I spent a rather large amount of time trying to figure out what book Iddo would hear first. Would I pick a childhood classic like “Make Way for Ducklings“? Or perhaps a chapter book I loved? Harry Potter was definitely in the running for her first book.
I put a great deal of pressure on myself to pick the perfect first book. A line from “You’ve Got Mail” kept ringing through my head:
When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.
What book would shape her identity? Who did I want to help her become?
Going on the idea that she could hear me long before birth, I started reading to her out loud while she was still in utero. And the book I picked? I picked a book that has shaped my own life the way no other book has and is a major part of my own identity. I read her The Book of Mormon. We finished it when she was 2 months old.
Since then I’ve read her “Make Way for Ducklings,” “Caps for Sale,” “The Book of Three,” “The Black Cauldron,” “Good Night, Gorilla,” “The Going-To-Bed Book.” And that’s just the books I’ve read her.
Our reading days are just beginning. I think she’s getting a pretty good start.
I hope to be able to read her many books and stories too. :read:
Reading to a child is very import . I loved to read to my kids. When Brett was on his mission I had a warm fuzzy, dream. Brett was just a curly headed, blond toddler playing with his toys. He brought a book to me and asked me to read to him. I knew if I read to him, I would have to open my eyes and I didn’t want him to go but I opened my eyes to read to him and he was gone. But somehow that dream gave me comfort.
Thanks Mom. I feel very literate. :brett:
I read her whatever I’m reading. So far that means Killing Kennedy and Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. :brett:
I’m so excited to read to my kids.