Sunday Scribblings: The End
My daughter loves to look through her rather large collection of children’s books. And she’s very methodical about it. She’ll pull a book off the bookshelf, scan each page, maybe pointing out a duck or a pig, and then looking up at me to say, “the end!” She does it without fail. Then she puts that book aside and gets another one from the shelf, with the same enthusiasm fitting for a 2-year old. But don’t try to read the story to her—she won’t have it. Her imagination must be working overtime.
It saddens me that people in the U.S. are reading less. I’m sure that’s a global reflection of people reading fewer books. So as I sit here with my daughter looking over the pages of a pop-up book, I hope this is a good sign. I hope her love of books is embedded in her DNA. My son really enjoys sitting on the couch as I read to him, which is a good sign. They certainly see me with my nose in a book, a cup of hot tea cooling next to me. And their father often can be found with a newspaper in hand, or a dog-eared paperback in tow.
If we teach by example, then she is also teaching me to take time for simple pleasures. Watching her giggle as she flips through the pages touches me in a way I never could have imagined. It reminds me of the special relationship each of us has with a good book. We invest our time into activity that yields a different experience no matter how many times we do it. My daughter knows this. And one day, despite the statistics, she’ll realize that in homes everywhere, in bookstores and libraries and communities worldwide, a story is being told, and that connects us all.
For more endings and beginnings, check out Sunday Scribblings.
It saddens me that people in the U.S. are reading less. I’m sure that’s a global reflection of people reading fewer books. So as I sit here with my daughter looking over the pages of a pop-up book, I hope this is a good sign. I hope her love of books is embedded in her DNA. My son really enjoys sitting on the couch as I read to him, which is a good sign. They certainly see me with my nose in a book, a cup of hot tea cooling next to me. And their father often can be found with a newspaper in hand, or a dog-eared paperback in tow.
If we teach by example, then she is also teaching me to take time for simple pleasures. Watching her giggle as she flips through the pages touches me in a way I never could have imagined. It reminds me of the special relationship each of us has with a good book. We invest our time into activity that yields a different experience no matter how many times we do it. My daughter knows this. And one day, despite the statistics, she’ll realize that in homes everywhere, in bookstores and libraries and communities worldwide, a story is being told, and that connects us all.
For more endings and beginnings, check out Sunday Scribblings.
Comments
Yes. Exactly.
My son is learning to read now, and I'm so very excited about all the new horizons he will find opening up in front of him.
Now he 19 years old and still remembers those times we shared. I too chersish those. We are bonded in ways few apart from family can understand.
He has inherited the love for reading. He is in his fimal year of graduation and now he discusses books with me.
You post made me go in an entirely different direction. Thanks.
You children will remember these times and will retain theirlove for books.
That's what I love about books, the way they connect us to the wider world, to history, to other readers.
I can't imagine a world without reading~I just hope for growing numbers of parents like you that will encourage this love in their children.
Great post!
Thanks for sharing your memories.
Maybe there's just so much stimulation out there in the form on the Internet, TV, video games that keep people from reading. And it's not just kids. Many adults are working harder just trying to make ends meet.
It's too bad that our elected officals don't do more to encourage reading. I think we need a National Day of Reading.
I can't imagine only reading one book a year! My aunt was a head librarian; my parents, husband and myself have all been teachers. If knowledge is power, reading is the key to unlock that power.
For your daughter, her "end" of each book is surely a beginning of a great imagination--Good job, mom!
Take care!
~Saoirse
I worked once, with an incredible primary school librarian. She REALLY knew childrens lit. She could match a kid with a book as easy as 123..like a pyschic.
A book should never be a chore, it should be a siren call..don't you think.
So many are force fed "summer reading lists.." from a very young age...that they resent reading..
Gotta give it to Harry Potter..he cast a spell on many....
Great take on the prompt..and your delightful 2 year old!