Full Circle

Noah has always loved being read to. When he was just an infant, he would sit contentedly in my lap listening to me or his father read Goodnight Moon, The Carrot Seed, and other childhood favorites of mine. When he learned to crawl, the main thing he did was crawl back and forth to his bookshelf, bringing us books to read to him.

(Lest you think I'm being smug, I'll say now that his younger brother's favorite things to do with books until very recently was chew on them or throw them across the room.) 

Reading to Noah is a very special part of our bond, and, of course, a big reason I started this blog in the first place. He loves being read to so much that it has actually slowed down his progress in becoming an independent reader himself—a fact which has caused me more than a little angst over the past several years. Now at age 9, he is an excellent reader, but still loves to be read to (as I've said before, who doesn't, really?). If I'm reading a picture book to Mason, Noah is almost guaranteed to be snuggled in on my other side to listen, no matter what the book is. You know that special, restful way that children settle in to listen to a book? It's almost as comforting for me as it appears to be for them. I'm not sure there is a sweeter way to connect, to share, than reading something you love to a child.

But what is more magical than reading to your child? Watching them discover the joy of reading to others. This morning I woke up to the beautiful sound of Noah reading this fantastic book to Mason. Mason received it as a Christmas gift and we had sort of forgotten about it until last night, when Noah (!) requested we read picture books instead of a chapter book at bedtime. It's a fun book, but rather long, and we didn't make it all the way through last night, so Noah continued reading it on his own after Mason went to sleep, and couldn't wait to share it with his little brother first thing this morning. I have to say that there is very little that gives me more joy than watching (and listening to) Noah read to his little brother. This took a close second though:

Noah reading to Mason's friends.

Today we had two of Mason's friends over. They're twin brother and sister, and sometimes when they come to play it can be challenging to find activities all three 5 year-olds can agree on, not to mention the 9 year old in the mix. Toward the end of the playdate, I suggested that Noah read to them. He was willing, but they were a bit skeptical at first. "Are you good at reading?" asked one of our guests. There was a tense moment before Noah responded with a confident "Yes," (I gave a little inner jump for joy at that) and the kids quickly settled around him to listen to the story Noah had chosen (an easy reader about tonka trucks to start with).

Well, he must've done a pretty good job with the first book because they also sat through most of The Mischievians, the same book he had read with Mason this morning. He got really animated reading this one and one of the twins really got into it. Just look at how she is leaned over the book, so engaged, and how in tune he is to her reactions.

Oh, gosh. I was so proud of him. I felt like I got to see everything come full circle today. In the past 9 years, I've had the pleasure of sharing many of my beloved books with him -- from favorite picture books like Blueberries for Sal to the entire Harry Potter series. This week he discovered a new book that he loves, and got to experience the joy of passing along that magic to someone else. Perfection! 

As I write this post, Noah sits on the other end of the couch with a book in his lap. He just asked me, "Mom, tonight can you read the rest of  The Mischievians to us? I know I read it to the kids today, but it just feels so comforting when you read it." 

Yes, of course I will.