Book Worm

From an early age, Cam took an interest in books. It began with the crinkly ones that had four pages and no story line, but it was clear that books made him happy.

Campbell, 4 months old

 

 

 

I know most babies and kids like books, but he really, truly is engaged in them when he reads. He studies the pages and laughs at his favorite parts ("Some other dogs go BOW! Wow! Wow!"). When we go to meet our friends at open play, he chooses the books instead of the toys.

When the kid is cranky, there a few things I know will calm him down (my keys, my iPhone case, and a book). Even when we go to the park, and I lay him down on a blanket with some toys, he chooses to study his flashcards.

I'm not surprised, really. He comes from a long line of readers. His Mimi and Poppy have an entire library in their bedroom, organized by theme, grouped by author and displayed proudly. His Nanny has taken to the digital age and loves reading on her iPad and Kindle. His Gigi even hides her secret stash of books in her closet when she doesn't want Papa to know what she's reading! Of course, his Mom is a sucker for a good book too.

When I unexpectedly left my teaching position in October, I obviously left without so much as my classroom keys in hand. So when I went back to pick up a few things from my room at the end of the year, the items I had the hardest time deciding on what to purge and what to keep were my books. There were a few I knew I wanted for Campbell, and a couple of sentimental value, but I was sad to say good bye to the classroom library I had spent so many years building. I truly loved picking out books for my students, and now I am so excited to pick out books for my own children!

Campbell and I went to the book store today. Isn't it sad that there's only one book store left in this entire city that I can even think of for us to visit? I remember as a little girl, my dad used to take us to the book store regularly. It was a treat, and every time we went, we left with a handful of books. I remember him telling me the one thing he would always buy me no matter how poor he became was a book. I still think I have the entire collection of The Babysitter's Club in my parent's attic. (You think those are considered vintage yet!?) I remember my dad would send me packages to camp each summer filled with two items only -- a comic book and a packet of gum. Every summer for years. My parents valued reading, and I truly believe that had a huge impact on the way I feel about reading today.

Anyway, today was Cam's first trip to Barnes and Noble and just entering the store made me nostalgic and giddy with excitement for him. As we took the escalator up to the children's section, he was slapping my shoulder and had a huge grin on his face as if he was thinking, "Oh my goodness! I've never seen so many books in my life!" We spent some time sifting through the shelves and he picked out a few books to look at, which of course I then bought because I'm my father's daughter and you can't leave a bookstore without buying a book. Duh!

I really hope his love and enthusiasm for books continues to grow. As a teacher, one of the most challenging parts of my job was instilling an eagerness to read among the boys in my class. Somehow the girls always entered the classroom with questions about what books we would be reading that year, and the boys were simply curious about what time P.E. was.

I have a feeling, though, that Campbell's teachers won't have to worry about getting a book into this kid's hands.