Books

Becky Thatcher lost in a cave, Huckleberry Finn at his own funeral, Beth, Meg, Amy, and Jo singing at the piano. Lewis and Clark standing at the Oregon coast--all pictures in my minds eye. I love to read!

That's me at age three looking at a storybook, and Elli looking at her books at age four. Perhaps my book is about Raggedy Ann. Maybe it is Goodnight Moon, Pat the Bunny or The Little Engine that Could. In fact those are all books that Elli likes too, and books that children will love for years to come.

To be able to take oneself anywhere simply by opening the pages of a book is a gift indeed.

I found my very first reading book today tucked away in a closet. It is pictured above. Upon opening it, I remember writing and coloring in that book as I learned the first steps to reading. As I look back now I can picture where my desk was in my first grade classroom. As the year went on I can also remember learning rhyming words--"look," now change the l to b, "book," now change the b to c, "cook,"--well you get the idea. I still can recall how magical words seemed.

Throughout my childhood I consumed my books, reading them over and over. A book of Grim's fairy tales was reread many times, each time filling my mind with adventure, mystery, victory, magic, and fascinating people and places.

"Little Women" truly captured my thoughts, and I knew each of the sisters by heart. I even named my first daughter Amy.

I read classics including "Black Beauty," "Tom Sawyer," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," "Treasure Island," and "The Swiss Family Robinson." I loved the Bobbsey Twins adventures as well as the Trixie Beldon mystery series.

When I say that I "loved" books, I mean I really loved them! Even as a child I appreciated how a book could spark the imagination and take me on a trip as the real world disappeared.

A trip to the library in Fremont, Nebraska, the town where I spent my childhood, remains a vivid memory even now. I remember feeling excited as I climbed the stairs, and once inside, I turned to the right and felt at home exploring the shelves of the children's department. Upon leaving, my imagination was peaked as I walked home thinking of the books I had chosen.

Of course in school I also read a lot and truly enjoyed most of the books that were selected by teachers for me to read. "1984," "Brave New World," and "Animal Farm," required me to think outside of the box and open my mid-western mind to new and interesting theories.

Once I graduated from college I began teaching first grade. One of my favorite parts of the day was storytime when all of "my" children would gather around and actually sit still and give me their complete (well almost) attention as the stories would capture our minds. Of course the true joy of teaching such young children was teaching them to read, knowing that a good foundation in my class would impact their love of reading and their ability to succeed forever.

Joy of all joys--having my first child--engaged me in reading on a new level. I was a stay-at-home mom and had all day to spend with my son, and almost every waking moment was spent "enriching" my little boy. I taught him about books. Prior to his first birthday he and I had two special books that we read over and over. They were hard board books meant just for little hands; as shapes and colors and counting filled the pages. By the age of four he could read books such as: "Are you my Mother." He read with inflection and without hesitation.

Is it any wonder that he grew to be a bright child, succeeding in school, and going into a profession that was saturated with reading and writing-journalism.

I enjoyed reading storybooks to all of the children in my life. My three little girls, as the came along (and now my granddaughter,) as well as all of the children in my daycare over the years loved listening to stories. They enjoyed the special time of being together, being calm, quiet, and attentive as their imaginations flourished.

Unfortunately in our electronic society today I fear that children are not being taught to love books. There are so many diversions. Bright and noisy toys that need batteries to work; electronic games; exciting, over-stimulating t.v. programs and movies; and parents who have too little time for reading to a child due to their busy schedules--reduce the time a child's imagination can grow and a love of reading be formed.

I do not care for many of the children's books of today as there must be a gimmick in the book to grab the child's attention. There are so many books that talk and sing. There are books with flaps that lift and other things for the child to do. There are even books that read themselves for you.

It seems to me that looking at, and eventually reading a book to a child is a thing of the past.

If you want to interest a young child in a book, read "Make Way for Ducklings" and the child learns of a real place in Boston and a great story about the duck family. Gorgeous illustrations open the child's mind to art, as well as to the joy of reading.

Well now, I can see that it is time to relax a bit about the future generation. If it takes a book that sings and dances and spins around to help a child love reading--well--I guess then that that is a good thing.

Now that I have a lot of time to read, I truly enjoy getting lost in a book. Currently I am reading a memoir, "The Invisible Wall" by Harry Bernstein, a 96 year old first time author. The book describes his childhood in England. He lived on a poor street where folks on one side were Jewish and on the other side Christian. He has since written a sequel. Harry has inspired me both by his writing and by his ambition so late in life. The other book that is on my coffee table at the moment is called "Escape." It is a true story written by Carolyn Jessop. She describes her escape from living in a polygamist cult.

I have a shelf full of books just waiting for me to open their first page and get caught up in the adventure that lies between the covers.

I attend a neighborhood book club and delight in hearing about all the books my friends have read. Each report makes me want to read another story and another.

I love the feel of books. I love the smell of books--walking into a Barnes and Noble gives me a high.

A special thank you goes out to Sally, Dick, and Jane for being my first best friends. Their antics with their friends and their pets, Spot and Puff, make me smile even now. They opened in me a love of reading that has lasted a lifetime.

See Dick and Jane.

Oh, Dick, see Spot run.

Run Spot, run.

Look, Jane.

See Sally run.

See Linda read books.

Linda is happy.