Books and More Books!

I was reminded yesterday how wonderful books are. I got to spend an hour in the world's largest bookstore and found myself just giddy being around all those books!

I was looking for a particular book and was directed to the children's classics section where I just drooled over all the titles I saw there. These books were my friends. The hours I spent reading them to my children are irreplaceable. After piling up the books I wanted to purchase (several ones I already owned), I made my way to the next incredible section.

There was a 20 year study done that showed a direct correlation between the number of books in the home and the academic success of the child. This was amazing to me--but gave me permission to puchase yet another armload of books.

One visitor to my home noted that there were books in every room of my house. Unable to believe that claim, I set out to see if it were true.... It was! We love books in our family and get excited when we get them as gifts. How do you create this love of the written word in your family?

For us, it was reading aloud to our children from the beginning. We also made regular trips to the library and took outings to the bookstores. We purchased book series for our children and encouraged reading during quiet times. One of the biggest things we did, however, was read ourselves.

Do you get excited about books? Are you currently reading something? If not, why not start today! If you need some ideas of great books to read, you can email me at kathy@careitpatech.com.