Reading Together (Ruth’s SOLS)
“Excuse me Mom,” Sam said as we ended a chapter in The Magician’s Elephant. When he talks like this it always makes me smile. I pause and look at him. “You know, I’ve been thinking about Gloria Dump.”
“Gloria Dump?” I raise my eyebrows.
“Yes. Gloria Dump. In Because of Winn Dixie. Do you remember?”
“Yes I remember,” I say, caught a little off guard that he remembered a character from a book we read more than seven months ago.
“I was thinking maybe we could read Because of Winn Dixie again.”
“Ohhh, that’s a great idea,” Stephanie said, “We love that book.”
“Gloria Dump is special, I think,” said Sam, “But I need to hear her again.”
Hannah joined the conversation, “We’re lucky we get to read together. And that we all have the same favorite author. I’m glad you knew about Kate, Mom.”
“Me too,” said Steph, “You really choose good books.”
“Yep,” said Sam, “So after this book let’s read Because of Winn Dixie again. Then maybe another Kate book.”
When they talk like this it makes me smile and my heart skips a beat. Reading together matters. The words get in our hearts, swirl around, and change us. I like how they talk about authors and characters as friends.And after we reread Because of Winn Dixie, I think I’m going to introduce them to another favorite, Sharon Creech. Ruby Holler is calling to us.
Ruth, I read your blog daily and have never posted a
comment. My heart is so touched by this…. I feel the same way
about reading and reading to kids. My girls are all in their
twenties and now we share books with each other in a different way,
but books are still important. I love the comment, I need to “hear”
Gloria Dump again. I felt that way so many times about books that
are near and dear to my heart. All the books that you have
mentioned are on my top list. One you might want to add to yours
(if it isn’t already) is EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS by Deborah
Wiles. Comfort Snowberger is someone you will fall in love with…
a writer extraordinaire.
I love Ruby Holler. And all of Sharon Creech’s books. I definitely plan on reading with my children one day, when I have them! My fiancée and I already read together when we can and it really brings us closer! What a great slice!
Some great memories is of the children listening as my husband read the Narnia series to us. I usually was folding laundry while listening. Thanks for sharing.
I love seeing this sense of your family reading together. Enjoy reading the Creech book together. She is also one of my favorite authors.
I need a Lucas/Lilly fix. I had a Noah/James fix 2 weeks ago! Wonderful kids you have!
Reading together…powerful stuff. Many of our students might not have this experience which is why it is so important that teachers protect the reading to the class time. Because of testing and curriculum demands many have commented they don’t have time.
Wiser to spend time reading to the class. Jealous of your family reading time. 
From yet another Ruth. I remember my own mother reading and the magic she wove. Those memories are so very powerful, and precious. Thank you for letting us share your family’s reading memories.
What a richness there is to your family life! Thanks for sharing a glimpse into a world I wish all children could live in.
I love those “heart skip a beat” moments – when you know you’ve lit the fire!
This sent me right back to the days of our 3 kids sprawled across my bed or the floor, listening as I read The Wind in the Willows. Who doesn’t love Toad?
I’m so glad that you shared this–I hadn’t thought of those days in quite a while.
Dear Ruth,
I like how you have recorded the dialogue. These talks about books and authors are precious. I read Kate DiCamillo’s “The Tale of Desperaux” (in Estonian) to my 6-year-old daughter as a bed time story (2 chapters per night). She stopped me once in a while and asked me to reread words and sentences. She just loved the sounds. Sometimes I didn’t get very far into the chapter because she had so much to say about the book. When we finished, we started all over again. I am so sad that “The Magician’s Elephant” and “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” have not been translated to Estonian yet. The writing in both is magical. This is what one of my students (9y) said about “The Magician’s Elephant”:
“A guy lost his only family and there is nothing sadder than that. I think the real magic in the story was the hope and happiness and everything Peter went through to get his sister, and how happy and sad it was at the same time. I think the real magic was how much Peter loved his sister. It showed that the real magic is between you and everyone you love, and the hope and the dreams you have and want to fulfill.”
Often the youngest readers are the wisest, aren’t they? Thanks for sharing your student’s thoughts with me.
“The words get in our hearts, swirl around, and change us.”
Love this line!
There’s so much in this conversation…it’s such a great glimpse into what I hope the future holds for our family too!
Ruth,
Oh my, two of my favorite authors! Because of Winn Dixie is a treasure that I will never tire of reading. What a great conversation with your young reading family. I too long for those days. I would have loved reading these books with my children even though I enjoy them with my school kids. We often talk about Opal, Gloria Dump, Otis, Winn Dixie, and the others. Jack from Love that Dog and Hate that Cat is a beloved character too. Thanks for sharing this story. ~Theresa
Hmmm… I ‘m thinking… Do you wonder why kids lose them love of reading when they reach a certain age? Could it have something to do with an end to shared family reading experiences?
Bonnie
Hmmm… I ‘m thinking… Do you wonder why kids lose them love of reading when they reach a certain age? Could it have something to do with an end to shared family reading experiences?
Your description shows such love in what you do & makes me yearn for those days with my own children. A 9 year old grandson just moved away & I will miss reading our favorites together too. We stuck mostly to long picture books because we didn’t see each other every day, but they were still good sharing that we could refer back to, as you just described about Winn Dixie.
Love this! After reading The Tale of Despereaux to my fifth
graders a month ago, we, too, act like Kate is a friend and we
refer to her and her books all the time. Love this!!!!