As a child, I was a voracious reader. I loved to lie in the tall, tall grass of our little backyard orchard, reading the afternoons away. Anne of Green Gables was my favorite—happy, uplifting literature that perfectly mirrored my feelings of appreciation for the beauties of nature and my desires for little to no conflict. I view L. M. Montgomery as one of the most gifted of authors, and I’m so thankful my grandmother introduced me to her.

Grandma Bytheway was a kindred spirit—each time I visited, I loved perusing the built-in bookshelves that my grandpa built for her, with her quietly giving suggestions from behind me. I would always leave with beautiful classics like Little Women, Little House on the Prairie, and of course, any of the books in the Anne of Green Gables series. It was a treasure to borrow books from Grandma, and to listen to her and Grandpa talk. They were so well-read, so knowledgeable because of their reading. Even when macular degeneration took Grandma’s sight, she enjoyed having others read to her.

Luckily, my son and daughter both love to read as well. I read to them from the time they were infants. Our weekly trip to the library was a wonderful outing, and a tradition we kept for years. I often joked that I needed to bring a rolling suitcase to the library with me! I always felt so grateful for the talented authors and illustrators of the picture books that we read. Snuggling with my children on the couch to read was such a precious time, and I honestly dearly miss those days of picture books. Even now, we still keep the tradition of having Daddy or I read “T’was the Night Before Christmas” to them on Christmas Eve, as well as a Christmas-themed picture book each night in December. 🙂

As they grew, picture books were replaced by novels. Some we really enjoyed together were The Indian in the Cupboard, The Wizard of Oz, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Mysterious Benedict Society. The two latter were actually books on CD that we listened to in the car. We regularly have hour-long car trips, and listening to a book is the perfect solution. I HIGHLY recommend Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as read by Eric Idle – he had even my husband and I in stitches with his animated voice! My children have since checked those same books out multiple times and read them again on their own. We’ve also gratefully utilized free LibriVox recordings of classical literature for many road trips. Swiss Family Robinson was a fun one.