Too old to be read to? No way!

I have always loved the stories of Roald Dahl.  The words he chooses for his stories paint such amazing images.  Even as an adult I love reading his stories.

My girls are both advanced readers and so when they started reading so much on their own, I somehow thought that I didn't need to continue to read to them.  Sure, there was a story here and there.  A few bedtime stories that I would make up off the cuff.  But to engage in a chapter book night after night - just never seemed to take off.  I would suggest some stories, that in my opinion were great stories, but the girls would shrug their shoulders and tell me they would think about it.. for next time.

I felt they were missing out.  I didn't want them to give to the pressures of reading all the new & current stories out there for children.  We recently attended the schools book fair.  Now, I am a HUGE fan of book fairs, but this one made me head to the nearest books store and really start looking for good stories for my children.  The school's book fair didn't have much of a selection to start.  Especially on their reading level.  What was more concerning was that most of the books lacked any sort of family.  Reading the summary I found, on most of the books, that the character in the story had lost their parents and had to go live on an island and they hated their grandparents.  That they had one parent and hated that parent.  All of these children in the stories were about 10 and had lost one or both of their parents.  OR their parents were cruel and so the child was full of resentment.  Or they dealt with issues that my girls just don't need to know about yet.

Before I go on, I know that the above story starts off with the boys parents being killed in a car crash.  But he ADORES his Grandmother who loves and takes care of him.  Many classics have some sort of oppression in the family, but there is love, there is security and the family may be a little different, but there is a new form of family that is developed. Maybe through a teacher that saw something special in a child, maybe through a neighbor, or a grandparent.  Not through hatred and anger.  They certainly don't deal with puberty and boyfriends and teenage pregnancy.  My 8 & 9 year old daughters, just don't need that in their fictional reading.

So I have steered my children back to the "old" stories.  D1 fell in love with the BFG and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.  D2 loved the Fantastic Mr. Fox and Matilda.  They wanted something a little more "gripping", was the word D1 used.  I didn't want them scared out of their wits and I wanted them to see how fun it can be to use your imagination.  "The Witches" it was.

I started reading it aloud and the girls were doing their own thing - not seeming to pay all that much attention to this old book that mom wanted them to read.  I only read about 2-3 pages from the first chapter. I closed the book.  At the same time they looked at me and said - "then what happened?... you can't just stop there".  They were hooked.  Every night so far they have loved sitting and listening to the story.  I especially love how each chapter leaves you longing to know what happens next.  They have been telling their friends about what they heard in the story and are excited every day to hear more.

Now, we don't believe in witches, or any thing of the sort.  I think that is why I like this book.  It keeps things light.  In the beginning when the Grandmother is describing a witch and why they are so mean... the boy asks about going to bed - if he will be safe.  Roald Dahl does a great job by telling us that Witches don't use guns, or break into houses, or anything of the sort... because that would get them caught and that would be no good.  I could see the relief in D1's face.  Just when the story would get a bit intense, there was humor.

I know plenty of parents who let their children watch & read all sorts of scary things.  They believe that it's good for their kids.  We feel that the real world is already full of those things, so lets keep fiction fiction.  They don't need to see movies about kidnappings, and murders, witches who posses and destroy.  We will stick to silly thing like magical chocolate factories and witches turning children into mice.  I am sure there are some who find fault with our philosophy of what we let the girls watch & read.  That's okay.  That is why we live in a country that gives us that privilege.

The toughest part about reading to the girls... they like pictures and I have forbidden the peeking of pictures.  I want them to see how wonderful words can be.  How by using different words, even creating words to describe some things, can be magical.  If they see the picture and it isn't as they had imagined, they will question the rest of their images, they will be distracted and try to fit the books image into their little head.  There are not many images any  way, and they are mere sketches... so I think they will survive.

I remember my fourth grade teacher reading to us at the end of the school day, if we had our work done and there was time.  I hung on every word she read and remember how great that was.  She read "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle, and I thought it was the best book ever.

We are never to old to read aloud or be read to.  I am so glad that my girls have reminded me of that.  Looking up from the pages, seeing them wide eyed and curious.  Ending a chapter and having them begging for just one more page...  Yep, that is all it took for me.  I look forward to a summer full of turning off the TV and letting our imaginations soar.