Why Children's Books?

 It is the last night of my 1 Year Blogiversary Blowout. I am amazed and overwhelmed by the fabulous posts, comments and number of visitors. I think I should just host other bloggers all the time because I have had a blast! Thank you to all of the people who have dropped by to say hi and enjoy a great post or two. Today, my final post comes from Danielle Smith, who I first met as The1stdaughter of There's a Book. Her site is a wonderful resource for parents who are looking for fabulous books to share with their children. Danielle knows how vital books are in the lives of kids and she is able to write about them in a way that lets parents know exactly what to be reading. Danielle has been a very loyal follower and contributor to Book Talk Tuesday. We share links and resources regularly on Twitter and Pinterest. Danielle has been an important part on my virtual learning community! Thank you for writing this post for me... I can think back to all of the pivotal times on my life and I know exactly which book I was reading. Books have shaped my life and I am a better person for all of the times spent devouring books. 

 First of all, Happy 1st Blogiversary Kelly! The Lemme Library has quickly become one of my regular haunting grounds, and I say that because I'm unfortunately guilty of the crime of lurking. That being said, I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Kelly through her wonderful reviews, Book Talk Tuesday, on Twitter and absolutely on her often quirky fun pins on Pinterest. It's been a fantastic time getting to know you and I can't wait to see what comes in the next year for you!

Why Children's Books?

Truthfully, I agonized over this post. I simply could not narrow down what to talk about, but that's very typically me. I'm a bit all over the place, what with chasing after two toddlers all day and attempting to manage the schedule of a very busy new attorney (my hubby). That being said, you'd think it would be a given that I'd choose to blog about children's books seeing that both my kiddos read non-stop but it's not that simple.

See, much like Jonathan and Tom I was a bit damaged by reading and re-reading "Children's Classics" in school and subsequently stopped reading until close to the time my children were born. I know, it's a tragedy. Not that I stopped entirely, but certainly I wasn't eager to pick up The Scarlett Letter again (and probably never will).  Then, my children happened.

It began with books like Trucks Trucks Trucks by Peter Sis and Trucks by Byron Barton. Yes, there was a definite "truck" theme in our home the first two years of the Turkeybird's life. During which I suddenly felt the need to explore beyond my prejudices and his obsessions. What began as a need to discover more books for my son to devour, as he was already reading at eighteen months, quickly became a venture into the "ghost of children's books past". 

What I quickly discovered was that children's books have influenced my life from the start and I never let them go, literally. In a box my mother keeps for me there's a worn copy of Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish that is actually the one and only theft of my lifetime. Yes, I "borrowed" it from the library and never returned it. I'm sure the librarians out there are shaking their heads at this point, but I do apologize and would add that I have paid for a replacement since then. The point is though that I loved this book enough to hide it under my pillow at night, to read it during every spare moment & potentially get into "big" trouble for not returning it.

It's the love for Amelia Bedelia as well as a later reading of Socks by Beverly Cleary that still burns bright within me. Those are the books that I discovered made me the reader and lover of books that I am today. Now, the real question for me is which book will burn brightest for my sweet Turkeybird and Littlebug when they reach my age? Will it be the infamous Trucks Trucks Trucks or a later chapter book like Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo or anything else we pick up over the next few years? 

Whichever book burns brightest for my children are the books that matter. The books we read under a blanket with flashlight in tow. The characters that rescue us from a hard day at school or home. The journeys that help us to remember we are children. Those are the ones that count and will forever have a place in our hearts. And that...is why I choose children's books.