One of the things I really miss about having small children at home is picture books. You know the kind I mean – large, easy-to-read books featuring lovely big pictures to help tell the story; the kind that are perfect when you hold a child on your lap and read aloud.

Listening to you read books aloud helps prepare preschoolers for school. Waukee Public Library offers a program called 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. This is a year-round, self-paced program for infants through preschoolers who have not yet entered Kindergarten.  Studies show that children who are exposed to 1,000 books before kindergarten have a more solid foundation for school and are more prepared to learn.  Sign up at the library for your child to receive rewards for every 100 books read. After completing 1,000 books, a library staff member can take a photo of your child wearing a tiny cap and gown.

So pick up a stack of picture books and get started on a fun and easy way to help your child succeed in school – by reading picture books together. Snuggling up together and reading right before bed is an opportunity for you both to wind down at the end of the day.

The best part of holidays and birthdays when I was growing up was new books. Sure, there were other presents, but I could always count on at least one new book to add to my own little library.

At some point during the day I would find time to curl up in an out of the way spot with my newest print acquisition – usually in the company of one of my sisters and a cousin or two who were reading their own new treasures.

I’ve continued the tradition with my son and nieces and nephews by giving books and bookstore gift cards over the years. It has made my heart warm to see my nieces and nephews grow up and share their favorite books with their children.

Several years ago, one of my nephews introduced me to interactive children’s books on his laptop. What a great and fun innovation! A wide variety of titles for children of all ages is accessible on the library’s website: http://www.waukee.org/515/Downloads-Databases. Click on Tumblebooks and enjoy.

I’m hoping there’s a book – print or digital – under the tree with your name on it! Merry Christmas!

Occasionally at the Waukee Public Library, I have a parent ask me the best way to get their kids to read more. My answer? Read yourself.

Read with your children. Read aloud to your child and have your child read aloud to you. Set aside time to read together as a family several times a week, with each family member reading something he or she really wants to read. When your kids see you immersed in a novel or a magazine you enjoy, you are setting the best possible example, the example of reading as a pleasurable leisure activity.

I just finished two books that I’d like to share with you. The first is Charles Belfoure’s second novel, “House of Thieves”. Set in 1886 New York, this book drew me into the mystery of why one of the city’s preeminent architects would go to work for a gang of thieves. Combining historical fiction with mystery, it’s a real page-turner.

The second is “The Long Walk: a Story of War and the Life That Follows” by Brian Castner, who served three tours in the Middle East as part of an explosive ordinance disposal unit. His story contrasts the intensity of combat with the lonely inward battle he fights now that he has come home.

Whatever you’re reading, enjoy!

Learn more at http://www.waukee.org/291/Library

It’s with mixed feelings that I’m starting to ready my gardens to rest for the winter.  On one hand, it’s hard to see the bounty of summer come to an end; on the other hand, I’m looking forward to a little more reading time once I get everything done. There’s great comfort in sitting in front of the fire with a new book, a cup of tea or a glass of wine, and one of our cats. Both of our cats seem to regard reading time as extra lap time; often one will be cuddled up with me and the other will be draped over my husband.

We drove out to Brenton Arboretum last Sunday to enjoy the gorgeous day and do some walking while enjoying the fall colors. Scattered throughout the arboretum are comfortable chairs. We both wished we had brought our books to do some reading after our walk – the weather was perfect.

The beautiful trees prompted me to remember the big sugar maple in our next door neighbor’s yard when I was a kid.  It was the perfect tree to read in, easy to climb with one particular substantial branch that was nearly horizontal and had adjacent branches in just the right places for back and foot rests.  I read dozens and dozens of books, including “Treasure Island”, perched on that branch high in the tree.

Thinking of “Treasure Island”, I just finished “Under the Wide and Starry Sky,” Nancy Horan’s novel about the relationship between Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, and his American wife, Fannie Van de Grift Osbourne.  Stevenson penned numerous novels, including “Treasure Island” and “The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. This new book follows the couple from the time they meet until Stevenson’s death on the Pacific island of Samoa, where they lived for several years.

I’d recommend it!