Hallow's Read

"I cannot live without books."~Thomas Jefferson

 As a young girl I remember being in the Texas Readers Club throughout elementary school. My mom couldn't afford to buy books so being in that club helped me get free books. The more I read, the more books I earned for FREE! There are many of us who are not into reading, and if you're not... I encourage you to start. Some of us may not be able to buy the books we'd like. Luckily we have facilities all over the world called libraries. Too bad my mother didn't think of that when I was younger. I don't even think I owned a library card until I was in my late teens! 

Last night Chelsea had her yearly 'reading party' held at her school which consisted of reading books, playing games, and coloring. Since Halloween is in a week all the books they read were about...Halloween. 

One thing I love about her teacher is the fact that she really encourages the students to read. Chelsea comes home with a book every single week, and like a descriptive writing class she draws a picture of what the book entailed every Friday. She also checks out a different book from the school library every week.  

On top of that she likes to read books from her own bookshelf at home. This past week she chose When the Wind Stops. She says this story reminds her of me and her baby brother. It's such a cute story, and it reminds me of the autumn season which we are truly enjoying at the moment.

Reading has always been a significant part of our lives. We love books and learning big words. We love visiting libraries. My favorite library is the New York Public Library. I love their main reading room. It's huge! If we lived further North we would go every week! It amazes me at the vast, extensive vocabulary my two older daughters have. Sometimes I've had to ask them what the word they just uttered meant. I am grateful to see that all my daughters enjoy reading, even little Noah. He loves picture books. 

Last night was a reminder on how important it is to read to our kids, and for them to learn to read on their own. Kudos to the teachers who encourage their students to read! Even though I didn't own a lot of books when I was little, I am grateful for remembering the importance of reading. It feels good to know that I have passed that on down to my kids, and to see them reading and holding a book as opposed to watching too much television or playing games on the computer.