The best stories remind us that life triumphs over death, light over darkness, goodness over evil. History teaches us that one life matters, that the real heroes often go unnoticed by the books, and that the most tumultuous and miserable periods often give rise to those kind of individuals. These are the characters we desire our children to get to… Read More Just One Counts
There are two words I do not allow my children to say–well actually, there are a lot of words I don’t allow them to say, but the two words “I can’t” are not permitted. Those two words usually pop out when they are facing a difficult task, or try to tackle something and fail. When they say, “I… Read More Where There’s a Will There’s a Way, or, Reasons Kids Don’t Read
My grandson and my son are both learning to read. Henry is 19-months-old and loves Angus and the Cat, The Story of Ferdinand, and Katy and the Big Snow best right now. He’s a very busy boy, but always ready to discontinue any activity if someone is willing to read to him. When they’re not, he will read to himself.… Read More Learning to Read
A friend recently wondered why it is, at this crisis time of her life, she is so drawn to children’s literature. Another friend has lost a child in recent months and also is being comforted through reading children’s literature. I can only speculate. Is it that in children’s literature we often find profound joys and sorrows most clearly revealed?… Read More Unless You Become as a Little Child
Have you ever been so captivated by a book you couldn’t stop thinking about it? Have you ever wanted to meet that author, have a conversation with him, ask all the questions the book has provoked in your mind? Has the reading of that book ever led you to read other books you would otherwise not have done? The… Read More From Books to Books
Some view our family’s possession of an extensive collection of books to be, well if they are politely honest, just a bit “over the top,”or, even slightly eccentric. I thought it would be amusing to you, and comforting to me, to let you read what some more notable people than me (by far) have said about their attachment… Read More In Good Company
Friday Emily and I got in the car at 5:00 a.m. and headed to Hendersonville, North Carolina in order to arrive two hours early for a big library book sale. We’ve been showing up for this sale annually since 2004, the year our friends, who are also book lovers, first introduced us to this special event. It is a… Read More If Your Son Asks For Bread
In the course of life, it is inevitable that we will go through difficult times, transitional periods that are trying, tough patches. In encouraging one of my married children who is going through one of these testing times currently, I can sympathize because we have had our share of rough seasons in life. Now, fifteen years down the road,… Read More Revelations
It’s a life changing choice to build a home library, it can be an exciting challenge to find space to put it, but the decisions about how to organize your books can be the most baffling. Before you begin the labor of stacking, and moving, and shelving and shifting them around, – perhaps many, many… Read More Living With Living Books Part 3: A Place for Books
Dreams and reality can coexist. The dream of providing a home library for your family to enjoy does not need to evaporate because the practical problems of where to put them all seem insurmountable. Following are some of the most common questions or objections I receive and my briefest responses. 1. I don’t have room for books. I have… Read More Living With Living Books Part 2: A Space for Books