Read Aloud Memories

Thursday June 16, 2011
It began with cloth books my son could chew on. I’d tuck one in the corner of his crib once he fell asleep, hoping he’d find it and be entertained for a few moments before he called for me.

We graduated to board books, and Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go was a huge favorite. He and his brothers after him all giggled at banana cars and apple cars. There was so much to see in those books!

I looked for books that boys would love and found chunky board ones with wheels, shaped like firetrucks. They loved them; they played, made siren sounds, and begged for the story.

One of Mom’s laptime favorites? Is Your Mama a Llama.

"Is your Mama a llama? I asked my friend Rhonda." "I think not, is how Rhonda responded."

I loved the rhyme, and the boys did, too.

The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle is remembered to this day by “boys” of 19 and 20 years old. The illustrations, the story, and oh, the anticipation as they waited for that last page full of twinkling fireflies.

Every night, several times a day, often in the car – books, books, books. There was nothing grander. Of the four boys, only the youngest is still a teen (barely), and they’re all still readers. Different kinds of readers, but they still love a good story and great information. And they think, and they talk about what they read. I love it.

I love a good book, and I guess I must have passed it on.
And a boy with a book? Nothing grander.


Linking up with Hope Is the Word today with a retrospective Read Aloud Thursday post. Good memories!

Books: A Child's Best Friend

Wednesday September 15, 2010 I’m such a sucker for books. And my boys know that.

They always knew Mom would say no to a new game or Matchbox car, but she’d never say no to a new book.

Memories of stories and characters embed themselves in our hearts and minds and stick with us for a long time. What will be your child’s memories of storytime?

I asked my sons to give me their first impression when they heard “book from your childhood,” and the answers were interesting.

My oldest said immediately, “Hardy Boys!” He read every one he could get his hands on, working his way through Franklin W. Dixon’s series.

The next said, “That Richard Scarry book.” I can see the cover now – it’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. They really all loved that book with its silly hot dog car, umbrella car, you name it. It was so creative and fun.

Son number three said, “That dragonfly book. The one about the dragonfly that was lonely and found his friends.” I responded, “What dragonfly book?” Then I remembered – it was a firefly. “The one that lit up at the end?” I asked. That was it. The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle.

And the youngest said, “That caterpillar book that lit up on the last page.” He was mixing his Eric Carle creations (Carle also wrote The Very Hungry Caterpillar), but he remembered the same firefly book that his brother had. I was surprised at first, but then I realized since they shared a room and bedtime rituals until he was 9, it’s not surprising their favorite book would be the same.

I was transported back to lazy summer days and sweet bedtime hours as I heard their answers. And I thought of my own favorites: Corduroy, Goodnight Moon, The Velveteen Rabbit and Is Your Mama a Llama (by Deborah Guarino).

I remembered sitting with one as we read the closing chapters of Where the Red Fern Grows, tears running down both our faces. He said, “Mom, this is sad. But it’s so good.”

I recalled the excitement and humor of Holes, a book that drew in one of my less eager readers. I loved to see the anticipation on his face as we opened the book together.

I remember having the boys choose two poems from the A Child’s Garden of Verses when I thought we were pushed for time. That early exposure to rhyme and rhythm, the lilt of verse, sometimes soothed the savage little beast and introduced them to a few of the finer things in life.

Magical moments, all made possible because of books.

Have you had those moments?
Which books will find a lasting place in your child’s heart?