Cricket loves her books. Probably more than any other toy she has. In the mornings, especially when we wake up slow and play in her room, she will consistently chose her books to play with first. I cannot remember a morning that did not begin with her grabbing a book, or five, to leaf through. She will stare at the pictures, pointing and picking out certain parts that catch her eye. She loves finding Goldbug in Richard Scarry books or the cat on each page of Mrs. Arbuckle.
All throughout the day Cricket will pick out books and bring them to us. Picture books, story books, bath books, she enjoys them all. When she picks up a book, she will often bring them to us. We ask her if she wants to read a story. With a smile she comes crawls up, or backs up if we are on the ground, and sits on our laps. She loves hearing her stories. It's seriously the most adorable thing ever.
Her love for books inspires me to read more and fuels the fire to promote reading as a great family pastime. It also makes me want to buy every children's book in existence. I have always had a soft spot for a well told, well illustrated children's stories. Thankfully, I limit myself or we'd have a house full of books (would that be such a bad thing?). We always include a book or two for each gift giving occasion. I am so glad we started this tradition from the beginning. Some of my best memories are of the books my mom and I read together in the evenings. Oh the stories and daydreams that unfolded from our evening tales. At times it was nothing short of magical. My mama is a grand storyteller.
Cricket's evening routine has included stories since she was six months old. They have evolved from one story to two, and some nights include as many as five or six. I just can't deny her a good storybook. The last couple weeks she has begun talking as if she is reading the book herself. I love hearing her happy little babbles. The evening stories are some of the best of the day. We take it easy and explore the familiar images, talking and loving through the simple phrases of each page. And, every night, without fail we end with Goodnight Moon. It's our thing.
I hope she always finds the magic in a good book. You can bet we will be cheering her on with each page turned.
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