Daily Archives: September 10, 2009

A Lapful of Booklovers

by Nancy Farrier

Some of my favorite memories are sitting in the rocking chair with two or three children piled on my lap as we read from a favorite story book. My kids loved looking at the pictures as they heard about llamas looking for their mamas, or what to do if a mouse wants something. We would laugh, or exclaim with wonder as we shared this experience.

All of my daughters grew up with a love of books. They often sleep with books beside their beds or in bed with them. They enjoy the experience of visiting new lands, learning about an historical event, or seeing something through someone else’s eyes. We often delight in the same stories, and can talk for hours about characters and plots.

When I read this week about a school in Massachusetts that decided to expunge their library of all hardcopy books, I couldn’t help but feel sad and angry. They replaced the books with online versions and computer access, along with many amenities that might appeal to a younger generation. Their excuse had to do with offering their students the opportunity to search through many more books than traditional shelves would hold.

While e-books have their place, and I’m not opposed to them, I myself have trouble reading on the computer. I like to curl up in a comfy chair, or relax on the floor as I read. That’s harder to do when your book is an e-book. I like having a book to hold in my hand. My daughters and I enjoy going to the library and perusing the shelves so we can find a new series, or a new author that we want to read, something that is more difficult to do online. I can’t imagine those early years with my children if we only had an e-reader. How would we have snuggled up? I just can’t picture that.