Children's Books

I have boxes in my attic filled with books my children read all through elementary school. These are two of my son's favorites. Every night I would read him either a Dr. Seuss book or a story about the Berenstain Bears—usually both—or several. When he was 8-years-old, I read him, New Baby, and then announced that he was finally going to be a big brother. I was saddened to to hear that co-creator, Jan Berenstain, just passed away, but I was reminded of all of the wonderful nights we shared her, and her husband Stan's, lovely words and illustrations with my son and then eventually both of my daughters. Their books helped teach him life lessons that every parent tries to accomplish on their own, but with the help of cute, furry bears, it makes that task a bit easier.

In addition to every book the Berenstain's ever wrote we have just as many, if not more, Dr. Seuss books. From Green Eggs and Ham to the Cat in the Hat (one of his favorites) and everything in between, the rhymes and reasons of Dr. Seuss were stuck in our heads for years. When it was time to read these classics to my girls, I didn't skip a beat, and sometimes, I didn't even need to turn a page to know what was coming next.

My son eventually turned his affections to Brian Jacques Redwall series and Harry Potter. Which then turned the girls on to Harry Potter, but only after they found their own favorites, including Eloise, We're Going on a Bear Hunt, Auntie Claus, The Secret Garden, Little House on the Prairie....and the list goes on and on. I even shared some of my favorites—Nancy Drew, Anne of Green Gables—hoping my love of reading would rub off on them. And thankfully it did.

I am indebted to Dr. Seuss, Stan and Jan Berenstain, and J.K. Rowling, for they have helped mold my children into dreamers and thinkers and lovers of books. I am in awe of any writer who, with just a stroke of his or her pen, can transport children to another place and time. For when you read a book, any book, you are held captive in a world filled with infinite possibilities.

The books I have in my attic are stored away for my children's children, so that we can continue this great adventure.

It's a Mystery

I loved my Nancy Drew books when I was a young girl. I don't remember how many I had, but I read them again and again. (I even tuned in when Pamela Sue Martin occasionally teamed up with Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson during episodes of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mysteries series in the 70s.) My grandmother was a huge fan of Agatha Christie novels. When she was through with one, she'd crack open another. She had worn paperbacks all over the house just waiting for her to pick them up and help solve the crimes. Even my dad is getting in on the fun. He's quite taken with a mystery author who lives in the same seaside Florida town he lives in. It must be in the blood.

As I got older, I turned my teenage affections towards the love story. What teenage girl doesn't. And being the hopeless romantic that I am, I still need a good love story fix now and again. These days I'm reading a lot of realistic fiction (gotta love these labels). Stories of women, mostly, dealing with one thing or another, sometimes there's a love story mixed in, sometimes a little mystery, but it's mostly about the struggles they face and the relationships they try to foster.

I've come full circle and now I'm ready to dive into a juicy mystery once again. I've read some Laura Lippman, I got through the first book in the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson (and I have the second one on my bookshelf when I'm brave enough to read it), I've ready several books by Lisa Scottoline, I'm due to pick up another Lisa Gardner, and it only gets more intense from there—Harlan Coben, Dean Koontz. (I'll save my Denis Lehane story for another day.)

What's Next?

Photo: NancyDrewSleuth.com