of youthful reading to the entire process of education.