National Literacy Day

Which was actually the 8th of September but I guess I was busy that day doing laundry, mowing the lawn or some equally vital endeavor like...eating chocolate. (oooo, now I remember...I worked at the church and then MOWED THE ENTIRE LAWN)

Anyway, as Loren trod on the mill and I did my weight-bearing exercise this morning the Today Show had different celebs reading to various kiddos. There was first lady Laura Bush and Mayor Bloomberg, to cite two examples.

Not sure how NBC managed to work this in along with the really important stuff about O.J.'s girlfriend, but they did.

As a mother I can honestly say that one of my greatest thrills has been to teach each of the children how to read. (the exception being Nolan, who was taught early phonics by Melinda while I was interred at Rochester for three months)

Even after they were able to read on their own, we've still enjoyed the bedtime ritual of different classic series and single books. And if for some reason we'd get out of that habit for a time, I heard about it!

At the beginning of the last school year we began (again) the Lord of the Rings trilogy, naturally reading The Hobbit, first.

It took until sometime into the summer but we finished all four books. Hard to beat that for beauty of language and enthralling drama.

Of course The Little House on the Prairie books have been favorites of the past. But I think some of my kids reread them mainly to drool over various huge meals that are described.

"Too bad we didn't live back then," a certain someone wistfully comments, over and over.

"Yeah, and too bad you don't get to shovel manure out of horse and cow stalls on a daily basis," I am tempted to reply.

I have to remind them that those are not true in a straight biographical sense, in that not every event happened just as it was described, or to the exact people depicted in the book.

But the general geographical description of the different places the Ingalls' family lived is correct, as are the types of experiences and contrivances made by pioneer and prairie families of that time.

Caddie Woodlawn, Cheaper By the Dozen and Charlot's Web are several I'll need to bring back into the schedule.

For this September we again started through the Narnia Series. It's going so swimmingly we may finish before the end of the year:-)

One thing that does get my goat are the myriad serial-type reading materials currently written or advertised for Christian young people.

Throwing in spiritual references in an otherwise mediocre book does not make it worthy of reading, just as tying a ribbon on a pig doesn't make it an appropriate house pet. Cheap food might seem palatable, but can ramen noodle soup sustain one in the long run?

Give me a book that is well-written, even if it contains a few so-called "bad words." I can always skip over problem spots, or we can take a moment to discuss a scenario that would run contrary to our family's values.

One series I did stop reading aloud was Redwall. Enjoyable as it was, there seemed to be prevailing themes of supposedly misunderstood youngsters running away and then coming back in a blaze of glory to save the forest, abbey, etc.

I feel more comfortable letting the older kids read those books to themselves, when the danger of rebellious seed-planting is past.

But that's just me.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go stir the macaroni and cheese for lunch...
 

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