I think I am a book lover because I come from parents that are book lovers.  My dad likes books more than my mom does.  He has always had shelves full of books.  As a child my mother took us to the library often and even let us check out books on her library card so we could get extra books.  I have been to libraries that had a 4 book limit.  Talk about torture.  I have so many favorites.  How can I choose only four?  I have begged and pleaded to have that limit raised.  I have even convinced my children to check out books for me. So, I hope you get the point.  I love to read.

Books are like friends.  I can count on my favorite books to take me to that special place that only a story can take you to.  I have found that my children feel the same way.  When they see a favorite book they like to pick it up and hold it their chest, almost as if they were hugging a friend.  I took my 2 year old to the library and she kept grabbing her favorite books with pure elation.  Her friends were here to bring joy to her life.

I can confidently say that I am raising 6 children that love to read.  I am so thankful that they share my love of the written word.  I know this because our library offered home delivery.  We had deliveries of books an average of three times per week.  Every time a delivery came it was like Christmas. seriously.  The children get so excited to receive the books they want to read.  My then 5 year old knew how to spend an hour on the library website requesting his books for home delivery.

We have always made time for reading.  When my babies were small we read regularly.  As my children have gotten older I still read to them, or they read to me.  I love that when we are involved in a good book they will wake up at 6AM just so we can read together.  I love that they beg to read just one more chapter.  My children all agree, well at least the ones that are 9 and up, that books are better than movies.

The reason for this post is that I was at the bookstore last weekend.  A grandma was their with her granddaughter and they were looking to purchase some books to get her 9 year old granddaughter interested in reading.  They were asking the clerk a question about a book, which I happened to read to my kids and love.  I could not help agreeing with an extreme amount of excitement that it was a great book.

A few moments later I saw the same customers in another aisle and offered my assistance.  You see, I love to read and want others to experience the joy of reading a great story.  I explained that my children and I read lots of books and I could recommend a few good ones.  The grandmother was open to that but the granddaughter just had this sourpuss expression the whole time.  The grandmother explained to me that her mother did not read to her much as a young child and she wants to get her into reading.  I fear it is too late for this little girl.  I think that it is so sad that she may miss out on all the wonderful books that are available.  If you want to raise your children to love reading, start young, otherwise it may be too late.

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