Books on a Budget
My house overflows with books. I am a collector and I have enjoyed the years of home schooling as an "excuse" for feeding my passion! Now, I know times are tough and the home-library mentality is slowly being eroded by the e-book craze, used book sales and trips to the library. While all those things are good to an extent, there is still nothing like the experience of a child starting his very own book library.
My children have a shared collection of books. These include those passed down from their older siblings, inherited books and even books passed down from mom and dad. The children also have their own personal collection of book. My youngest, an avid reader, currently houses the collection of my youth, which is proudly displayed in his room at the very top shelf of his book library. Do you remember The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and Trixie Beldon? Well, I had most of those books. The Hardy Boys were left over from my New York cousins visits to Florida, when tight space demanded they leave their books behind. I couldn't imagine how they could leave their prized possessons so easily, but at the time attributed it to their being "boys". It didn't matter to me. I easily read and digested those books as well, and any book for that matter that came close to within my reading radar.
My book collection began late, in the third grade. My cousin a college professor, who was married but childless, felt it was her mission to introduce me to the world of reading. She later went on to adopt two children, but in the time that she waited for her own to mentor, she practiced on me. The trip is as vivid now as those years past. Instead of our normal shopping and ice cream we began at the book store, where she promptly selected and reminisced about each title.
It began over ice-cream the week before when she asked me if I liked reading. When I answered in the negative I thought she was going to drop her rocky-road as she looked at me in horror. When I assured her I could read but disliked it as a pastime, she quickly masked her shocked expression and turned the conversation to what was a passion at the time, drawing and artistic pursuits. That all changed with that first trip to the bookstore.
The sheer volume of books purchased, eight titles was mind boggling to me at the time. Little Women, My Friend Flicka, Bobssey Twins, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms and the like topped my pile of books. I couldn't bear to hurt her feelings and say I didn't want any of these books. When I arrived home my mother was so excited to see them as she was an avid reader, but a working mom. She and I sat down together to examine each book and my father promptly built me a wooden book shelf to house my collection.
I still have every one of those books that have survived all these years. They have been read and enjoyed by my own children and hopefully by my grandchildren some day. I think the idea of keepsake books was at the back of my mind when I penned the Truth Seekers Mystery Series with my daughter Christina. The number of children who have read the series is astounding, many borrow the books from a friend but then urge thier parents to obtain their own copy. They don't just read the books once, but many times.
Recently was introduced to a lady, Jennifer McBride, by way of a publisher's group I belong to that is a homeschool graduate herself, and now stay-at-home mommy and blogger. She shares book reviews, current sales on educational products and other free and inexpensive homeschool resources. Check out her information at http://www.booksonabudget.blogspot.com and follow her blog to receive timely information in your email inbox each time she posts.
I think each child's book collection holds special meaning, and it is by far one of the best, and long-reaching investment on their education that you can make. Author (Secret Code Time), Paula Stevenson, is a librarian, and she discusses the ways she was able to talk to her daughter, Sky, about life-truths, through the pages of a book. Begin your children's book collection today. You won't regret it!
Leave me a comment below on your first memory of your favorite books for a chance to win the entire Truth Seeker's Mystery Series and back pack! Email me after you post at felice (at) mediaangels.com
One winner will be selected. Contest ends August 15th. If you already have the series, remember this makes a great gift set!
Date: 7/25/2009 6:03 am
Rating: 3 Rate [ | ]
I remember my sisters passing down to me a series called The Happy Hollisters. I had a playhouse (actually an old tool shed fixed up) that I would escape to (probably to avoid chores) and read the whole day away. I would pack an old lunchpail full of snacks and sandwiches and not come out of my playhouse. After devouring the Hollisters, I moved on to any book I could get my hands on that was in my mother's bookcases. This led me to reading Gone With the Wind at nine years old. It became a summer tradition to read that novel first, before any of the others I had picked up at garage sales. My mother was very generous and practically gave me every book I had ever asked for. I continue to pass this tradition down to my children.
