I’m sorry to say that Memorial Day for Kathy and me had to be nothing more than a day off. After the weekend we had, there was no other option. But we did have a truly lovely supper with Kathy’s family- and the very best part of it all was afterwards when our niece Lorelai “read” to us from several of her very favorite storybooks. There was a Bearington Bears story about a young bear exploring the woods and ending up at Spook Hill and running back home as fast as he could to the safety of his own bed. Lorelai not only can tell / read the whole story, but even with a very theatrical change of tempo – from the slow, methodical journey into the woods and eventually the frantic dash back home. It was great. But what was even better was when she switched over to two books based on a fantastic animated series called “Charlie and Lola.” Charlie is a very nice young boy with a little sister named Lola who is always getting into trouble of one kind or another. One of the best parts about being an aunt or uncle is being introduced to books and programs that would otherwise never cross your path- and how nice to know that there is a whole lot out there besides Barney and the like. “Charlie and Lola” is a tremendously entertaining program that also packs a good message for kids … and especially on the importance of being kind and patient with younger siblings who like to get into trouble. (Of course, as the first-born child in my family my behavior was beyond reproach, so I never needed any help in this department, but for those who do this is great.) But even beyond that, this is just a wonderful show that is so much fun that I actually bought myself a DVD of it – not so much for Lorelai when she comes over but rather for my own enjoyment. (My life is not all Tolstoy, after all.) Anyway, we were absolutely captivated by her “reading” of two of these books- and she even had the British accent of the two main characters down pat along with the shifting moods and emotions as the stories progressed.
Polly and Mark have done so much right with Lorelai, but I’m not sure there’s anything more important than supplying her with a lavish array of books and making the reading of books central to their life as a family. I’m happy that our Decorah nieces and nephew also live Book-rich, Reading-rich lives – and I’m sure the same is true for Henry out in Seattle. I’m reminded of something Polly said yesterday about another young person they know- and how he or she has many more toys and not nearly as many books as Lorelai. That’s the way it should be, and nothing makes me more certain of how these youngsters will ultimately turn out than the love of reading which is being nurtured in all of them. There are of course all kinds of statistics to support the claim, but the only proof I need is in looking at a family like the Drummers, friends of ours from Holy Communion with three of the neatest kids you’ll ever meet. (They’re not kids anymore; the youngest graduated a year ago from Carthage.) While they were still in junior high and high school, I remember being told that on the long trips that they took as a family there was not a single Game Boy or anything of the kind in the whole vehicle. All that those three kids needed to occupy themselves was each other’s company- and their books. All three of them have gone on to be absolutely great people, incredibly gifted and intelligent and compassionate, and I am certain that their love of books is central to that. Of course, as someone who read themselves to sleep with the World Book Encyclopedia for most of his childhood and who now reads at least three books per week, I am not exactly unbiased on the topic. . .