Reading "Allowed"

After sorting through the hate-(e)mail from my last, seemingly innocuous {at least to me} post; about my shock and panic at my three year old “waiting” for Prince Charming -- and taking some refuge in the kind words {thank you} from the mothers and a father or two who had never dared express their similar concerns, for fear of being stoned to death by the rest of our apparently Princess Possessed society. In the angry mob’s defense, I suppose in a Hierarchy- unlike a Democracy- my opposition to the miniature royalty I see running around, would in fact, incite the vile and vehement reaction I unwittingly provoked. Well... after sorting through the good, the bad and the ugly emails, I am more determined than ever to get going on my “reading aloud project”.


My determination comes from a few places, but since I’ve just begun to recover from "stepping in it", I won’t inadvertently indict any of my readers for their poor grammar or irksome use of nonsensical, just plain made-up words, for writing a lot as one word {grrrrr it's A [space] LOT people, not "alot"!!!!!} or for another of my pet peeves; misquoted phrases. Instead I will just say, since I've already said too much – Reading is important. The time you spend "reading aloud" to your child(ren) is essential - for their imagination, self-confidence, language skills, social skills …… The list of reasons why you should read to your child goes on and on. 

 Many of you have my email already, this I know from the response to “Prince Charming will be here in 3 minutes!!” – I do in fact post it here on my blog as public knowledge. So, in good faith, I promise not to break out the red pen and correct your book report {unless you ask me too *wink*}! So here’s what I am doing to help encourage and support Moms and Dads, Aunts, Uncles and adults in general, to read to the little ones in their lives..... 


My 'request'… And know that the SassMaster from Don’t Come to My Circus and Try to Wear the Top Hat and I have a handful of must read children’s books suggestions for you if no one feels inclined to pipe up here and offer a book suggestion and a review. I’m looking for MUST READ children’s books. Not Nancy Drew or the Babysitters Club {Great series that I adored and read voraciously as a young girl} but “read aloud” Children’s Books. The kind that gets you excited to snuggle up with your little one(s) and get lost in a story.


It can be anything…. A great moral, a life lesson, an adventure, something so silly that you and your babes cannot make it through a page without a major case of the giggles! I don’t care why you love it, just that you do – Well that’s not entirely true – I do want to know why you love it, all of us will be curious why it's such a great book -  But unless it’s offensive and wildly inappropriate, I will list all of the books and my readers brief summaries of either the book or why it’s loved in their household - or both. If a number of people suggest the same book I will list all of the readers reasons for loving it that were emailed to me….

This is fun; this is our own internet version of a book swap… Maybe even a way to drum up a modicum of support for our public libraries. In this day and age no one should fear the library and its ominous card catalog. If you can use a computer {and libraries are filled with them these days} you can go to the library, look up a book online, find it and check out in a few minutes. Beside, in this economy who can afford to go out and buy new books? Especially when the library is filled with books you can take home for a bit and read for free!!


The Project:


Email me your favorite "read aloud" children’s book. Please include an age range for the book(s) – {Guesstimate if you need to} and either your few sentence synopsis of the story, or why you and your kids love(d) the book – or both! Email your suggestion(s) to me and at the end of the week I will compile a list of our favorite must read to your kid books and post it here on A Mother’s Musings, Mishaps and Milestones. I cannot wait to see what books the girls and I already love that you do too and to discover some new gems! Winter is on its way and I am wicked excited for more and more "snuggle up story time" with Gigi & Lula!


Princess stories and fairy tales welcome. I am not the Witch, Fire breathing Dragon or Troll some of my readers {or ex-readers} have decided I must be!