Teresa Kusant
Date: 7/25/2009 9:48 am
Rating: 0 Rate [ | ]
What wonderful memories! You know, I never read Gone with the Wind. For some reason I couldn't deal with the heart-break I associated with the story. I finally watched the movie as an adult and could see what all the hype was about. I'm sure the book, as always, was better. I may have to add it to my reading list! Thanks for sharing.
Date: 7/25/2009 6:37 am
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My best friend and I lived two doors away and we would call each other and ask if the other would like to come over to read. We would walk together down our neighborhood and one would read a book and the other would watch out so she didn't fall.
I loved Nancy Drew, any book on animals and my most vivid memory is of a book about a whooping crane that I read in my fourth grade class but I can't remember the title.
Teresa Taylor
Date: 7/25/2009 9:49 am
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LOL...you really walked and read! I can just picture this...what fun. Amazng the things kids think of...and live to tell the tale!
Date: 7/29/2009 2:21 pm
Rating: 1 Rate [ | ]
The first book I think I got was The Bunny and The Egg. I was 2. I still have it and though it's a little worse for wear, read it to Little Critter when he was young. (And now it IS considered an antique!)
My favorite books were the Five Little Peppers, The BoxCar Children, The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew and The Key to the Treasure. I had two sisters, and one winter when Texas got a record amount of snow, we built an igloo in the back yard and acted out The key to the Treasure in the snow....of course my parents were NOT too pleased when they realized we'd taken the house key to hide for the treasure....Oops. ;-)
Then there was the time I gathered up all the horny toads I could find, put them in my wagon with some sand and got Mom's best CorningWare dish for their water dish so they (they horny toads) could be the "Dishcar Children". well, got in trouble for that one too......
When ever I was not to be found, Daddy would come search out the trees and tell me to gather up my books, get down out of the tree and come back in to rejoin the family. I usually did that when my little sisters were driving me nuts....or didn't want to eat something....or didn't want to clean my room....or ...well, you get the idea.
I've now taught Little Critter to read using my old Dick and Jane books and The Tanach (Bible). Now he's an avid reader too! Although being a 9yo wormy,squirmy boy he's more into action and mystery books. He likes the Bobbsey Twins, BoxCar Children and anything Mark Twain. He also loved the Mouse and the Motorcycle. (I on the other hand was NOT excited to see him tie a rat to his model motorcyle and act out the book....now I understand my mother's exasperation with me! LOL!)
Most all my memories about books are fun! I had few friends due to being a bit shy and having a fairly severe speech impediment. So books let me be whoever I wanted to be, to go where ever I wanted to go and to do what ever I wanted to do. They were my lifeline during troubled times and my friends when no one wanted to be my friend. And I'm thrilled I've passed that love of books on to Little Critter. Now, to start working on baby grand daughter.....have I got some books for you Sweetie!:-)
Shalom, Joie
Date: 8/10/2009 11:24 am
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My first book set was given to me by my mom. It was the Winnie the Pooh series. I loved to read, so the idea of having a whole set of my own was very exciting. I read the set several times. I still have the books in the paper box they originally came in. I have now passed them on to my daughter. She knows the story behind the books which make them extra special. (My mom, her grandma, is no longer with us.) She had fun reading the same books that her mommy read when she was a little girl.
Date: 8/11/2009 2:16 pm
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Wow my favorite books. That is hard since I had so many! My Mom was and is a avid reader and so is my sister and I. I still have a set of poetry books my parents bought for me when I was a child. I have a old, big book of all of Shakespears works that I got at an auction when I was 12. I loved it when we would go to the book store my Mom would almost always let me go pick out a Trixie Belden! I understand the house over flowing with books problem. ;-)
Sigh.. I love books.
Date: 8/13/2009 9:03 am
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My favorite childhood book was Little Women. My sister gave it to me for my 9th or 10th birthday. I loved reading it, and rereading it.