We are big readers around here!! We’ve read good books, funny books, boring books, inspiring books, and just ok books. Really, I love a good book! Just ask my husband. If I go to a bookstore for any reason he knows not to expect me for a few hours.
Did you know that reading a page from a screen and reading from a book uses two different parts of your brain? Did you further know that listening to a book and reading a book also requires a different skill set? Did you also know that your brain is more likely to remember something read from a paper page than it is to remember something read from a screen? These are all good things to know when preparing for a presentation, or helping kids prep for an exam. I get that we live in a world of technology, but there is just something so wonderful about the smell of a brand new book, the crispness of the pages, or the worn pages of a classic.
I take my kids to the library about once a week and we check out anywhere from 30-50 books. Yes, you read that correctly. Mostly picture books, but also early chapter books and later chapter books and really, sometimes my kids head to check out with a giant stack of books and I have to ask them to choose 5 or 6 to bring home instead of 15. I am grateful that they share my love of reading. They do not all read the same amount, but I will say it has become a good way to unwind after school or sports or chores for them.
Every Christmas we get our kids a book as one of their presents, probably because my parents always got us a book for Christmas. Each year I research and consider what book would be best for each child. Admittedly, sometimes I make things more complicated than I should. I want to make sure it fits their preferred genre, is wholesome, and is something that they’ll be grateful that they own.
Overall, I have found that while my kids are waiting for a book that they’ve put on hold at the library, or maybe don’t know what else to get, there are a few books that they return to again and again. THOSE are the books to get for your own library, or for their own library when they are older.
Here are 3 questions I ask myself before buying a book for one of my people.
- Will they read this again, or will their siblings read this book? If the answer to this question is maybe, I’d check it out at the library first. If the answer to this question is absolutely, buy the book! Sometimes there’s a book that you just have to buy for yourself so that all of your kids can read it and the other kids don’t feel ownership over them, like they don’t want to share them. For us, the Harry Potter Series fits this category. Narnia also fits this category, as well as the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull. These are books that all of my kids will read and once they’ve read them, if they specifically request the books for themselves, then I’ll look into helping them earn money to get them or buy them for a birthday or something
- Does this book align with values that I want them to embrace? There will come a time in which I have no say over what my kids read. However, right now I can foster an environment in which they read wholesome books with stories of survivors, and courage, kindness, and change. Just like any form of entertainment, books can be amazing and empowering, or filled with smut. While I do not wish to shield them from hardship or exposure to difficult subjects, there is a time and a place to learn about certain things, and I just want to make sure I’m present to help my kids navigate those subjects.
- Will this book inspire the reader to change for the better? This is a tricky question as not every book will have an obvious “yes” answer to this question. Mo Willems is a fantastic picture book author and I’m not sure not letting the pigeon drive the bus is going to inspire my kids to do anything amazing…except I have a little boy that loves to draw and I catch him trying his hand at drawing the bus and pigeon often, so hey, even if it’s a stretch, if you can see it, embrace it and buy that book.
- Lastly, does this book make you smile? If I see a book and it makes me smile to see my kids reading it, or I smile because it’s on my shelf waiting for another reader, I am so happy to make that purchase!
In the end, if you buy a book that is left mostly untouched by your people, you can give it to a friend, or donate it to your kid’s school library, and that’s ok too! Also, while I have an affinity for paper books, I have plenty of audiobooks and digital books that I have purchased, so no matter it’s form, books are fantastic to have.
Do you want your kids to learn empathy? Have them read. Want your kids to travel? Get them an exotic book. Hoping that your kids will be inspired to be better? Check out some biographies about people that you admire. Need a friend? Look in a book! Feel misunderstood or seeking for help? A great book can fill in where other things lack!
“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” –F. Scott Fitzgerald
Happy Reading, my friends!!
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Kayleen
