Raising a Reader

 I have always been inordinately fond of books.  I will sit and read a cookbook for fun.  I have more picture books than most school libraries.  You don't want to know how many knitting books I have.  No, honestly, you really don't want to know.  Fortunately, (or unfortunately, considering the lack of space we have) I married the one person who loves books as much as I do.  And then came Austin.

 It started out like this...

 My mother would laugh at me when she saw me reading to a babe only a few days old.  She wasn't sure what to think when Brian would read the entire volumes of Jane Austin to him.  Not in one sitting, I promise.  Things were looking promising.  And then one day, out of the blue, Austin developed a severe case of Bibliophobia.  I am not sure this is a documented diagnosis anywhere but in our home, but I assure you, any time Austin was so much as SHOWN a book, he would begin screaming.  At first it was funny.  You could always elicit a laugh from a friend, by saying, "hey, wanna see something funny?" and then pull out a book and watch the spontaneous crying erupt.   But after the novelty and cruelty wore off, I started to become concerned.  How could such a wee person have such strong feelings about pieces of paper held together with glue?  I honestly could not read one page of any book to him without him crying.  I got funny looks at the library.   Book stores were out. Oh no, I thought, how did this happen?  How could this child who hated books end up with us, in a home stacked wall to wall with books?  Would he be doomed to be illiterate, would I never read "the Very Hungry Caterpillar" again?  This strange phase lasted a few months, and then, like the hungry caterpillar...

 Austin began consuming any reading material we gave him.  First, literally...

 and then actually enjoying the pictures and turning pages

 and lifting the flaps....

 pushing the buttons....

 and dumping out the whole book basket.

 He was hooked.  Now he would sit for long, really long periods of time and study
the pages.  He would grab a stack of books and climb up onto whatever piece of
furniture he could reach and read.

Turns out God knew exactly what He was doing when He placed Austin with us.  Now the question remains, Where will we put all the books now that we have three book lovers?

There is of course one thing Austin has always loved as much as books.....

but that's a blog for another day!