Reading is one of my most beloved activities. There is nothing quite like curling up in a comfy chair with a book and reading until the end - or until you just can’t keep your eyes open any longer. I believe that books can change lives. Reading has opened my mind, lead to discoveries beyond my imagination, and touched my soul. Basically, when I read a good book, I get warm fuzzies. You know, that feeling that is just all warm and tingly and overwhelming. However, reading was the first leisure interest that dramatically changed with the birth of my first child. I still read books but with an infant curled up on my lap. And I started spending more time reading, actually. Because of a college course in children’s literature, I did have a pretty hefty collection of children’s books and a love for this particular genre of literature. I have treasured sharing all those books that I collected with my son (now 6) and daughter (age 2). There have been some significant additions to the bookshelves in our house and some surprising discoveries of books I didn’t appreciate thoroughly until I read them through my children’s eyes.

One such book that remains a family favorite is 10 Minutes till Bedtime by Peggy Rathman. This delightful book is full of discovery for children ages 2 through 8. We have the board book version at our house and it is full of bright, colorful pictures that chronicle the adventures of a little boy and his hamster friends as his father counts down from 10 minutes to 1 minute left until bedtime. We think that it is hilarious what happens once the father shouts, “Bedtime!” The frenzy of activity is quite funny as the little boy and hamsters hurriedly towel off after the bath (that occurred at the “2 minutes till bedtime” mark), go potty, get dressed in pajamas, drink milk, and race off to bed. And just like any bedtime with small children, the party doesn’t stop once in bed! The hamsters are full of energy until the exhausted little boy yells at the top of his lungs, “BED TIME!” Only then do the hamsters say their goodbyes, the father dispenses the good night kisses, and all curl up to sleep.

The book has lasted and grown with our children over the years. At two, my children were interested in the hamsters and all their little activities. At age 3, they pointed out the cookies the hamsters were eating. My son had fun pointing out the soccer ball on every page and seeing what was happening with it when he was 4 years old. And at age 5, the activities of the balloons were of particular interest. This year my husband and children started imitating the facial expressions the little boy makes when “Bedtime!” is called. This has resulted in lots of giggles and, for me, that warm, fuzzy feeling that comes when you realize that yet once again a book has made all the difference!

Share This

This entry was posted on Friday, June 22nd, 2007 at 9:10 am and is filed under Media (Books, TV, Videos, Music), Product Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.