Every time I go through the house looking for items to donate I inevitable peruse my children's books. We have about twenty two million so you'd think it would be easy to find some we can give away.
The Berenstain Bears are non-negotiable. As are the Arthur, Franklin and Little Critter books. I come across ten Patricia Polacco books and I can't help but open them up and feel the love that emanates from those pages. If you give a Pig a Pancake, Rainbow Fish, the Charlie & Lola books, oh and there's no way I can part with Ethan's beloved Froggy books.
I think about reading all these books to my Grandchildren. I'll draw out "Frrrrroooooggggyyyy", just as I always did when I read them to Ethan. I'll laugh every time Arthur has a problem with Binky Barnes or Mr. Ratburn.
I love these books and I feel like a fraud when I tell my mom she has get rid of 'all that old stuff she never looks at' when I am hoarding children's books years after my kids have moved on to chapter books.
I am pretty good at parting with stuff, just not when there are so many memories attached to reading these stories with one, two, or three little ones on my lap. I've read them all hundreds of times. There was nothing more important, nothing that needed my attention more & nothing more fun than finding out if Brother and Sister did the right thing, if Franklin was going to tell the truth & for once and for all finding out if Go Dog Go liked her hat?!?!
To this day whenever we get a McDonalds cone inevitably one of us will say "soft serve ice cream is soft serve ice cream" quoting Mama Bear talking to Sister, and we'll smile and relish our shared memories.
