They have bookshelves full of books so I can rotate the ones in their baskets and they can choose other ones. They all have their reading chairs.
They all love to cuddle up and be read too, especially Lexi. Lexi will sit in her chair with her doll and babble away with a book in her lap. I can only imagine she is reading a story to her little baby.
Sam loves to read and has his favorites he will read over and over and the series's that he reads. He can also be found reading his scriptures.
Lately they just see me read text books. Occasionally I will slip in a novel or something not degree related and of course I do go to book club every month.
Growing up for me reading was a part of life. My Dad could be found in his chair in the morning reading his scriptures (or late at night while he waited up for us). After work he would read the newspaper, church book or his novel usually something in the Grisham area or him re-reading the Hobbit. Our bedtime stories from my Dad where Hobbit tales. My mom cleaned and listened to books on tape, she read too a lot of churchy type books. She went back to school after we all left home to get her Masters Degree for being a librarian and now works at my old Jr. High. She also took us to the library a lot. I spent lots of my summers at the library doing their summer reading programs. I can't tell you how many scavenger hunts I did around that library. Marilyn the librarian was my favorite. I can still hear her snort loud laugh and see her frizzy hair when I think about the library. I still think her love of children's books is what infected me and why I love them so much.
We used to frequent the library a few times a week. Then last year we went and Seth wanted to get more books than I could get on my card. So with his problem solving skills he said then I can have my own card. Only he wasn't 5 yet. So he got mad. He threw a book on the table and yelled that it wasn't fair. An older woman, that I am 99% sure is not a librarian I think she was just a patron in the book sale section, told him he needed to behave or they would kick him out and never let him come back. That scared Seth, bad. It had been over a year and he wouldn't go back to the library sure they were going to kick him out. Finally after much discussion. Some of the discussion included you know Sister Sorenson in primary she is a librarian, she is nice and do you think she would kick you out. And why we trust a book when we want to find something out more than a website. He finally gave in and went with me to the library. He wandered in very slowly and you could see his eyes light up, and he said I forgot how great it is. Chris was also thrilled because he didn't remember it much and once he figured out that he could borrow the books to take home he was overjoyed.
Lexi was in the Baby Bjorn and kicked and babbled all excited about the books. I let her out and we found the board books and she picked a few to check out. Chris found a few that he liked the pictures (one of which is 10 redneck babies it's an odd book) and a few about dinosaurs.
Seth had a list of what he wanted to look for a book about Tigers, a book about inventors, and a book about how things work. He picked a few of his favorites including Jumangi. We have Jumangi at home but he says there is something about the Library one because it is older and is just better. After he explored the non fiction he slowly approached the librarian and asked where he could find a book about inventors. She said the non fiction was upstairs and wrote down the numbers on a paper. She was very nice and reassured him that is was great he was at the library.
He raced upstairs with me, who had Lexi in the baby bjorn, two arm full of books that Lexi and Chris picked out and Chris not far behind. He found the matching numbers and was in heaven. There were so many books about inventors, about how things work and they are not far from the section all about animals. He found a few he wanted but the one he really wanted wasn't there so he went to the librarian there and asked her she came over pulled up a stool and helped him sort through the books. The one he wanted wasn't there, we put it on hold, but he found many others he had to checkout. He told her the story of the lady who kicked him out of the library. She assured him it was not a librarian and he was welcome any time. She also wrote down a book she thought he would like, The Library Dragon. So we went back downstairs and found that book and checked out all of our arms full of books.
We made it out to the car when he remembered he wanted his own library card, after all he is 5 now. I had just seat belted everyone in so I told him we would make it a special Mommy outing to get his library card and he seemed to like that idea.
To be honest I am almost scared to let Seth free in the Library. That child's mind is busy. He is into everything, and he figured out how to use a drill this week, nothing is safe. I'm hoping if he can look in a book and see how stuff works he won't disassemble our house. Right now he is into inventions. Uncle Chuck who has Cerebral Palsy can write but will often drop his pen. Seth made him a pen that has clay, part of a toilet paper roll and a loop on it making it easier for Chuck to hold and write with (it looks better than it sounds). He wants to invent things to help people. He found a book about inventions and their is a part on the book about robotic prosthetic limbs. He thinks that is the coolest thing ever. It happened that a few days after the library trip we were at a BBQ for the High priests and he realized a member of our ward has a prosthetic foot and he asked to be able to see it. His mind is constantly working, he is curious. He tells me that is my fault for reading him Curious George all the time.
I love that my kids know how to treat books. I love that they love to read and be read too. I love that books are a comfort and a doorway to new worlds and exploration.
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