I was the epitome of  a “bookish kid”. Hair always a little unkempt for school, not very fond of (or successful) in sports, more content to lose myself in a story – missing many meals, reading through many nights – hiding under the covers, flashlight in hand, with one eye on the page and the other on the bedroom door. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of the hours spent hanging in bookshops – ones like The Red Balloon, Mac’s Backs Paperbacks on Coventry, or Thackeray’s Books in Toledo (which has since gone out-of-business, but still operates a FB fan page here). But, at every turn it seems, what I remember most about reading+childhood are the times I was read to. Man, everyone I KNEW read to me! Pictures in old albums, special notes in booksleeves, copies of old library cards, endless memories – all evidence the same resounding truth: I was a kid who was read to.  Being sans-kid in an era of Kindles and Nooks and IPAD apps, I’ve often found myself wondering what it must be like to be the “bookish” sort in the 21st century. Do they still go to libraries? Do they open a new book and take a quick second to smell the pages (god, that sounds fetish-y)? And maybe most importantly – are people still reading to them?

Though there are tons of scientific reasons kids should be read to – I am here to make the simple, honest arguments for it. Do you remember anything about being a kid?? It’s fun to pretend! You get to do voices! You get to snuggle* (*uhhh..if they’re YOUR kids or family). You’ll learn stuff you never knew about your little listeners. You’ll re-learn stuff you ALREADY knew but forgot – a new way to look at something, a reminder of something you used to enjoy. And hey – here’s an added bonus in this scary decade of recession – it costs NOTHING.

Truth be told, at heart, I’m STILL a bookish kid. Every summer I re-read Charlotte’s Web and Peter Pan (and yes, maybe that indicates a psychological complex, but the kid in me has chosen to ignore that for the moment). I still love a good children’s book – and, as a graphic designer, I gather inspiration from children’s illustrators and the books and pictures I loved as a kid all the time. Whilst searching a Barnes & Noble for books to send to my niece I was horrified to find that NONE of my favorites were to be found on the shelves….like TIME HAD PASSED or something. So I made a list of my classics – some well-known, others forgotten – ALL great books.

If you find yourself inspired to find one of your old favorites and would rather solicit an independent bookstore near you try IndieBound’s Store Finder. OR  find a library. And if you want to rediscover the joy of reading but are short on listeners check out the Reach Out and Read Program – I’ll be moving to NYC soon and just signed up to volunteer as a reader myself -  a bookish kid was destined to become a bookish adult – I’m kind of glad I turned out that way…(shout-out to the faammmily!)

And if you still need convincing – why not take a second to watch this CLASSIC video gen-X/Y’ers? 2 WORDS: RAG. BASKETBALL. Everything about this very first episode of Reading Rainbow from 1983 is awesome. What can you do with very little money? That’s what LeVar and the young narrator of the featured book, must face. To set the tone for the entire series, LeVar shows a friend a wealth of fun at the local library – there is even a library MUSICAL NUMBER.  Almost 20 years later, this episode highlighting kids coping with hard times, is quite possibly even more appropriate for a current generation than it was for the kids of ’83 (like me).

http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/video/xkdq8u?width=320
Reading Rainbow – Season 1, Episode 1: Tight Times by Deon_Flood

A List of MY Favorites:

Anno’s Counting Book and Anno’s Counting House by Mitsumasa Anno

Roar and More by Karla Kuskin

The Graphic Alphabet by David Pelletier

Simon’s Book by Henrik Drescher

There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly by Jeremy Holmes

Miss Nelson is Missing  by Harry Allard

George and Martha by James Marshall

The King Who Rained by Fred Gwynne

A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis

An Awesome Book by Dallas Clayton

Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty

The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Strega Nona and Pancakes for Breakfast  by Tomie dePaola

Black and White by David Macaulay

Round Trip by Ann Jonas

People, Circus and Rain by Peter Spier

Doctor De Soto by William Steig

Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber

Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel

Island of the Skog by Steven Kellogg

The Frog Prince, Continued and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

Weslandia by Paul Fleischman

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant

Just A Dream by Chris Van Allsburg

Next Stop Grand Central by Maira Kalman

It’s MY Birthday! by Pat Hutchins

The Pain and the Great One by Judy Blume

Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban

Big Big Book of Mr. Small by Lois Lenski

Babar’s Anniversary Album by Laurent deBrunhoff

The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base

Bea and Mr. Jones by Amy Schwartz

Tuesday by David Wiesner

The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

Liza Lou and the Yeller Belly Swamp by Mercer Mayer

No Jumping on the Bed by Tedd Arnold

Stringbean’s Trip to the Shining Sea by Vera B. Williams

Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Christmastime in New York City and The Inside-Outside Book of New York City by Roxie Munro

Imogene’s Antlers by David Small

Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book: Make a World by Ed Emberley

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frank… by E.L. Konigsburg

Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

The Best of John Bellairs a collection of stories by John Bellairs

Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Lists of OTHERS’ favorites:

The New York Public Libraries Recommended Reading List for Children

The Children’s Book Guide “Top 100 of All Time”

The ALSC’s List of Caldecott Medal & Honor Books

Teachers’ Top 100

Kids top 100 pics

Reading Rainbow Episode List with Featured Books

NPR’s 2011 Reading List for Young Adults (and Adults alike)

And for those times you JUST CAN’T – some links to help them learn:

NPR’s story on new reading apps (with links)

Interactive reading activities for kids through PBS

Celebs read to your kids!

Uhhh – this looks awesome – I haven’t thoroughly checked it out, but you and your kids can create, print, read and share stories through Storybird!

Stories for kids, read by kids

Animated story readings online by Tumblebooks

A Comic book creator! (WHAT?!?) YES! AN INTERACTIVE COMIC BOOK CREATOR

A National Geographic online book club with reviews by kids

Without further ado – tonight’s menu… (I am a freak for Mediterranean, so this is about my favorite thing other than pasta to cook – but I’ve got to tell you – the recipes here are time-tested and damn good).

Hommus

• 2 16-oz cans of organic chick peas
• 4-6 cloves of garlic
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 3 T. tahini
• 1/2 c. lemon juice
• 1 c. plain yogurt** (Top secret! If possible try to find Laban at a Lebanese market!)
• 1/2 t. cayenne
• 1/2 t. cumin (if desired)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. If necessary thin down hommus by slowly adding more olive oil, yogurt, juice from chick peas, or water. After blended serve drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.

(*Note: for other flavors add roasted red peppers or artichoke into the mix!)

Tabbouleh

• 1 cup bulgur wheat
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 2 cups finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 grilled chicken breasts as an accompaniment

Fattoush

• Romaine Lettuce
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• 1/2 c. Parsley
• 1/4 c. Mint Leaves
• Diced Green Pepper
• Diced Green Onion
• 1 t. sumac
• toasted pita pieces

FOR DRESSING MIX:

• 1/2 c. lemon juice
• 1/2 c. Olive Oil
• 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 t. salt
• pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mix thoroughly and enjoy! Again – if you can find it, Zatar (a thyme and sesame seed blend) is a great spice to sprinkle on top of this for added zing.