Summer Reading

I will admit that I am not always thrilled by the prospect of my daughter growing up. (Maybe it was four days looking at scantily clad teenage girls on the beach. Maybe it is the increase in eye rolls. Maybe it is fact that in the not too distant future she will be as tall as me.) When they are babies, it is so easy remain focused on just getting through the most recent phase and mastering the next milestone (sleeping through the night, sleeping in a bed, crawling, walking, talking, giving up the bottle, drinking from a cup, eating real food, potty training, binky relinquishing, etc.) But as they grow up, and those milestones spread out, I find myself clinging to the wild fantasy that my kids can, maybe just for me, stay young forever.

But the one thing about a growing up girl that I can embrace without ambivalence is Kara's reading repertoire. We still read lots of picture books, which I still love. But we have now fully entered the age of chapter books. Granted our first forays into this new, big kid arena have been the Magic Tree House series  and the Rainbow Fairies books - neither of which could be characterized as rich or deep . But we are getting close to the age for E.B. White. (Stuart Little is waiting in the queue behind a seemingly endless supply of fairies.) And he is just a gateway to Roald Dahl. And before we know it the Narnia books will be on the shelf...and from there it is just a short walk to Ender's Game, and all of Dave's plans to make Kara in to a super-nerd will be realized.

I realize I am doing it again. Looking ahead to the next book when I should be enjoying where she is at right now. But I can't help it entirely - those fairy books are killing me. Except that she loves them. And I love that she loves to read. And I love to read to her. I suppose E.B. White can wait. For at least another couple of months.

For a great resource, check out Pam Allyn's What to Read When.She not only makes recommendations by age, but she also groups books thematically (books about school, books about imagination, books about death of a pet etc.).

Also, if, like me, you have a nostalgic pang for all things E.B. White, check out this review of The Story of Charlotte's Web on Fresh Air. I was all choked up driving home. Sounds like a wonderful exploration of the author and his masterwork of children's literature.

A New Favorite and a "Challenge"

One of my favorite pastimes in the blogging world is looking for good book blogs. Much like foodie blogs or mommy blogs, I think the best book blogs are written by people who manage to be personal without being inappropriate, opinionated without being overbearing, smart without being self-satisfied and funny without being too impressed by their own wit. As you can tell, I have high standards.

One of my new favorites is Life...with Books. Written by Jenners, it is both a great source of book reviews and a window into the life of this very witty stay at home mom. Jenners meets the most important criteria for a personal blog: she seems like a woman I would want to hang out with, like the kind of person I would want to talk to at a party, or lunch, or better yet over drinks. She seems cool in the best sense of the word. It doesn't hurt that she has, in my humble opinion, very good taste in books - in that her tastes are similar to mine.

To mark the beginning of the new year, Jenners has posted a Take a Chance Challenge. The 10 categories give you ways to find your next book and perhaps read something out of your wheelhouse. If you are dorky blogger like me, you can link your posts about the books you read back to Jenners' site. But if you are less of a nerd, you could just use her list as a template for choosing books. I tend to read what the kids I tutor read or what my book group is reading. Beyond that, my book choices can be pretty haphazard, so I am looking forward to a little, just a little, structure for this year. Besides, the competitive side of me likes the idea of a challenge. 

So, if you too crave some reading guidance, check out Jenners' blog and her 2011 challenge. Happy Reading!