I admit to having this book for months without delving into it. I wanted to be able to savor the contents as I knew it was going to be good.

First, the story of how I came to hear the name Andrew Peterson. It started off small. I heard him singing on a Slugs and Bugs album. This is music made for kids and I was intrigued by his playful way. So, I looked him up on the internet.

Google told me he was the author of the Wingfeather Saga and a musician. I moved over to Youtube to hear a little bit of his music and realized I was listening to someone who went far beyond the usual be-boppy worship music that has been so popular. He was a singer/song-writer in the best sense of the word. So many of the cuts showed me he was a modern Paul Simon (Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints are two of Simon's solo albums) who just happened to be Christian. This is the Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel fame. Need I say more? 

I also remembered that I had seen him talking to another author on a Read Aloud Revival segment. I went back and watched that again, digging for treasure. 

This book is a treasure. It's a treasure for music makers, for writers, for artists. It's for anyone interested in doing anything creative. The subtitle says Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making. 

He has personal stories woven through book. It's an autobiography of sorts that starts and ends with calling and has much to offer in the middle. 

In the chapter entitled A Matter of Life or Death I marked this quote. "Tear your attention away from your shame, your self-loathing, your self-consciousness, your self. Now, rejoice. Become who you were meant to be, who you already are in Christ. Then get busy writing. Park the scooter in the field and write with abandon. Fight back. It's a matter of life and death" (p. 48). 

In Longing to Belong, I found out that he keeps bees. He makes honey. He speaks of co-laboring in his little corner of creation and how sweet the experience is. "It speaks to me of its maker. And my Maker speaks to me through it. I love to watch people taste my honey. They always close their eyes and breathe deep, and they always proclaim it better by far than what they at the grocery store. I'm not sure it tastes all that different, but their enjoyment is heightened by the knowledge it came from the flowers underfoot and the long labor of the bees. Sweet alchemy. I think it reminds them of Eden ... The Kingdom is coming but the kingdom is here. That's why we are homesick, and it's also why we might as well get busy planting" (p. 60).

In The Integrated Imagination, he shares his love for fantasy and the myriad of fantasy series that he has read. His love shines through at the end when I read this quote. "Someone out there is building a bridge so we ca slip across to elf-land and smuggle back some of its light into this present darkness. I'm always looking for that bridge. I suppose you could call it a quest" (p. 73). The echoes of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are there for anyone to pick up on.

In Serving the Audience he writes about how people coming to a concert are not only giving their time but their attention. "... the more surprising thing is that they are giving you their attention - which is an act of profound generosity  is a culture that clamors for every second of our attention already" (p. 98).

There were a number of gems in this chapter about writing that are worth noting. 

"Write it like you would say it" (p. 101).

"That's what it means to serve to work and to serve the listener. Proceed with the utmost care. Whatever you do, don't let their glasses fall off. Don't break the spell" (p. 101).

"... a song can make you actually feel something, a tingle in a place you thought long dead. That's what the best songs - the best works of art - do for me" (p. 104).

"Just pretend you're talking. Pretend you are looking him in the eye and opening your heart to your little boy" (p. 104-105).

There is so much in his words and I still have two chapters to read.

This book, like all great books, is a feast of words.

​Thoughtful, careful words crafted by someone who cares deeply about art in its many gloried forms. 

Take it and read.

I have had this book on my bookshelf for quite some time. It had become one of many that I had intended to read but did not quite get there until this summer.

So, what happened this summer? Joy Clarkson, Sally Clarkson's daughter, had posted on her podcast that she wanted to do A Wrinkle in Time for her summer book club. CoVid 19 had impressed on her the need to pick something a little easier to read than her previous picks and a little more uplifting. 

Well, I jumped on this. Uplifting is something I needed at that moment in time. I took it on a short weekend trip and read the first five chapters. And now I know why it is a class.

I have come to appreciate the beauty in this tale from 1963. It is a coming of age story and a science fiction story rolled into one. Let's begin our journey...

Meg and her little brother, Charles, wonder what has happened to their father, a scientist working for the government who has been missing for several years. When a strange old lady shows up at their door, the adventure to find him begins. The old lady and two more of her odd friends lead them out of the universe into the worlds of some strange planets that are under the influence of the horrible, shadowy IT.

