Always Room for A Children’s Book!

The earliest I remember of being interested in reading, was when I was in first grade.  I loved going to reading time and putting my little wooden chair in the reading circle.  There would be several groups and each group was labeled a different color to coordinate with the reader and your reading level.   The books that I learned to read from were the famous Dick and Jane books.  I LOVED looking at the pictures more than anything.  I would study how they dressed and all the fun they were having.  Cooking, working in the yard, driving to the grocery and getting ready for bedtime are the ones that stand out in my mind the most. I would dream that those pictures were of me and my family.

This book was given to me by a dear friend who knew that I had fond memories of my readers in 1st grade.  She had a collection of these and surprised me with one.

In my later elementary years, Library Day was my favorite day.  I loved going through all the books and studying the titles and then choosing my books.  The first thing I always wanted to know was what the limit of books to check out were.

I’ll always remember that time of year when we would get a catalog of books that we could actually order from and have as our very own.  I would go through and mark all the books I wanted.  It always ended up that I could only order one book, if any.  Money was extremely tight at our house.  My first book that I ordered was a reader about Abraham Lincoln.  I can still see the cover of that book in my mind.

I had the honor to homeschool our children and books were a huge part of our schooling.  Our son and daughter loved to read and were always reading something interesting.  They both were excellent readers and they both love reading today, as adults.

While my husband served in full-time ministry, money for books was a huge luxury.  I would go to bookstores with him and drool over all the books I wished that I could purchase and read.  But, we were only able to get him the needed books that he had to have.  Commentaries, study books, Bibles, etc. were very expensive for our little family that was in the throws of ministry life.  I always said that if we were ever in a position of having a staff while serving as pastor, I would request that the wife of the staff member would get a book allowance for sure, alongside her husband. *If you are reading this and you are in a position at your church to make a decision such as that, I would highly recommend it.

All that brings me to my main reason for writing today.  Children’s Books!!!!  I love books for kids.  I began collecting them many years ago.  I’ve given many away and of course, we encourage our grandkiddos to read them.  My favorite thing to listen to is, my Jim reading a book to one of the little ones before bedtime.

We had many Little Golden Books when my kids were young and they were always a part of bedtime stories.  But, I think their favorite was when Jim made up stories instead of reading.

Today, I visited a bookstore looking for a certain decorating magazine.  I found myself in the children’s section and of course bought four books for the “kids.”  I always have to read them first and they are just as exciting to me as when I was little.

This is my “book haul” from today, as they say…..

I hope children’s books are a big part of your life and that your children and grandchildren will fall in love with reading because you made it easy for them to have access to books.

I am picky about the books I choose.  They must always have a good message.  There is enough negativity in the world that will find its way into your child’s mind. The books we choose for them should always be full of knowledge and good things!

My sweet elderly friend and mentor, Iris, wrote a little story that would be perfect for a board book.  I’m doing my best to help her with it.  Pray that it will work out.  I’ve always thought about the idea of writing a children’s book.  Maybe this will let me know if it is for me or not.

What are some of your favorite books that you remember as a child?

Our cutie pie grandkiddos are in the middle of a reading challenge for the summer.  I’m speechless when they tell me how many books they have already read.  Isn’t that fun!  I’m so proud of them!

I love the program that Dolly Parton has concerning children’s books.  Read about it here.  When I was a child, I would have LOVED to be on the receiving end of this amazing gift.

Happy reading!