Is Huckleberry Finn a children’s book?
Of course it is.
And of course it’s not.
I don’t believe there is such a thing as a children’s book.
A great story is a great story, right?
I have beaten myself up this year over two lingering problems.
Problem #1: Since my older sons have become chapter book readers, I don’t read with them every night like I did when they were younger.
I have missed this time with them terribly.
Problem #2: As a writer, there are tons of new and classic novels I want to read, but I simply don’t have the time. Any additional time I could spend reading, would come out of the little time I get with my family.
These two problems have been eating away at me.
Until, this past November, the obvious solution bitch-slapped me into a new reality: I could read all these novels WITH my sons.
Problem #1 solved. Problem #2 solved.
So I decided to give it a go. And test the waters.
I set a schedule with my boys: one chapter per night, every weeknight.
We read the book, Bedknob & Broomstick, in 10 nights. Fifteen minutes each night.
“Wow,” my oldest son said. “That went fast!”
It got to where my boys were doing their bedtime chores faster and making sure they were ready when it was time to read.
Hmmm.
We have The Sword and the Stone, The Little Prince, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Treasure Island, Huck Finn, Moon Over Manifest and a slew of other new and classic books cued for 2012.
There are five days each week. Fifty-two weeks in the year.
No year is perfect, so let’s assume we read 45 weeks next year. That’s 225 chapters minimum, right?
And the average book is ten chapters, so that means we’ll read at least 20 books in 2012!
Great writers are great readers.
Great thinkers are great readers too.
This is about my kids. And your kids.
So I’m calling all of you who are Moms and Dads!
- One chapter of a book each night
- 5 nights each week
- 40+ weeks next year
- That’s 50 additional hours with your kids
- That’s over 200 chapters and 20 books of reading
And that’s how you make a dent in the world.
Who’s with me?
I will be reading more with my son this year.
Posted by: April | December 27, 2011 at 10:52 AM
It's a priceless time, April! And there are no rules. Just figure it out as you go.
The goal is for you both to enjoy your time together as you explore other worlds.
Posted by: Keith Jennings | December 27, 2011 at 11:49 AM
I have the most precious memories of my Dad reading to me the entire Chronicles of Narnia when I was little..at bedtime. He also read a chapter at night, or read until we were asleep-sometimes that came before the chapter ended. :) Thanks for sharing this idea.
Posted by: Keri | December 27, 2011 at 06:25 PM
Hi Keri! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful and personal memory. From a Dad's perspective, it is priceless. My guys are 10 and 7 and they are really into it right now.
I know all things have a season, so I'm surfing these waves while they're rolling in!
Posted by: Keith Jennings | December 28, 2011 at 12:06 AM
This is simple, but stellar. It's a wonderful thing to do, enjoyable both in its end results and along the way!
I've done a sort of similar thing in my stage of life, playing audiobooks from the library while I'm on my commute. I "read" fifteen to twenty books last summer doing that. Great fun. :)
Posted by: BrettRWilkes | December 28, 2011 at 11:34 PM
Brett,
It's a drip philosophy. In time, a persistent drip will fill a bucket, right?
In addition to reading a lot of books, like you, I listen to many during my commute, as well. Love technology!
Posted by: Keith Jennings | December 29, 2011 at 01:05 AM
I'm IN!
Thank you for this. My son already reads for 30 minutes a night and I've wanted to interact with him more and positively influence him through books. I think the power of Story is generally underestimated.
We started last night on The Final Summit by Andy Andrews (http://www.andyandrews.com/ms/the-final-summit/) and ended on a good cliff hanger.
Appreciate the list you've got started because I want to introduce him to some new and old classics as well.
Posted by: ThatGuyKC | December 30, 2011 at 02:05 PM
Awesome KC! I think our kids really benefit from hearing us read chapter books. It teaches them voice, pace, rhythm, inflection and other reading devices they can't know until they're taught it.
I might create a "reading list" page to track what we've read and what we plan to read.
Posted by: Keith Jennings | December 30, 2011 at 02:51 PM