Meg, an awkward and insecure girl, finds the courage and resourcefulness to overcome IT and save her father and brother. She also learns about the importance of family and love. One minute she's on the brink of death under the grip of IT, and the next, she's ready to face IT because she knows that it's something only she can do.

There is a small cast of side characters. Charles Wallace for one. It's not very clear why little Charles, who has the vocabulary of a Harvard graduate, is so special. But he is special. Calvin is another notable character in the book. He seems to genuinely like Meg for who she is. Meg, of course, has a hard time getting her head around that fact in the beginning.

Throughout the story there are references to Christianity: quotes from scripture, mention of angels, and the idea that God is in charge of everything. This gives the story a "Chronicles of Narnia" kind of feel.

Is this a Christian story? This is open for interpretation. For me, this book has many lessons. First, it is a reminder to say yes to life, to accept responsibility, to be brave even when frightened, not to make decisions based on fear, and to accept people as they are. 

It's has beauty. It has truth. It has life in it.

This is the book that many publishers rejected. This is the book that won the Newberry Medal. 

It lifts up life. 

Borrow a copy from your local library or pull it down off of your shelf. Open it up and read.

Don't wait as long as I did to read it.

And when you do, email me to let me know what a tesseract is.
​

It's funny how God works things out when you least expect it. 

This past weekend I was getting into the elevator to go to Korea University. I needed to use the scanner for my Academic English students. Our neighbor was on the eight floor, who I have met many times, was also in the elevator. We talked a bit in Korean before we said goodbye and proceeded our separate ways. I thought it was strange that he wasn't wearing a mask.

It took me about a minute to realize that I didn't have my keys. I was thinking to myself that it was a little ridiculous that I had remembered everything else but forgot the keys. 

Low and behold the neighbor was also going back upstairs. I smiled at him and said key in Korean and pointed upstairs. He laughed hysterically because he had done the exact same thing! There we were, guiltily going back up to get the one item we forgot.

I met him again on the way down. He lives right above us, so I called out, "Mister come to the seventh floor. We can go down together!" And he did come running down the stairs. 

In the basement he kept saying a word I didn't understand and motioned for me to come to his car. He handed me two books. As I was looking at the books, I realized that he was the author, and I told that it was great. I was trying to give them back, but he kept insisting that I take it. He kept saying, " I novelist." I took his two books and looked at them carefully later that evening with my husband. 

My husband looked at the books after I said, "There is a novelist living on the eighth floor!" 

I thought that would be the end of it. It wasn't.

The following evening he knocked on our door.  Aidan, my second son, answered the door. Aidan was presented with a rather large box and the box had two rather large and expensive melons in it. "It's a present for your family." I recognized the voice.

I went to the door and said thank you and asked if he was in 803 or 804. He said 804, which is right above us.

It's rather poetic that a novelist lives above us and he is rather kind. I will give him something later on in the week. I am thinking about banana bread muffins...

​__________________
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I am reading a leadership book with a group of people from KNU International Church called The Secret. I did not expect to like the book as much as I did!

What is the secret?

The secret is about great leadership and what great leaders do.

Great leaders serve.

Great leaders are not necessarily on a power trip.

They want to help others.

They want to serve!

It begins with a woman named who just does not know what to do with her team of people at work. She knows they are good people, but she is not sure why they are not performing well. She decides to do something about it.

She starts at the library looking at books about leadership. The books all mention mentoring and she is wondering what to do when she sees an email about mentoring opportunities. 

Hmmm. She is thinking to herself that a quick meeting with someone above her could help her out. 

She signs up to find out that the meeting will not be quick. She also finds out that her meeting is with the boss of her company!

Together her and her boss go over SERVE. 

The S stands for See the Future. 

The E stands for Engage and Develop Others.

The R stands for Reinvent Continuously.

The V stands for Value Results and Relationships.

The E? I am not going to tell you because it's a secret!

The principles behind the book are what served the American Chick-fil-A company so well. 

_____________

We are in a leadership void at the moment. There are a number of people in leadership, including Donald Trump, who should be part of this discussion. What is it that we want in a leader?

If we don't start discussing what we want in political leaders, economic leaders, and church leaders, we are not going to get anywhere. 

I saw great leadership in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder.

I have seen police officers protest and agree with protesters. 

I have seen late night talk show hosts explain how the reality of CoVid 19 interconnected with the George Floyd murder, and the systemic existence of racism in the U.S..

