Good night.
“Oh good. You have come,” said the dragon.
Good Night, Good Knight
Shelly Moore Thomas & Jennifer Plecas
You’re here! Hello!
My name is Laura, and there are three things you should know about me:
1. I’m a reader and writer.
2. I have two boys.
3. Children’s, middle grade and young adult authors and illustrators are among my most favorite to read and write about ever.
That’s me, the chaise longue in the picture above. My sons are a little bit older now, comfortably enjoying books on their own, and usually not on top of me. But at night you’ll still find us resisting sleep, nestled close, reading together.
My early love of reading and writing is thanks entirely to my mother who read to me a lot, took me to the library on Saturday mornings, and encouraged me to write stories, though she was troubled by my spelling. When my mom read to me, we were both at our best. So naturally I kept reading and writing (and spell checking), and eventually I started teaching. Then I became a mom, and kept reading and writing and teaching, but not like I had done before.
I’ve always been eager to read with my boys and pass on their grandma’s legacy, but I didn’t anticipate how doing so would change me. The most extraordinary transformation in how I read as a mother is the way stories and characters my sons and I share inhabit our imaginary space. The writers and illustrators of the books we read together we call our friends, as in our friend Kevin Henkes, or our friend Oliver Jeffers, or our friends Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin, because they lend our lives intangible substance. The places they take us are our daily destinations. They keep us company everywhere – the dinner table, on trips short and long, to bed. We won’t venture to the bathroom on our own without them. They lighten our spirits, but sometimes they make us feel really sad only to assure us that that’s ok too. They give us everyday heroes to inspire and embolden us. Often their words appear spontaneously, hilariously, out of my boys’ mouths, their timing, pitch and rhythm uncanny. They take us away from who we are and all we know to put us in someone else’s skin somewhere remote from our comfortable, familiar pod. They show us grace in action. They conquer terrifying things. They fight good fights. By example, they help us navigate life’s corners. I cannot imagine motherhood without them.
Another joy I discovered as a reader, writer, and mother is talking about our beloved books and discovering new favorites with my sons’ teachers, school librarians, book sellers, and fellow parents and child caretakers. This unfettered joy has led me to write about what my sons and I read together. My blog comes from a wish to document and share the books of writers and illustrators we love with you, kind reader, who might very well be limited to my sweet family and friends. I hope you join the conversation about living with books and kids.
Ah, there’s one more thing you should know. The fabulous red Lego Mixel in the banner is posing on top of our much bigger, much fuller bookcase, more of which appears on my homepage. All my gorgeous banners were photographed by our real life friend Benno Gut www.gut-pictures.ch.
– lcv tan tan