What cha readin’?

It is a question I often ask. It is important to me. It kinda gives me a gauge of the conversation that will naturally follow. I don’t care if you answer Boynton or Dostoevsky. Just as long as you’re reading something. I believe reading is important. My hubbs does not read much, he prefers visual stimulation (i.e.: video games) but he will read periodicals. That is good enough, it is still reading.

I have read to my children since before they were born. Before my life became kid laden and ultra busy I could pull down about 1000 pages a week. I know, right? N-E-R-D! Nowadays its more like I am lucky to grab 300. To me the gift of literacy is one of the most powerful talents a person can posses. Just think, you would be missing out on my ramblings without it!

I have two babies. One who is too smart for his own good and a bit on the ADD side of things. He must constantly be busy. He eats information like I eat potato chips (hey! they’re like kryptonite!). Also much like me, if he is being fed he is at peace. My little one has a blissfully average intellect with a bit of a mechanical streak. He is totally interested in putting things together (or much my bane, taking them apart) and has no interest in ever singing his ABC’s, not that he can’t, he just doesn’t want to. He is 4 and wonderful in as many ways as his big brother just in the opposite direction. It always amazes me that polar opposites can be made of the same ingredients.   

My big boy, who is in Kindergarten, has just discovered the joy of reading. How he finds it is a mess since he finds it to be extremely frustrating. He wants to just know things instead of taking time to learn them. His greatest challenge is that he can’t read like I do, but instead more like a kid. It irritates him to have to start from scratch. He told me once that when he understands every word his life will be so much easier. Pretty profound, if you think about a 6 year old making this statement.

This is an oldie but too sweet not to share.

They are 7mos. and almost 3 here.

A couple of months ago I attempted a chapter book. I introduced Judy Blume’s Freckle Juice. It was a short book with a cute story that they both enjoyed. Since I am reading to two, each with a different level of patience, I must choose wisely. I couldn’t dream of picking up Harry Potter or Artemis Foul (yet) because I would never be able to hold my audience with such a demand on their imagination. Though they can watch Mr. Potter with no trouble, actually they can last through just about any “big kid” movie (Percy Jackson and Last Airbender are our latest faves), I have to be careful to read something that they both can sit through.

I am a regular at no less than three of our local library branches and while wandering through the other day I decided I needed another adventure to read to the boys. I wanted one that was far fetched and fast paced. I landed on The Spiderwick Cronicles by Tony Di Terlizzi and Holly Black.

I started the series two nights ago and we are already deep into the second of five books. I even worked last night and surprisingly my hubby read two chapters without my asking. The boys (all three of them) are hooked! My beloved came in to listen the first night and he came back again tonight even though there was a show on in the other room that he didn’t want to miss.

These books are wonderful! The story is very entertaining, clever enough to keep their attention, and the bonus for us all is there are amazing sketches every other page or so. No one is happier about this than the baby. He has to examine every inch of the illustration before I am allowed to continue.

This excites me in a big way. I am moved to tears. I can’t wait to grab the other three and find out where the Grace children end up. I can’t think of a better family activity than some good ol’ storytelling.

 

So… drop me a line. Let me know what you are reading! 

-The Happiest Bookworm in the House