Let's talk.

Is it about being smart?

Is it about mentoring people?

Is it about caring for people?

Is it about standing in solidarity when you know something is wrong with society?

Is it about the man who showed kindness on the eight floor?

I just want to get the discussion started...

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. Philippians 2:3.

My last post was about prayer and how I have taken to prayer during CoVid 19. 

I am praying morning, afternoon, and evening.

I believe in prayer.

I think prayer.

I feel prayer.

I am praying.

​It would make sense to review the books that have touched my heart about prayer. 

I am starting with a children's book. The title is Prayer for a Child. 

This book is a classic for a reason! It so incredibly simple and it sweetly rhymes. 

It's a long list of things to be grateful for during the day.

We can be thankful for the food.

We can be thankful for the world as it is.

We can be thankful for family.

We can be thankful for the care received from others.

We can be thankful for light.

We can be thankful for fire. 

We can be thankful.

It is thankfulness that puts us in God's presence. 

It is gratefulness for life that allows to know that He loves us.

This is such a sweet, small book with profound truths inside.
​

This book won more than a few awards and deservedly so. Richard Foster does a brilliant job of delving in prayer.

Prayer brings you closer to God.

Prayer shows that you need God.

Prayer is an invitation to come near to Him.

Did you hear that? Invitation.

He goes through many kinds of prayer. 

There is the prayer that moves us inward.

Simple prayer.

Prayer of the forsaken.

The prayer of examen.

The prayer of tears.

The prayer of relinquishment

Formation prayer.

Covenant prayer.

There is prayer that moves up upward; this is seeking intimacy with the Savior.

The prayer of adoration.

The prayer of rest. 

Sacramental prayer.

Unceasing prayer.

The prayer of the heart.

Meditative prayer.

Contemplative prayer.

There is prayer that moves outward; this is seeking the ministry we need.

Praying the ordinary prayer.

Petitionary Prayer.

Intercessory Prayer. 

Healing Prayer.

The prayer of suffering.

Authoritative prayer.

Radical prayer.

It's an invitation. 

It's simple. 

God invites us to know Him. 

There is diversity and history here.

Come and know Him a little better than you did.

Prayer.

I bought this book ten years ago and I still remember it.  

This woman wrote about the limits of the rational mind. The rational mind? Isn't that a God we all put before us?

For, according to the ancient tradition known as Wisdom, the human mind's full scope includes heights and depths which rationality can never encompass.

Neglecting these other regions of our being leads to a limited state of mind, known by the Wisdom tradition as sleep.

Yes, that's right, the more invested we are in our intellect, our ego, and our attempts at logical control of the world around us, the more asleep we really are.

I know it all sounds very strange, but I absolutely loved this and I been a fan of Cynthia Bourgeault ever since. 

She defines wisdom.

She points to other traditions.

She invites us out of our sleep.

She writes about three-centered knowing. 

We balance mind, heart, and body.

This book was eye-opening and mind-bending. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Malcolm Guite has become a favorite for me. He posts daily during Advent and Lent. And he had a great post for the Monday of Holy Week this year. This Holy Week has been a bit strange with CoVid 19. I could so relate to his words from his own blog post and I struggled with life...

It has begun in tears: tears of frustration, tears of lament, and for so many who have been cruelly bereaves, tears of grief.

It's hard to see through tears, but sometimes its the only way to see. Tears may be the turning point, the springs of renewal, and to know you have been wept for is to know that you are loved.

'Jesus Wept' is the shortest, sharpest, and most moving sentence in Scripture.

I have a God who weeps for me, weeps with me, understands to the depths and from the inside the rerum lachrymae, the tears of things.

Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem

Jesus comes near and he beholds the city

And looks on us with tears in his eyes,

And wells of mercy, streams of love and pity

Flow from the fountain whence all things arise.

He loved us into life and longs to gather

And meet with his beloved face to face

How often has he called, a careful mother,

And wept for our refusals of his grace,

Wept for a world that, weary with its weeping,

Benumbed and stumbling, turns the other way,

Fatigued compassion is already sleeping

Whilst her worst nightmares stalk the light of day.

But we might waken yet, and face those fears,

If we could see ourselves through Jesus' tears.

