June 9, 2017

• Just One More Chapter

  Jeremy and Justin hadn't reached their second birthday when we went to the library for the first time. At that time the library was in temporary housing as the building was going through a remodel. Our stack of books wasn't real tall, but the boys soon learned that we would sit down in the afternoon and read. We would read the books over and over before going back for another stack. By the time they reached their third birthday, they were well-known by the library staff and for their forth birthday they got library cards and library bags.

  

  Soon after their forth birthday, we moved to Virginia and one of the first outings was to the library. By this time, we were filling a couple of canvas bags on each visit and the librarians would chat with them each time we visited. The boys hadn't learned to read, but they had learned to listen to longer books and we found favorite authors. We continued to check out fifty or more books at a time and one more than one occasion, I read until I was hoarse. When school began we chose a literature rich curriculum, but we added at least one library book to every day.

  

  Our reading schedule has changed over the years, but I still read to the boys almost every day. JJ always gets his reading time right before bed and he knows if he gets his teeth brushed before a certain time, he will get to hear more than one chapter. His favorites right now are the "Hank the Cowdog" books and I have to admit that I get a kick out of them as well. This week, we started a new book and he talked me into reading three chapters at a time.

  

  Over the last year, I've been reading the "Little Britches" series by Ralph Moody to all three boys right after breakfast. Since the older boys have been studying 20th Century History this year, the series fit right in and has given them a view into life on the plains in the early part of the century. One more than one occasion, they've asked for another chapter after lunch and occasionally, I've given in.

  

  A couple of months ago, one of the librarians, called me and asked if we would give our permission to have the boys on the front cover of the library's magazine. Someone remembered all those bags of books that we have checked out over the years, and thought they would be good models for the summer issue. As a follow up to that request, another librarian called and asked if they would be willing to be featured on the website along with a list of books that they recommended. They have been experiencing a measure of fame as multiple friends have visited the library and found a familiar face on the magazine and I know of one person who purchased a copy of one of the books they recommended.

  We've come to the end of the "Little Britches" series and I've been debating about what to read over the summer. I've been pulling out some books that I've enjoyed over the years and sharing them with the boys. No matter what books or series we choose for the summer, I'm going to predict that I'll hear "Just one more chapter" more than once during the summer.

  • 9:44 pm
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