Card Carrying Member

We’ve crossed a threshold of child rearing today – Uno and Dos got their very own library cards.

 

Today kicked off the summer reading program in our town and, instead of participating in the Harkin’s Summer Fun program, we decided to head toward the library and commit to do our best to get in about an hour of reading each day.

 

I have some concerns about this plan, but I’m going to go with it.

 

I’m a recovering bookworm. I’d still be deep in the throes of book love if I didn’t have children, but somehow the kids have derailed my plans to read and read and read. Meh. It’s a season of life – and the books are waiting for me, calling my name, on the other end!

 

What I will say is that, despite my love of the written word, I CANNOT STAND the scent of pages of old books. I think this has to do with the fact I have a bloodhound mixed up somewhere in my ancestry, but the smell of old pages on my fingers makes me nauseous.

 

What I do LOVE is my memories of time in the library as a kid, of reading every single book in the Wizard of Oz series, of the little envelopes and the stamps for due dates. I have great memories of the library as a kid, and still have my first library card tucked away with other important items like my birth certificate and marriage license.

 

We’ve always talked to our kids about the importance of reading, the freedom of a good story, of how you can travel anywhere or do anything when you can imagine a story in your head. Of course, for many years the most significant use they had for a book was as a teething toy.

 

It’s gross and disrespectful to the authors, but… it’s life.

 

Now that they’re a little older and working on improving their reading skills, however, the books are beckoning them. Today Uno picked out a book on drawing horses and a chapter book while Dos chose a book on rabbit care and a story about a bunny. They’re predictable, those kiddos.

 

I downloaded their first Nancy Drew, Harriet the Spy, and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle on Audible.com. We’ll be listening to books after dinner, I think. And during rest time.

 

Since it’s been years and years since I was wandering the youth stacks at the library myself, I’d curious if any of you have suggestions for some great books for the girls? Either read-aloud or simple chapter books would be appropriate for us right now.

 

What are your favorites children’s books? Can you remember your first library card?