raising readers

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents"  ~Emilie Buchwald


Yesterday, as I was lifting a yawning, puffy-eyed, baby girl from her crib after nap time, she reached out towards her bookshelf and said "read book" as clear as can be.  Those two sweet words warmed my heart almost as much as the first time I  heard "mama"!  So, my baby (who is less baby every day) chose her book (three books) and we cozied up on the couch to read them (flip through them, twisting and turning them to all angles while pointing and saying many, many words of which I understood maybe four). And then I took her picture, of course.

There are some new books on the shelves (and under beds, and in the couch cushions, and on the stairs...) as we are preparing for a new school year and the kids have already been diving into them with eager minds, eyes and hands.  They are so fun to watch with their books and reading together is definitely one of the highlights in my everyday.

I think reading aloud and having the opportunity to study great literature from the very beginning with my kids is and will forever be one of my favorite things about home schooling.  They aren't the only ones receiving an education here!
Do you have any favorite storybooks in your house?  Memories of great books in your past that have you scanning used book shelves for a familiar old copy?  We're always on the hunt for good reads so do share!



"We shouldn't teach great books, we should teach a love of reading." ~B.F. Skinner