Reading Life 3

One of the very coolest things I've seen on the road: no, not an accident fixing to happen due to a driver's choosing to focus on applying make-up, talking on a cel phone, or eating a greasy fast food breakfast instead of on his/her driving (which really wouldn't be cool). My wife and I were headed to a doctor's appointment, and at the 82nd and Slide intersection we came to a stop at the red light (which, by the way, Lukas, our three-year-old, seems to scoff at because he's constantly egging me on to "Go, go, go, Daddy. Just go." I don't. I abide by the law.). To our left, a mom (the driver of the mini-SUV) was holding up a board book version of one of Eric Carle's titles, holding it up for her child in the back seat to see, all the while reading it to the child. What an awesome way to pass the time at mandatory (and in Lubbock, sometimes unusually long) red lights. When it comes to reading to our children, every moment counts.

Also, I've asked one of my classes to write and illustrate a picture book, a project they also can take into their classrooms in the near future to use with their students, no matter the grade level. Students can write and illustrate a picture book in any of the varying disciplines, right? In math, science, history--the works. Anyway, my students handed their projects in last night after a few weeks of studying the genre, after workshopping them, etc. I was so excited I told them, jokingly perhaps (but who knew I was speaking prophetically at the time?), that I couldn't wait to get home to share them with Lukas. This way I wouldn't have to spend any money on new books for some time. Lo and behold, he loved them! I wasn't surprised. The quality of the work is high, but I was pleasantly surpised at how much he loved them. I thought he'd sit through me reading my students' work to him and say, "Thanks, Daddy, now can I go play in the mud?" or some such comment. Instead, he said last night, "I really like your new books, Daddy." And this morning, he asked if we could read my "really cool new books." What else can I do? I'm a dad who so wants his kids to be readers, so I pulled them out of my bag and read through a few more of them. Kudos to my students!