Next Generation Eager Reader

Many of you know I still take odd pride in winning the Eager Reader award in 5th grade (and if you didn’t, you do now). So it was quite the happy moment when I took Brayden on his first trip to the library.

Reading was one of my favorite things to do as a kid and still is. I was the type of child that had a little reading lamp next to my bed, and I would turn the pages late into the night. Reading Rainbow was the best show ever, and I would go find the books LeVar Burton introduced me to. Flash forward to now and I’m still the same way. I read The Da Vinci code in a single day. The last Harry Potter? Three days. When a good story captures me, I’m gone.

Brayden was bit by the literary bug more than a year ago, and his teachers report that he still loves storytime today. Each night we have to read classics like “Goodnight, Moon”, “Goodnight, Gorilla” and “I Love You Through and Through” umpteen times before bed, and he is starting to cycle in new favorites too. Thankfully, my fabulous friends and family threw me a book themed baby shower so Brayden has a collection of books that would rival most actual libraries.

So, speaking of libraries, I knew it was time to take in Brayden for his first library experience. I have a great one nearby with a cute children’s section, so we packed up his little Thomas the Train backpack and made our way over.



Brayden marveled at the kiddie-sized furniture and shelves he was actually allowed to explore. The librarian helped him pick out a few books to start with, Curious George and the Pokey Little Puppy.




After we got through these books, another element of the library caught B’s eye—the computer. And these aren’t just any computers. They’re at tiny desks, perfectly sized for little ones. There was no way to keep my own little Generation E (for Electronic) child away from it.



We also talked about library etiquette such as being quiet, putting books back where we found them and sharing. A very fun morning for both of us.

The grand finale was applying for Brayden’s first library card when we left. He was as proud as a peacock when I gave him the card and kept wanting to show it off.



Reading is an important and beneficial hobby, and I hope to instill a love for it in him.