For the Love of Books!

I love books. I love to turn page after page and watch the story unfold before my very eyes.  I love the feel of the smooth, crinkly (that is a word, right?) pages and the musky smell of a good used book. I love to think of the adventures that readers before me have experienced and wonder if they also felt the same emotions or if the book has touched them in the same ways it has touched me. There is something magical that happens when I get to read a really great book, a classic. I have had this love of books from a very young age.  I cherish the memories of drifting off to sleep as my mother read chapter after chapter of Boxcar Children, Little House on the Prairie, Nancy Drew, and so many others.

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I also love now, that these are moments, characters, and stories that I get to share with my children. I love that William reads everything he picks up. I love that on Thursdays when he comes home from school with his new library books, he can't wait to get to his quiet room, and his comfy bed and sit for the rest of the day combing over the pages, analyzing the characters, and immersing himself into the story. 

I also have found a new way to share these stories with my children.  We spend at least an hour a day in the car. Like most of you, I'm always driving to and from school, grocery store, post office, sports practices, activities... you know what I'm talking about.  I know many mom's use car DVD players... but that just isn't me.  We usually listen to Christian radio or play alphabet and counting games in the car...until recently.

We were at our local library for story time, while I was glancing over a few of the DVDs when I came to the section of books on CD, my eyes instantly rested on one of my all time favorites, Little House on the Prairie.  I found myself hoping one day my boys might want to read a book about a family with 3 little girls... Yeah right!  But I decided I would get the CD and just see what happened.... turns out they love to hear about Laura and Mary, and the adventures they have as they travel in their wagon and make a new home.  We are now on the fourth book in the Little House on the Prairie series and the kids request it every time was get in the car. 


I love the exposure to classic literature they are absorbing. I love the history that the stories hold, and the raw adventure and emotions that are expressed as we listen intently. I love the questions and conversations that keep coming from my boys as they listen to what life was like in the pioneer days, and the joy that they feel with every victory the Ingalls family has.

I hope to continue to show my children the fun and adventure that can come from something so simple as a book; I also hope that they too will grow a love for the written word and that it will follow them through life.  ]

Do your children love to read, or be read to?  What do you do to encourage that love?
I'm always looking for more wonderful stories to share with my family...What are your favorites as a child or favorites that you share with you children now?

Top Book Series for Beginner Readers

William, 18 mths. With his 2 favs. Blankie and Book!

One of our favorite past times in the summer is reading.  I mean it is too hot in the middle of the days to go out, and video games and movies are only allowed sometimes. Plus, William has always had a love for books. From a very early age, he has spent hours browsing through books, studying the pictures, and studying each bend on each letter written.  Recently, his ability to read has blossomed into something amazing and he can't get enough reading, but he tends to gravitate towards super hero comic books.  While I don't see anything with reading age appropriate comic books, I do want him to read books, actual books. Books that have more than 2 sentences to a page. Books that will challenge him, but not lose his attention. 

 So after some searches online, asking around to some of my homeschooling friends and local children's librarian, here are some series I have found and had some success with.  I know this not a complete list by any means, so please feel free to add in the comments!  Happy Summer Reading!

Magic Tree House Series  Mary Pope Osborne (Our New Favorite!!!)

Frog and Toad  Arnold Lobel

Amelia Bedelia Peggy Parish

Curious George H.A. Rey

Henry and Mudge Series Cynthia Rylant

Aesop for Children Aesop

Just So Stories Rudyard Kipling

The Big Blue Book of Beginner Books Dr. Seuss

Torque series Jack David
The Boxcar Children Gertrude Chandler Wagner (advanced)

Happy Columbus Day

The boys at the Nina

So Columbus day was like two weeks ago... October 11th. But I didn't get a chance to post any pics of our fun outing until now. We are fortunate to have replicas of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria here in our city. We took advantage of Columbus Day and headed out to the ships.  I can't even imagine going a mile into the Gulf in a ship like this, however Columbus and his crew traveled across the entire Atlantic ocean, No thank you!

What a blessed nation we live in to have the freedom we do. Just stop and think about the history of our great nation for a minute. One day a long time ago, God put it in a man's heart to try something new. Something daring, and something that most people thought was idiotic.... God has a plan, I don't understand it, that is for sure, but I can't deny God's guiding hand in America's history or mine.

Thank the Lord for Christopher Columbus, and for the freedom you have provided to our current generation through so many that have come before us.