Magical, Wonderful Books

As technology becomes more and more integrated into our children's schools, traditional bound books are taking a backseat to the educational process.  What a pity!

There's something magical about a book.  Maybe it's the feel.  Maybe it's turning the pages.  Maybe it's the simplicity of it.  Wherever you are, a book can be a comfortable friend.

If your children's schools are heavily into laptops and tablets, make sure to devote time at home to reading to and with your children...with real books!  Your children are never too old to gather together for reading aloud.  They should have easy access to all kinds of books, not just learning books but fun and silly ones too.  Start a tradition (if you don't already) of giving each of your children a book at Christmas and/or birthdays...in addition to other gifts, of course.  Visit the library often.  Have bookshelves full of books in a prominent place at home.  Show by example that books are important to you.

Children who read have better vocabularies, writing skills and critical thinking skills.  Teach a child to love books and you will have created a life-long learner. 


Note - Pictures taken by Melody Frees.  Used with permission.

How to create a book lover :)

If you want your children to love books, you need to make books part of their life.  Surround them with books they can love.  Introduce them to a variety of genres.  Read to them.  

Is it any surprise this little baby grew up to be an avid reader?

Raised on classic Disney...

And classic board books...Love Goodnight Moon!

And books that can be properly "devoured"  :)

Throw in a little geography for balance...

So careful with the pages!

Same little girl, same love of books  :)

A book series your kids will like...

Since I spent the weekend helping my nephew run his booth at the Emerald City Comi-Con, I feel it only right that I should shamelessly promote his work  :)  This is a good forum for that because his work is appropriate for children of all ages (as well as adults). 

Travis with his son, Ian (who was the inspiration for The Bean)

Travis Hanson is the father of 5 children who started writing with his own children in mind.  He has always been incredibly creative and imaginative and had been producing beautiful pieces of art before turning to writing and illustrating.  His graphic (graphic as in picture form) novel series, The Bean, is an epic fantasy ... Plot "In a little Inn, deep in the heart of Darkleaf forest, works a young dishwasher named Bean. While on an errand for shrooms Bean is kidnapped by a chaotic Troll and ends up finding a very special sword that needs to be healed. So his adventure begins one that will be filled with danger, adventure and realization that he is the one that controls his destiny and no one else."  (review of The Bean Vol. 1: Riddles and Shrooms)

Lots of his young fans wanted to meet him this weekend

Travis's work is unique in that it doesn't contain swearing, inappropriate relationships or questionable values.  Instead, it stresses faith and courage, friendship and perseverance without sounding preachy.  If your kids enjoy fantasy, they will probably become addicted (in a good way :) ) to The Bean.

You can find his work at www.beanleafpress.com  or check out his one of his videos at   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn-G52vz5Ws&feature=share

Thrifty Thursday - Try before you buy

Don't you just hate it when you spend a goodly amount of money on a DVD that seems so promising from the previews only to find that it is a dud?  Or, how about you hear about a great book but you aren't sure it's good enough to buy?  Luckily for us, there are ways to try out the latest DVD or video game without spending little more than a dollar.  I'm talking about Redbox.  And most communities have libraries that not only have books but other resources as well.

If you haven't tried Redbox and there is one close by, you will be surprised by the large selection and ease of use.  You can reserve movies from home and then just go pick them up.  Or stop by their kiosk and browse.  At only $1.20 + tax per day, there is no reason to ever buy another movie unless you really, really like it and want to have it in your collection.  Also, they have regular specials where you can rent movies free.  We have definitely saved money since discovering Redbox. 

A great way to spend a cold winter afternoon!

And the library...I have always loved libraries and probably always will.  Thousands of books just waiting for you to check out and take home.  And most also have audio books  and movies and games and classes and story hours and more.  I love finding a treasure of a book and then going home and looking it up on Amazon or some other online bookseller and buying it really cheap.  Again, this way I only have the books I really want and use in my collection.  Even with the popularity of ebooks and iPads, I can't imagine them replacing a good old hardcover book.

I hope your children are well acquainted with your local library!

Learning from Harry Potter

Last night my husband turned on the Harry Potter movie, The Order of the Phoenix and I couldn't help watching it too :)  Of all the villains in all the Harry Potter movies, the scariest one (to me) is Professor Umbridge.  She is positively sickeningly sweet on the outside and pure evil on the inside.  Her form of "punishment" is to torture the students, for their own good of course.  Yes, she controls the situation and the students learn their lesson...but it's not the lesson she intends.  They learn to both fear and hate her.

Even little angels need an occasional correction  :)

I know the movies and their books are fiction but while watching the movie my mind wandered to the subject of discipline, effective and counterproductive.  Having no discipline produces children who don't know how to follow rules or get along with others and who control their households.  Too harsh discipline produces children who comply outwardly but harbor resentments, yearn for the opportunity to rebel, or become cowardly and fearful.  Neither is healthy for well-adjusted children.

The best form of discipline comes from the mom who remembers what discipline is all about...which is training and teaching her children to behave in an appropriate manner.  The mom acts on the situation; she doesn't react.

So, whether it's a time-out, a withholding of privileges, or whatever seems appropriate for the misbehavior, if you respond in a firm yet gentle manner, your child is more likely to get the message you want him or her to receive. 

Tidy Tuesday - Books

Books are relatively small, right?  And a bookshelf or two or even a whole wall of books creates a warm, inviting atmosphere in a room, right?    But.  If you continue to buy books, you will eventually run out of bookshelves.  Then what?  Start stacking them on the floor?  Tacky.  Find a bigger bookshelf?  That will fill up too.  A bigger room?  A bigger house?  At some point, your love of books has turned into an obsession.  What was once a source of relaxation and knowledge has become a nightmare.  The only solution I know is to try to keep your input approximately equal to your output.  In other words, if you're going to bring 5 new books home, try to get rid of 5 old ones.  Maybe once a month (if you are a frequent book buyer) you can donate a box of books to your favorite charity.  For a book lover that can be hard advice but the alternative is to have books overrun your home and your life.

My husband is a professor of computer science and maintains a very large collection of computer related books.  However, technology changes frequently so older computer books become obsolete after only a few years.  Periodically culling those old books to make room for current books makes sense.  Old textbooks - don't even bother keeping them!  I like self-help books and how-to books and even these get outdated and eventually lose their appeal.  Out they go!   I'll admit, it was hard to get rid of most of the children's books after the kids outgrew them but hopefully, another child got some use out of them.  I did keep some of the favorites, but they are a manageable group.

 Make sure that the books you keep are the books you love. 

"Your imagination can take you anywhere!"

It seems like parents don't read to and with their children much any more.  That is so sad!  I know it's easier to plop your child in front of a tv or have an electronic book "read" to your child but think what is missing...a time to snuggle close and share stories and just enjoy the time together!   You can explore new books and rediscover your love of old ones.  I can't imagine a life without books!   Some of our favorite ones have been Curious George books, Madeleine books, Dr. Seuss books,  Miss Spider, the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series, the Narnia series, the Wishbone series, The Little House on the Prairie series, The Phantom Tollbooth, The Bronze Bow, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, Flossie and Bossie, A Wrinkle in Time series, The Prydain Chronicles series, the Redwall series, the Anne of Green Gables series.  Have I forgotten any? 
Oh, and the title of this post is a quote from Wishbone! :)