This other poem is taken from Sounding the Seasons, a collection of sonnets that takes you through the Christian year. This one is based on the ancient idea of the four elements of earth, air, water and fire. It has both the foot-washing and the first communion, that all these elements of the old creation are taken up by Jesus and transformed in the making of the new. Jesus is both the fully human companion cleansing his friends with a gentle touch, sharing his last supper with them, showing the fullness of his love, and he is also the Word, God in his full creative and shaping power, the One in and through whom everyone in that room, and every element of the world is sustained in the beauty and particularity of its being. What we witness in the birth of the sacraments is both a human drama and a divine act of new creation. Although we cannot be in church to receive the familiar sacrament of this night, it may be, that if our eyes and ears are open we will sense Christ's all-transforming presence even through the ordinary elements of the place where we are.

Maundy Thursday

Here is the source of every sacrament,

The all-transforming presence of the Lord,

Replenishing our every element

Remaking us in his creative Word.

For here the earth herself gives bread and wine,

The air delights to bear his Spirit's speech,

The fire dances where the candles shine,

The waters cleanse us with His gentle touch.

And here He shows the full extent of love

To us whose love is always incomplete,

In vain we search the heavens high above,

The God of love is kneeling at our feet.

Though we betray Him, though it is the night.
​
He meets us here and loves us into light.

Have a blessed Easter Everyone! Remember that he overcame death to bring you light and life!

This is one of the books I am reading for Lent and I have to say that it is very good!

​It tells the story of Easter from Amon's perspective. Amon is thirteen years old. He is the son of the son Jotham and Tabitha. He enjoys playing with his friends but is also ready to join his father in the temple court where only men are allowed. He is very eager to be considered a man, but he struggles to divide his time between his friends and his duties to family and faith.

When Jotham is falsely accused of a terrible crime, Amon willingly sacrifices his childhood ways in order to save his father’s life. Along the way, he sees the crowds that gathered on Palm Sunday, outwits the Roman soldiers that planned to kill both his father and Jesus, hears the Messiah address the angry crowds, is present during the daring betrayal of Judas Iscariot, and witnesses the ultimate sacrifice made on Good Friday.

The first part of the book drags a bit but it picks up after that. Amon is initially upset that he will have a female house guest. Some readers may not  find him appealing because he seemed to make such a big deal of it. But the story picks up after this.

Another part of this book that I really like is the Bible verses at the end of the chapters. There are explanations that are one or two paragraphs long. These are short, and the verses tell a story. 

This would actually be a perfect read-aloud book if you have children. The chapters are not very long, the Bible verses are thought provoking, and there are all kinds of things you could ask questions about. 

It is Valentine's Day and I have been thinking about this gift we have been given. Love is amazing gift given from God. But there are other gifts along the way. Wisdom is one of them.

Wisdom is something that is earned by time. It is not guaranteed with age, but it is only comes to those that are aged. Part of what is required to earn wisdom is reflection. And that is what Madeleine L’Engle has done here. She is writing her thoughts and musings about life and her writing and meaning based on the journals that she has kept for her own purposes.

L’Engle was in her 50s when A Circle of Quiet was written. (And the fourth Crosswick Journal book was published 23 year later.) So she is not so old that she has forgotten what it is like to be young, nor was she that far distant from the failures of her life as a writer. (Did you know that A Circle of Quiet was published just 11 years after A Wrinkle in Time was published?)

A Circle of Quiet meanders quite a bit. Much of it is reflections on what it means to be a writer or story teller or how she taught writing and story telling to others. But mixed into all that are her thoughts on parenting and child development, living in a small town (Crosswick is the name of their home in rural Connecticut, where they lived for 7 years full time early in her marriage and that they kept it as a summer home when they moved back to New York City), living in a large city, love, church, and many other random thoughts.

It isn’t a book that goes from one point to another. I meandered through it for almost a month. I was enjoying her descriptive language and the ideas. So do not read it looking for an overarching story or plot. It isn’t that kind of book.

If you are a reflective, you will enjoy her thoughts. 

Here are a few of the gems for you:

"But a great piece of literature does not try to coerce you to believer it or to agree with it. A great piece of literature simply is."

"The children's writer clarifies things for himself,, not by wrapping them up in tight and tidy packages, but in opening himself up to them."

