This collection of books on the girls bookshelf has tracked many miles. They are a Beginner Books collection that my parents ordered for me over 35 years ago. They include Dr. Seuss, Berenstain Bears as well as other favorites like P.D. Eastman's, Are You My Mother and Sam and the Firefly. My mom tells the story of how when the books arrived I'd sit in the middle of the kitchen floor in our Schenectady, NY home reading them aloud to her as she would cook a meal. These books traveled across country with us to San Jose, CA. They never saw the light of day there. I was twelve when we moved to California and my reading interests had moved on to the likes of Judy Blume novels. So they remained in a box in the attic or garage I presume. Fifteen years later the box moved across the country again with my folks to Florida. My father likely said a few curse words about that box but my mom had big plans for its contents. A couple years ago it made the trip to Arizona and the books were passed on to a new generation of readers. I've enjoyed reading them aloud to the girls. Emily read them as a beginner reader and will still read them aloud to her sister on occasion. And I know that Megan will enjoy them as well when she begins reading in the next year. And if the bindings hold up perhaps they will be enjoyed by another generation of readers in another thirty years or so. Just as my mother intended.
