Book Love!
My girls will sit and read books together for hours. Literally hours every day. They love bundling up in cozies, sitting on the porch couch under a shared blanket with stacks of books surrounding them.
Reading one after another until they’ve read everything at least once. Then they either start over or swap piles.
Rarely do they prefer to be read to these days and most often they choose to be on the porch alone. Just the two of them bonding over massive piles of books. They will say, “Mommy No, Ainsley & Harlowe reading books. Get down. Go inside there Mommy”. I can’t really argue with that clear statement can I?
Sometimes they share but often they don’t.
Each will carefully select their own massive pile, including their favorite book of the moment. This morning it was the “Nina’s Birthday book” and “Green Eggs & Ham”. Diligently they will transfer their books from the inside bookshelves to the porch by the handfuls.
To watch them during this activity is quite fascinating. They are deliberate in their book choices and they are precise in their process of making the porch a book oasis. They leave small sections where they can climb up around their book towers and always mange to carve out just enough space for their little bodies.
This love of books is sweet and encouraging. I find myself sitting just inside the porch with my morning cup of coffee observing them in this magical world they’ve created. Soaking in their determination, deep focus and overflowing creativity. They let out infectious giggles when they reach the funny pages and provide condolences or reflections when they find the sad or confusing pages. They lean in to share the best pages with each other and scream frantically when books fall off the edge.
Just recently, Harlowe has discovered the book chair. Where she carefully puts her book pile in order in a huge stack, then she sits on the stack and reads one book at a time. Getting up from the book chair and selecting a new one. Until she has read her entire book chair and is sitting on the floor. I find it quite hysterical and absolutely delightful. What a unique idea my child!
Ainsley has taken a huge interest in art books. Grandpa got her one and she will read that particular book for over half an hour. She names the pages herself by their primary features and seeks them out in this massive 100 page book. She flips through the pages frantically seeking one specific page and erupts in joy when she finds it. She especially loves the people kissing page, the naked page and the robot page.
They are such creative girls and their love of books fills me with joy!
I LOVE this! Two girls after my own heart. 🙂