Books are Life!

I read a book a while ago about a woman who insisted on hauling along a wagon full of heavy old books across the plains of early America, much to the chagrin of her fellow travelers. When I first read it, I thought it was kind of silly, too. Aren't there much more important things for a person to take across the plains? Food, for example?

But I can understand, now, in my wise old age. I haven't had a book to read for the last 10 days or so and I'm going batty. During that hour of "me" time, I instead surf the web or doing some other meaningless drivel. I feel like I have no purpose if I don't have a book! They truly open the gates of the universe right before your eyes. Books are sanity. Books are comfort. Books are life.

It's also been a revelation to see what books do for my kids. We read "Old Yeller" with Gage, and thought since he was turning circles in the living room that he wasn't listening. Several weeks after finishing, he's quoting the book and drawing parallels from our every day lives. Many dinner conversations are peppered with, "Remember when Old Yeller did this..." It was getting through!

Vee identifies wholly with Anne of Green Gables and we're nearly finished with the 3rd book of the series. I sometimes hear her playing with her Barbie dolls, naming them from the book, and having them act in the prim and proper ways of those yester-years. At seven years old, she's using words I didn't even know the meaning of until I was in my late teens! "Oh, dear, I'm rather dubious about that!"

We don't have a TV, which is something some folks marvel at. But seeing that the role playing, learning, and laughter can easily be fulfilled in books gives me encouragement. And there are no commercials!

Here's what we've read recently and what's on the list:

Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Old Yeller, Judy Moody, Junie B. Jones series, The Tale of Despereaux, The Jungle Book,

To come: The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Charlotte's Web, The Indian in the Cupboard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Chronicles of Narnia series.