Reading is Fun

Did you have R.I.F at your school when you were little? I used to love R.I.F. day. It was a day, during your class' appointed time, that you went to a big room filled up with books and got to pick out three for FREE!! For a kid like me, this was like a complete dream come true. And other than the excruciating task of picking ONLY three books, it was my favorite outside of class activity.

Since I have been able to read, I have loved reading. I read my first chapter book in second grade (Island of the Blue Dolphins) and I never looked back. In fifth grade, I was pretty sure I was going to be a school librarian and this was all due to the fact that my school librarian was fantastic. She could sniff out a kid who loved reading and pointed me towards some of my favorite books of all time. She also let me be a library aide (um, yeah, I was hot stuff in the fifth grade) and encouraged me to write a book . Which I did. I will not be sharing any details of said book because then you would have no choice but to openly mock me.

So, now, as a mom, one of my favorite things to do is pick out library books for Drew. Thank GOODNESS I now have a reason to cruise the children's book section without looking like a weirdo!! These days I have very different criteria for a good children's book-will Drew sit and listen to the book? He's rather choosy, and there really is no rhyme or reason to his choosiness. Because I'm self-indulgent, I'm going to start sharing with you our favorite books du jour, just in case there are other book-wormy moms out there!

My current favorite children's author is Lois Ehlert. We came across her with her book "Snowballs" and she illustrates all of her books using collage. It is amazing, and Drew LOVES "Snowballs". His other fave of hers right now is "Pie in the Sky." These will become a part of our permanent collection. Imagine all the fun we'll have when he is old enough to do his own collage.

Our other favorite book right now is the classic "Snowy Day". We have read it over and over and over! I would love to peek inside Drew's little noggin and figure out what makes a story favorite for him!

And, if you're an adult who loves to read, I have found the best website. It's called www.goodreads.com. This is a free site you can join and keep a running list of books you'd like to read, books you've read, and read all kinds of random reviews on all manner of books. It has been fun for me to be able to keep track of every book that I say, "Ooh, I'd like to read that!"

With that said, if you'll excuse me, I have some reading to do. It is nap time after all!