Book Worms

Even before I became a mom I hoped that I would be able to foster a love of books and literature in my children.  In the evenings leading up to Emma's birth, while Allan worked late into the evening, I would read some of my most loved story books, and some new ones provided by my little sister Haley, to my sweet baby that I could feel kick and move inside my tummy.  Allan and I began reading to her when she was only weeks old and our efforts seemed to pay off as she grew older and began to be more interested in her books than she was in any of her toys.

Once she was big enough to get around without any help I could almost always find her near our bookcase surrounded by her books.  At the young age of one she would spend hours on our laps listening to children's books and sitting silently by herself looking at them.

She continues to love having books read to her and now that she is learning how to read herself she is excited when she recognizes words that are familiar to her.  I was thrilled this past month when we received her report card and her teacher said that she "demonstrates a love of literature". 

I spent months trying to find a chapter book that Emma would enjoy and after striking out several times with books like The Rainbow Fairies, that made me feel less intelligent with each sentence, and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, that was a little long and wordy for Emma, we finally found this book...

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I loved it as a little girl but loved it more still as I read it to my little girl.  She identified so closely with quirky Ramona and enjoyed listening to all of her kindergarten adventures.  We quickly finished that one and have moved onto Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

Because of Emma's instant love for all things literature I anticipated that as long as Allan and I continued the same reading practices with our next child that we would achieve the same results.  I started to become anxious when Walker arrived and would scream and squirm whenever I tried to read to him.  He was far more interested in his trucks and cars than he ever was in any of the books that we supplied him with.  Fortunately, countless trips to the library taught me that the content of the book was very important to Walker.  The books had to have trucks, trains, monsters, dinosaurs or super heroes in them in order to capture and hold his attention.  Now he will happily snuggle up and read with us as long as the book has the above requirements.  That is why I was so happy when I found one of Allan's old treasures while cleaning out the basement the other day.

Walker would have spent all night listening to the stories of the Cowboys of Moo Mesa if I let him.