Apples of Gold: Books

11/22/11

From the time the kids were born Paul & I would read to them.

When I consider the many things I want to instill in my children, reading is always near the top.

My own love of reading came from watching my parents who are avid readers.

I don't remember doing this, but my mom tells me that as a 3 year old I would sit in my closet and read for long periods of time.

My kids don't read in their closets, and they never have, but they do love to read.

Our collection began with a few picture books I picked up before we had kids, hoping that someday I would have some children to share them with.

They were books I remembered enjoying as a child: Beatrix Potter, the Giving Tree, the Little Engine that Could, and some Berenstein Bear books.

More books came from a friend as we prepared for the birth of our first child; she gave me a large box of picture books that her children had finished using.

Then Dallin was born just two weeks before Christmas.

One night Paul stayed home with him while I went out for a little while. One of the places I went to was the bookstore in the Bozeman mall. I found a book called The Littlest Angel. I enjoyed the story so much as I thought of my own little angel at home. I picked this up for him and thus began his collection of books and a Christmas tradition that continues still today with all the kids.

He also received Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever from Nana & Papa and a collection of Nursery Rhymes from Aunt Katie.

We've been collecting picture books ever since.

A few family favorites through the years, 11/22/11 (the "Ston" is Jon J Muth's Stone Soup)

As the kids have grown, many of their books have become favorites and read many times over.

When Parker was 2, he was able to retell There's an Alligator Under My Bed by Mercer Mayer from memory.

As a 6 year old, Dallin loved to read Superdog by Caralyn Beuhner & imagine himself a superhero.

When the boys were very little I would read to them while they were in the bathtub. Audrey Wood's King Bidgood's in the Bathtub was a favorite read for this activity.

The Berenstein Bear books have been a favorite of Kyralyn's.

In years past, I would spend many evenings sitting in the hallway, reading chapter books to them as they'd be laying in bed.

We enjoyed several stories this way: the Charlie Bone series, the Chronicles of Narnia, & the Chocolate Touch just to name a few.

We also read during long car rides & sometimes at mealtime. Fablehaven, Wednesday Wars, & some Harry Potter were enjoyed this way.

Several weeks ago, we had the privelege of a quiet evening; dinner was cleaned up early, homework & piano practice were done, and Dad was out reffing a game.

Kyralyn's pile of books from our after-lunch reading, 11/22/11

I got the kids tucked in a bit early and then spent the rest of the evening reading to each one of them in turn.

That night I realized that some of the picture books we held on our shelves were a sort of memory of my children's younger days.

Kyralyn still loves picture stories & sometimes chooses books off of Dallin's & Parker's shelves that take me on a walk down memory lane so to speak as I remember reading these same stories to my "little" boys.

Sometimes they will still let me read picture stories to them but usually we pick up in the middle of a chapter book we are working on: Candy Shop Wars with Dallin & Wednesday Wars with Parker (he doesn't remember it from the first time we read it several years ago).

One thing particularly close to my heart is the time Paul takes most evenings to read stories to the kids. He and Parker are reading 39 Clues, Hardy Boys, or Wierd But True (by National Geographic) while he & Dallin are reading My Side of the Mountain, 39 Clues or Hardy Boys together and many others over the past several years. This is a favorite time with Daddy, especially as he adds his own unique twists to each story & personalizes many to whichever child he is reading to.

I don't want to forget the kids' favorite picture stories & the memories that come with them as the kids get older and the picture books are used less & less.

So in an effort to remember, I've captured some of the kids' favorites: