Tag: story time

4 Books for Dads and Kids to Read Together

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Looking back, some of the greatest influences on my life were the books my dad read to me. Those nighttime hours with their giggles, gasps and pleas of “Just a little more!” are also some of my most treasured memories. 

I know not everyone has a father who read aloud and that not all dads are readers. That’s why I hope a handful of suggested stories could inspire a few fathers, grandfathers, uncles and older brothers to tuck the little ones in or gather them close, turn on a mellow light and open the pages of an adventure. And, don’t forget, the kids could even read to the grown-ups!

Here are my “4 Books for Dads and Kids to Read Together”

Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody – Hold onto your hats – your cowboy hats, that is! – as you head to Colorado with you51LPv60V6jL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_ng Ralph Moody and his family. Life is rough in the west at the beginning of the 20th century, but Ralph faces obstacles with admirable pluck. While your eyes might shimmer over the losses the Moody family faces in their new home, you will also laugh together at the wild adventures of hardworking Ralph. But be warned, you might just have to read the rest of the series to find out what happens…and you might end up with a bunkhouse full of little cowpokes on your hands!

 

The Chronicles o44280f Narnia by C.S. Lewis – Ok, yes, this is actually seven books instead of one, but they kind of go together…Could you find a better adventure to embark on together than exploring the land of Narnia? Along the way, you can all grow to appreciate the literary skill of one of England’s finest authors. a man who thought deep but cared enough about children to write well and understandably. Ponder the lessons and legacy of the series together. I have a clear memory of my dad pointing out a certain character to illustrate the kind of guy who would make a good date! 

Flight of the Fugitives (from the Trailblazer Series) by Dave and Neta Jackson – I picked this book as an example of the engaging historical fiction that c51BckAEa5bLan make for great shared story times. I haven’t read Flight of the Fugitives in quite some time, but I remember the story of missionary Gladys Aylward. This kind of book can introduce readers to people and places that would otherwise lie unknown. It can help us to better understand the world in which we live as we get to know people who have gone before us and cultures different from our own. Books like this can definitely lead to cries of “Just one more chapter! Please!”

13221561_1627566167563366_9125659327019340017_nThe Bible – Obvious? Perhaps. Yet – on the off chance it isn’t – I had to list this Book of Books. Not a book for bedtime to hold the attention of young ones? Well, you need not start with Lamentations! Try one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) or a Psalm like Psalm 139. The Bible has been labeled “the Book our mothers read” (John Greenleaf Whittier). I hope it will also be the Book that our fathers (and grandfathers, uncles and older brothers) read with those they hold close to their hearts. 

Of course, there are so many other wonderful books out there. (Ideas for forthcoming posts a-brewing…) For now, may these four titles give you ideas. Imagine someday that a little one you read to might be looking back on lessons learned and times treasured like I am now. Happy reading! 

Your Turn: Did your parents read to you? What were some of the books you enjoyed most as a child? Or which books do you enjoy reading to children now? 

Worth the Tears: The Story of a Struggling Reader

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 As Katie stared at the bold black letters on the page, tears dripped down her cheeks. Her teacher wasn’t surprised. This was the daily routine.

Every day they worked on reading together. It seemed like it was never going to get easier. Katie wondered why her teacher couldn’t just read to her; she liked listening to stories! Learning to read on her own, however, seemed just painful. 

It wasn’t that Katie’s teacher hadn’t laid a good foundation. They had gone over phonics thoroughly.  Still, only three-letter words seemed hard. Katie’s dramatic emotions didn’t help. She even declared that she didn’t want to read. And every day the tears came.

Thankfully, Katie’s teacher could see beyond the surface. Katie’s conflict ran deeper than letters and sounds. Unlike some children, Katie’s greater struggle to read wasn’t brought on by letters moving backwards in her head or a non-verbal bent. A big part of Katie’s struggle was that she couldn’t see. The letters blurred together, not just because of her tears and even with the best glasses she could get. Along with that, Katie was learning a lesson even harder than reading: Because of her vision issues, she was different from other kids her age. While they might fight to remember when an e is silent, she might fight to simply see that it was an e and not a c. That realization hurt. Of course, the fact that she could see at all was something to be thankful for, but a six-year-old’s life isn’t always governed by logic. (Actually, no one’s is…)

Knowing all that, her teacher did battle with her and those BOB books. Sure, she probably pulled out her hair a few times and even shed a few frustrated tears of her own, but she wanted Katie to read normal print books if she ever could.

Mercifully, the teacher got a little help. A gentleman read to Katie on a regular basis. She had been read to before – that’s how she knew she liked hearing stories –  but as the days went by she slowly discovered that books were her ticket to adventures and the places and people she wanted to learn about. She just had to take hold of it.

Months of tedium and tears continued. Then one day, all the pieces came together. Katie decided she wanted to take hold of her ticket to adventure and board the train herself. There were so many people and places she wanted to learn about! She also figured out that if she could get up early and snuggle into her favorite blue chair, she had the perfect place to read. There was no one to mind that she held the book two inches away from her nose. She read books like the Little House series that she had loved listening to and new mysteries She felt rather satisfied when she read a biography of Daniel Boone that had hundreds of pages. Lessons in Braille fed her new-found love for letters, even though she continued to read mostly with her eyes

And she kept reading. Through two international moves, junior high, high school, and right on through college when she gained her BA. By this time Katie knew that she relished stories. Even more than that, she knew that she loved God’s story.

You see, Katie had been given a key to not only escapades and faraway places but also to God’s Word, another book she read for herself. Within those pages, she learned that God doesn’t make mistakes and that even if we don’t understand why He gives us certain circumstances and life may be just plain hard, He is worthy of our trust. Stories from history that she read gave her hope that God can use even the challenges in our lives for good purposes.

Now Katie still reads – though not as much as she might like – and contacts help her see better, but she also seeks to share stories with others to give them at least a glimpse of the hope she’s been given. 

Maybe not every struggling reader will be like Katie. Maybe God has other stories to tell in some of their lives. But, for all of you who are or will be traipsing through tedium and tears this school year, I hope it’s an encouragement. Teaching a child to read – to whatever extent he or she is able – is a great gift. You never know what God might have in store for your student. I think Katie and her teacher decided it was worth the tears, don’t you?

And just who was Katie’s teacher? Of all the people in the whole wide world, it was her mom. And the gentleman who read to her? He was her dad. 

I should know because I am Katie. Funny how a girl by any other name can be-one-and-the-same, isn’t it? And, yes, I’d say it was worth the tears. I’m thankful Mom and Dad thought so, too.