Sunday, August 16, 2015

Daddy's Books

One of my favorite things to see Jerry do as a Daddy is read to his children.  Most nights he can be found laying on the floor in the girls' bedroom, reading to them from whatever chapter book they are doing.  Right now, he is reading "The Emerald City of Oz" by Frank Baum, to them.  Jerry has read to our kids for many many years.  He has told me that he was not much of a reader as a child.  He only read the books he needed to for school assignments.  He says, "Now, with my own kids, I am reading all the classics I should have read as a child."  When he finishes a book he comes to me to ask which one should be next. 

We homeschool our children and I spend quite a bit of time each day reading to and with our children.  So I welcome his desire to read to the children at night.  He reads completely different books than what we read during the day.  That way, he doesn't miss any of the storyline.  And we get twice as many good books read to our children.

Some books are better "read alouds" than others.  Here are a few of our favorites that have been repeated over the years as our children have grown up.

Charlotte's Web  - E.B. White
The Trumpet of the Swan - E.B. White
Stuart Little - E.B. White
The Great Brain - John D Fitzgerald
Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder
Farmer Boy - Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Secret Garden - Francis Hodgson Burnett
A Little Princess - Francis Hodgson Burnett
The Cricket in Times Square - George Selden
Heidi - Johanna Spyri
Summer of the Monkeys - Wilson Rawls
Little Britches - Ralph Moody
Caddie Woodlawn - Carol Ryrie Brink
Snow Treasure - Marie McSwigen
Mr Popper's Penguins - Richard and Florence Atwater

The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis

Each morning when our girls tidy up their room they find a pair of Daddy's big socks on their floor.  Sometime during his nightly reading he took them off and left them there.  They are a precious reminder to the girls of the love their Daddy has for them, and the time he has taken to be with them.  I hope they never feel frustrated by having to pick up their Dad's dirty socks, but remember what they symbolize. 

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