Reader's Sketch

Molly Sturgis

Children’s Literature, Spring 2012

Reader’s Sketch

January 19, 2012

Trying to Remember

I can remember lying on the braided rug in the family room as my mom opened up my favorite book, Babies by Gyo Fugikawa.  My mom rocked in the wooden chair; as she pushed her feet from the floor the chair creaked and as her feet were to meet the floor again another creak came from that chair.  She read the book slowly and her head would draw further from her chest with each page.  I examined the pictures as my mom showed them to me.   All the different babies, some smiling and others looked mad, I liked the colors and the clothes the babies were wearing.  She turned the page and said, “But good or bad, all babies like to be hugged and cuddled and loved.”  I looked next to me at my little baby sister.  I took my thumb out of my mouth and touched her and said, “You’re good now.”  I put my thumb back in my mouth and turned to my mom as if to say, “Ok, continue with the story.”  I remember my mom smiling at me as she turned to the next page.  I can specifically remember that this book made me feel like a big girl and I was because I had a little sister.

It was Homer Hanky season; the Minnesota Twins were in the World Series.  My dad came home with Homer Hankies for us and we put them in the air and sang “Take Me out to the Ballgame.”  I remember the announcer saying, “Next up to bat we have Kirrrrrrrr-by Puckett!”  We all cheered and jumped up and down.  The Twins won that night and we all got into our pajamas awaiting a bedtime story.  We brought our Homer Hankies with us to the family room and laid on the faded braided rug as

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my mom sat in the rocking chair.  We were so excited about the game that every once in a while one of the five of us would yell “Kirrrrrr-by Puckett!” and we would receive that look from my mom, the one where her chin meets her chest and one eye is smaller than the other.  She needn’t say a word; we knew that meant ‘knock it off before…’  My mom decided she would pick the book that night, and boy did she pick a fun one.  Tikki Tikki Tembo, by Arlene Mosel was a story about a little boy that had a long name and he fell into a well.  Tikki Tikki Tembo-no Sa Rembo-chari Bari Ruchi-pip Peri Pembo was so fun to say we all giggled laying down on that rug.  For weeks after that story I remember constantly chanting that boy’s name.

                I remember loving the pictures of The Five Chinese Brothers, by Claire Huchet Bishop because they were so simple.  The story was intriguing because of the special powers each of the brothers had.  I loved to just look at the pictures.  I remember sitting in my mom’s rocking chair, my feet not quite touching the floor so I would sit with my legs crossed and rock the chair, and holding the book just like my mom did and reading to my little sister and brothers.  I would read the pages and talk about the pictures, telling them what was happening in case what I was reading didn’t come across clearly.  I would stop on the page where the little boy was collecting the fish from the bottom of the sea, for some reason I really liked the picture.

                I can remember “Book It,” a program that partnered with Pizza Hut, where you had to read for a certain amount of time in which you would earn a free personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut.  I loved this program because that meant we would go out to eat if we read!  I remember a book that I so dearly loved, The Story about Ping, by Marjorie Flack was tracked for many hours of reading through this program.  I loved this book because Ping, a duck, was so little and cute and also because my mom always said Ping was full of mischief like me.  My heart would race every time I read the book worrying

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about Ping returning home.  I would sit and read this book by myself in my room before bed.  My mom and dad bought me a reading light necklace so I could read with the lights out.  I would fall asleep with this book a lot.  I know that this will be a book I share with my children because it, for some reason, was very special to me.

Years go by and I didn’t read books, I didn’t enjoy them like I used to.  I had too many other things to do; hang out with friends, gossip and talk with boys.  I can’t remember any books I read, even for school, within my adolescent years.

                It wasn’t until after I met my husband that my love for reading resurfaced.  For a birthday in my late twenties I received a book by Jodi Picoult called Change of Heart.  Picking up this book for the first time it felt like I was saying hello to an old friend.  I was astonished how much I enjoyed reading and wondered how I went so long without it!  This book was a page turner for me, I considered it a little frightening for my taste (I am a big baby when it comes to scary things – the last scary movie I have ever watched was Gremlins back when I was little) but I couldn’t put it down.  I finished that book in a couple days and moved onto The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory.  This book was introduced to me by my sister in law.  We both read it in record time and finished it before the movie came out.  I remember sitting on the couch in my living room and my husband telling me to come to bed.  I would stay on that couch and fall asleep there with the open book, like I used to as a child.  He would carry me to bed in the middle of the night.

                The last great book I read was The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, again recommended to me by my sister in law.  I took this book with me on our annual camping trip up north a few years back and couldn’t put it down.  I read instead of socializing, and found myself to be consumed with the book. 

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Again, I was astonished by how wonderful reading is and wondered about all the years I missed out on reading.  It’s like they always say: “If I only knew what I know now…”   

                Now-a-days I try to find time to read between school and daily life.  I seem to only find time to read books about parenting, which are interesting none the less.  For the future I would like to find time to read more of Jodi Picoult’s books, as I really found her style of writing to be interesting.  I also see in the near future finding only time to read children’s books, which I love, and am excited to start my own collection for our growing family.  I wish to instill the love for reading in my children as my mom and dad did for me.