I blog because I've loved to write for decades. I was writing stories with my friends as a young child.  Creative writing assignments were my favorite in school.  And that is why whenever I can I stop by Lisa-Jo's Five Minute Friday community on Fridays.  She shares a single word, and a ton of us write what comes to mind for five minutes.  That's it.  And it is fun!

In my house we try to read for fun as much as we can.  And that means that I tend not to pay attention to the awards that books are given... I go off of what looks fun at the library, or recommendations from friends, family and teachers.  And let's be honest, some of the books that receive Children's literary awards just do not draw you in with the covers (most of the time, there are exceptions...).



I was pleasantly surprised while on a recent visit to the library to find a Caldecott medal honoree that grabbed at my attention, simply by the cover picture.  All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon boasts a calming cover with two kids on a well worn path looking at a gorgeous blue sky.  The book just screamed summer to me, and after this never-ending winter, I grabbed at the book.

I always wanted to be a mom, and when I found out I was pregnant the first time, I prayed for a boy. That might sound odd, especially since I am a girly-girl, but I always found boys to be a little easier. I mean playing catch with a ball is much easier for me than coming up with a huge story line for Barbie and her friends.  And I imagined the freedom that boys would leave me while they explored outside getting dirty and such.

It didn't take long to realize that even though I loved my boys, they were not the cakewalk I had envisioned while begging for a boy! And that desire to find an outlet that would understand the work of a boy mama led me to an amazing resource, Warrior Prayers by Brooke McGlothlin and her site, The MOB Society.

For the last year and a half, I've worked on the skill of praying scripture for my boys and seeking the support (particularly emotional) of other boy mamas in this group. It's been amazing.

The whole process of growing your family can be hard on kids.  As parents are focused on preparing the house for new baby and mommy can be overwhelmed with growing new baby (if she is pregnant) or waiting for baby to arrive (adoption has it's own set of waiting...) kids can pick up on the change and not know how to respond. This is when keeping the routine of reading with your kids can be most beneficial.

There are so many great books out there that will tell stories of what happens when new babies bless families. Plus there are a ton of books that can allow your kids to prepare specifically for your new baby - books where they can journal about waiting for baby, or even keep track of events of baby's first year from the vantage point of brother/sister.  The possibilities are endless.

 

About the Book

As winter drags on even our daily activities have lost their draw.  My boys simply want to play outside, but the cold air is preventing it.  As a result, we've read so many books, I've lost track.  Granted many of the books we read are from the local library, which helps keeps stories fresh, but still it's getting a little old.

The main issue, for me, is reading the same stories, over and over.  My adult brain just isn't into reading the same kid books more than fifteen times in a week!  So I have had to get a little creative in getting different stories into our reading times.  And luckily, the school my oldest attends just added a little project that is helping me tremendously!

There are so many times when I'm reading a main-stream book and I see the power of God in them, even though the author didn't mean to write it in.  Of course this happens often with movies too!  I've decided it's because the Creator designed us with His truth ingrained in our hearts, and when we, as people, try to express our feelings in creating, that Truth finds it's way into our creation.

One of the many reasons why I'm sure I love to read is because my mom had a million different books for us to read growing up.  Of course the fact that she is a preschool teacher and has put together quite a library over the years has something to do with that.  The other big thing was that we were allowed to read books that would be considered "below" our reading level, which is totally not something I've learned most parents let their kids do...



Anyway, a great plus to having a preschool teacher for a mom is that my kids are able to enjoy her vast library every time we visit, and that is often. Recently we discovered an old favorite of mine from when I was young -  The Jolly Postman by Allen Ahlburg.  It's so much fun! I mean what kind of person doesn't like a story where there are not just movable parts, but flaps that open to conceal letters and newpapers and other goodies that you can take out and explore? (Much like this book...)

This is a very interactive story that pulls together traditional fairy tale characters through the journeys of  the postman. The postman visits characters like the three little bears and then the reader gets to see what kind of mail they receive.



Like for the three bears, the postman brings them a letter from Goldilocks.  It's written in sloppy little kid writing with doodles around it, very similar to a child's pen pal type letter.

My boys are loving this one because they get to pull out letters, postcards and other goodies just like actual mail.  Plus it has made getting mail at home a real adventure.  I'm hoping that this interest in our mail leads to an interest in writing to others... but only time will tell.

Reading List Rating:



I had to rate this one high, because as a kid I would read this one over and over.  And I'm loving watching my boys look through this and ask questions...


Have you read The Jolly Postman to your kids?  Do your kids like books that have pull outs and ways to interact?  Do you have your kids write letters to anyone?  Join the conversation!







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