"I'm afraid of the dark - not afraid to go up the stairs in the physical darkness of night, but afraid of the shadows of another kind of dark, the darkness of nothing, of hate, of evil. So we rush around trying to light candles. Some are real: books are candles for me; so is music; so is friendship."

I like the way she put it. Books are candles. Little lights that show the way forward. For me, this is very, very true.

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5

Adorning the Dark is a great book that is getting quite a bit of buzz right now.. It's a book for the Christian artist. It's a book for the person who is afraid to create. It's a book for the writer. It's a book for anyone who has a creative idea. 

I should tell you my story of how I heard the name Andrew Peterson. I saw something on Ann Voskamp's website and clicked on it. I think it was 'Be Kind to Yourself'. I watched it and thought that the lyrics were great. 

I started looking him up on Youtube. All kinds of country, bluesy songs. Again, Interesting. The Lyrics were amazing on everything!

Then I heard that he had written children's books. "Hmmm" is what went through my head. I bet those are good. 

Sarah Mackenzie had an interview with Andrew Peterson and another author quite a while back. He talked about books. He talked about C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. Again, I was curious. 

When I heard that he had written Adorning the Dark I ordered it out of curiosity. 

I received Adorning the Dark as a Christmas present from myself. I was excited about because I had heard so much about it on Hope Writers. 

He has an awfully big subtitle. "Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making". That seemed like an enormously large task for such a small book.

But he does it. All the magic that he packs into a song is there. All the truth, goodness, and beauty you can get. And it wasn't in the form of a song. 

Peterson has a personal way of elucidating his points. He is conversational. He is transparent. He is sincere. He is humble. And he is inspiring. 

The best thing I can say is that all kinds of writers should read it. Songwriters, essayists, novelists.

What will you get from it?

Well, you are going to get valuable insight into the Christian life. You are going to get valuable insight into the human condition. You are going to get valuable insight into the value of community. Most importantly, you are going to get deep insight into the beauty and power of words. 

It's not an academic book, but I know it will be read by many. 

There are just so many moments of providence. You also will be saying to yourself, "I needed to hear this!"

"You can't blame your equipment. You can't blame your lack of time. You can't blame your upbringing. Either you're willing to steward the gift God gave you by stepping into the ring and fighting for it, or you spend your life in training, cashing in excuse after excuse until there's no time left, no song, no story" (p. 125). 

Conviction is something I felt. Last week I wrote about not being able to sit and plan around New Year's. This convicted me to keep using my gift. 

it's also a book for those searching for beauty and truth. Peterson does a great job encouraging us. He tells us we all are creative and we are all made in the image of a Creator God. 

It's also a book the defies categories. You are getting a number of his life stories so it is somewhat autobiographical. And he has had quite a life because he said yes to what God what was calling him to do. 

Truth, beauty, honesty, encouragement. 

And as another amazon review put it, "And thank you Andrew for reminding me that generic store bought chocolate chip cookies are okay now and then, but nothings beats fresh, warm, homemade toll house cookies."

​Amen. Go and get the book. 

What are you reading for Advent? There are so many good books out there, and one of my favourites is this gem from Malcolm Guite. This man has poetry in his blood, in his family, and he is a pleasure to read! 

I am re-reading this one for a second time because it is such a great one to get you to slow down, think about Advent themes, and just enjoy the language in it. I recommended it last year along with two others, but this has lingered with me.

So, what does it have? There is a poem a day and a bit of commentary on it. It will slow you down, and it will give you hope.

He has carefully selected poets, old and new, for this beautiful book. There are older names, like Christina Rossetti and G.K. Chesterton. The newer poets include Scott Cairns and Robert Hayden. All the poems have been selected because there is something in them that relates to Advent and the themes of waiting, Grace, gifts, creation, and, of course, hope.

Each of these pieces is beautiful in and of itself. But taken together, it becomes more. It becomes hopeful and hope filled! His deep insight and spiritual wisdom created in me a new appreciation for each day of Advent and a deeper love for Jesus, Immanuel, the Light of the World!

Let's look at his entry for December 12:

The time draws near the birth of Christ:
  The moon is hid; the night is still;
  The Christmas bells from hill to hill
Answer each other in the mist.
 
Four voices of four hamlets round,
  From far and near, on mead and moor,
  Swell out and fail, as if a door
Were shut between me and the sound.

