Grrrrrreat Reads

Grrreat Reads! By Deb Lilley

Growing up I loved the hour right before bedtime. That was the time that my sister and I would get to pick out one of the many books we borrowed from the library that week for our dad to read to us.  Now this was a special time. We got to sit on our parent’s bed with dad – me on the left and my sister on the right – just waiting for him to open the cover and read to us. As we got older, we were able to read the stories to him. Our most favorite book, “The Mellops Go Spelunking”, was about a family of pigs who had amazing adventures together. We had read it so many times we could recite it by heart. Thus began my life-long love of reading.

In this section titled “Grrreat Reads!” readers young, old, and young-at-heart will be introduced to a variety of books about animals. Many of these books will make you laugh, or cry, or smile, sometimes all three in the same book. Maybe they’ll bring back memories of a favorite childhood pet, or maybe they’ll inspire a young person’s dream to be a vet, or maybe even a spelunker! But no matter what emotions, memories, or dreams these books may inspire, I certainly hope that they’ll inspire togetherness and sharing, because you never know where a book will take you or who you’ll meet inside…or who will be reading along right by your side.

Since we’re on the subject of pigs, this issue’s Grrreat Read is about “Some Pig”. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White is a pig tale for all ages. It tells the story of friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte who lives on a web overlooking the pig enclosure on the Zuckerman farm. When Wilbur overhears that he is heading for market, Charlotte writes messages praising Wilbur in order to convince the farmer to let him live. Spoiler Alert! Charlotte dies near the end of the book. If you are reading this book to or with young children, you may need to take time to talk with them or answer questions as they may be upset by Charlotte’s death.RETURN TO TASP NEWSLETTER