International Children’s Book Day 2019
If you followed this blog last year you might remember that April is National Children’s Book Month and specifically, April 2nd is National Children’s Book Day. If you want a little bit of background about the holiday you can read my blog from last year HERE. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Books Help Slow Us Down.” Are you a book lover? Do you read to your children? What does this year’s theme mean to you?
“Books help slow us down” feels true to me on many levels. I love books and reading but truth be told it’s often difficult for me to find time for books these days. Every night before my son goes to bed my husband and I do story time with him but I have to admit, sometimes it feels rushed or we choose a book that we have read before just to pick something quick so we can get our son off to bed. But on nights where we really sit down to read with him… those are the nights that mean the most. Those are the nights that I feel closet to my son. Taking the time to really enjoy a book together is such a special time.
I also connect to this year’s theme on a personal level. Before kids I read books voraciously. I devoured them… sometimes 5 in a week. Go back further and I’ll admit that the summer before my senior year of high school I read over 58 books in one summer (after 58 I stopped keeping track.) Now, finding time to read is hard. My toddler keeps me busy all day and by the time I have a moment to myself I’m exhausted. It’s hard to focus when you’re tired and I have to admit that at that point I usually just want to flop down on the couch in front of the TV and just sort of zone out.
Growing up books were an escape. When things were hard or not going my way I’d jump into a book. Books let me escape my own life for a bit and pretend to be one of the characters in my books who had much more exciting lives or in some cases bigger problems than me. They also have me a chance to slow down and dream. To dream about the kind of life I wanted and the kind of challenges I prayed I’d never face. My happy place was curled up with a blanket or in the sun with a book. Some would probably even say that books were my best friends. I moved around fairly often as a kid so making and keeping friends was sometimes difficult. But my books, they were always there for me, never betrayed me, and never let me down.
My relationship with books today is somewhat different. A year ago I’d reach for a novel but now I reach mostly for nonfiction self-help books; books about parenting advice or books about the struggles of motherhood. I still find time for the occasional novel but it’s much less often and I’m lucky if I read ONE book over the stretch of a few months … never mind five or more a week. I sometimes find myself missing books. If I’m being truthful, without my weekly book group I would be reading even less but belonging to my book group keeps me reading at least a little bit each week to keep up with the discussion. Where books used to be an escape, now they are more of a solace that I am not the only one struggling with parenting and motherhood. I think in many ways they still help to slow me down although now they help me to focus on what is important rather than escape from whatever is challenging me.
I hope that one day I’ll have more time to pick up novels again. In fact, part of me longs for that but I know that time will come again. It will come when my babies are grown. For now, I’m happy to know that some of my favorite friends are waiting patiently for me on a shelf and I am trying to make a more conscious effort to share my favorite picture books from my childhood (and new ones) with my son. I’ll make a point to “slow down” and enjoy books and not just read them for the sake of reading.
Want to read more about this year’s theme? Visit the IBBY (International Board of Books for Young People) website and read about their take on it here: http://www.ibby.org/awards-activities/activities/international-childrens-book-day/icbd-2019/
Image Courtesy of IBBY