Each voice four changes on the wind,
  That now dilate, and now decrease,
  Peace and good will, good will and peace,
Peace and good will to all mankind.

This year I slept and woke with pain,
  I'd almost wish'd no more to wake,
  and that my hold on life would break
Before I heard those bells again:

But they my troubled spirit rule,
  For they controll'd me when a boy;
  They bring me sorrow touched with joy,
The merry merry bells of Yule. 
-Alfred Lord Tennyson

The man hears the peaceful calm of the bells but cannot listen. There is a fuller confession of grief and bitterness.

And grief does attack when we are in the midst of someone else's peace and beauty. 

And yet he returns to listen to the bells. It helps to control the grief. He returns to an earlier time when he was a boy and the bells were a comfort to him. 

There is healing, hope, in the sound of the bells. He is changed.

Malcolm Guite is Chaplain of Girton College in Cambridge. He has written a number of books that are similar in helping the reader to ‘see’ the Holy Spirit in the poetry.  He has written for the church calendar, including Sounding the Seasons, Word in the Wilderness, and The Singing Bowl.

Order this from Amazon or anywhere else and I am sure you will slow down like I did! You will see the Lord Jesus and his birth. Enter his world and be filled. Waiting, wonder, mystery, and mainly hope.

Can we talk about reading aloud for a moment? Can we talk about how magical that can be? Reading aloud can be an open window into the hearts and minds of a child, your child or even your students.

This book was recommended on a Read-Aloud-Revival Podcast and I am really glad I picked it up. It was recommended along with the The Read-Aloud Handbook and A Sense of Wonder. It’s all about the benefits of reading, specifically, reading aloud to your children. As a book-lover and someone who enjoys the magic of a read-aloud book, please read on!

First, this book is well written. I read the first four chapters in less than two days which is very unusual for my regular reading habits and full-time teaching job. Megan Cox Gurdon has a great conversational style without compromising her work as Wall Street Journal columnist. She is a book critic, essayist, and a book reviewer since 2005.

She explains how reading aloud to children is good for their brains from the latest brain science and behavioural research. She also draws widely from life and everyday literature. She knows that Good Night Moon is a wonderful picture book that most people have read and can relate to.

So, what are the advantages of reading aloud? She has many! Reading aloud is an antidote to fractured attention spans, atomized families, and unfulfilling distractions in the tech era. She also talks about the reader’s opportunity to re-visit stories from his or her childhood. Why wouldn’t you want to show enthusiasm for a story you loved as a child? I absolutely loved There’s an Alligator Under My Bed and I share that enthusiasm when I read it to my children at night. Third, she shares how stories keep far-flung military families connected. That really is a lovely thought in this distracted world.

There is the work that is done in the brain when a parent reads aloud to a baby. It’s soothing and stimulates cognitive development. Imaginative decoding of picture books is next and probably the most enjoyable aspects of reading aloud where children’s brains are stimulated.

There is the imaginative transport of classic novels. Which novel would like to visit? To Kill a Mockingbird? Pride and Prejudice?

There is the rejuvenating late-life consolations of poetry and prose. There is just so much “spoken syllable” (Charles Dickens) out there.

Other benefits of this book include the practical tips and the myriad of reading recommendations that are woven into it. You will find a way to work this into your family life and you will find many books that you can use to bring your children together, learn something, make connections with people in history, and even, possibly, enjoy it. And they won’t even know they are missing their screens!

And I have a few favorite quotes:
"Technology is training us to dart and react like hummingbirds, scrolling, clicking, tweeting, liking. For people in the sustained-attention business, not least book publishers, these developments are unsettling" (p. 121).

"Culture does not consists solely of art and writing, of course, but also fo attitudes, practices, and values. The things we say when we are talking about about stories and pictures, the emphases we make and the bits we skip over, tell them something about how we see the world" (p. 157).

"Literary art helps us live longer, and enjoying it together out loud makes us smarter, happier, and more contented" (p. 191).

"Entering into storytelling mode has a mesmerizing power of its own. The sight of a parent or teacher sitting with a book attracts young children like iron fillings to a magnet" (p. 201).

There are many books on reading aloud out there. This really is one of the better ones! This mother of three will be taking advice from Megan Cox Gurdon, mother of five, on reading aloud and all the enchantment it brings. And I’ll let her know I’m having my students read aloud to each other as well!
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