Oh, Gina, so much in my heart and too much to say, but let me at least say thank you...thank you for reading to your children...thank you for loving the Newbery books as I have...thank you for caring enough to immerse yourself in the book banning stuff so you could make sure you were coming from a place of understanding and not ignorance. And thank you for getting to a wise stopping place and sharing your reasons -- of realizing what efforts move the needle and which ones are futile. I think you're absolutely right. Your righteous anger and energy are best expended elsewhere.
And let me tell you a quick story to illustrate why reading to your children is so important. My son got his PhD in computational and applied mathematics and then went on to do a fellowship during which time he wrote and published a text book on Isogeometric Analysis from his doctoral work. The chair of his department told him he was the best writer he had ever had among his math students. When I asked our son to what he attributed this, I thought he was going to credit his AP English teacher, but instead he said (and I'm paraphrasing), "Mom, it was because you always read to us. Even before I needed to know how to write, I knew what good words and sentences were supposed to sound like."
Reading to your children is one of the best gifts you can give them.
Hi Gina. Love this blog post! Newberry Award books are the gold standard for me. I loved "Out of the Dust" Please reach out to me! I may have an opportunity for you at one of our conferences.
Well said, friend. The wisest people are the ones who know when pivot when their plan doesn’t sit right! And, it’s clear that you didn’t change your mind without plenty of reflection. Your journey led you right back to the starting point, which is poetic in its own way! Enjoy your Newberry adventure. Can’t wait to hear more about it! Xo
Thanks for the shout-out, Gina. I love this post (even if inadvertently made you question your idea to write about the bans!) I suspect something will still come out of your Reading of Age project in the future. And agreed — reading old, beloved books with my kid has been such a joy.
As a child of about 6, I received as a gift the 1949 Newberry Medal-winning book King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry. I loved it and read it over and over. It started my lifelong love of horses. I would hate to think that I would be denied the opportunity to read that book due to a book ban.
I am so proud of you. One of my favorite moments with your family was story time. You so beautifully summarized a problem that I have trouble understanding. Happy spring break from Austin.
Oh, Gina, so much in my heart and too much to say, but let me at least say thank you...thank you for reading to your children...thank you for loving the Newbery books as I have...thank you for caring enough to immerse yourself in the book banning stuff so you could make sure you were coming from a place of understanding and not ignorance. And thank you for getting to a wise stopping place and sharing your reasons -- of realizing what efforts move the needle and which ones are futile. I think you're absolutely right. Your righteous anger and energy are best expended elsewhere.
And let me tell you a quick story to illustrate why reading to your children is so important. My son got his PhD in computational and applied mathematics and then went on to do a fellowship during which time he wrote and published a text book on Isogeometric Analysis from his doctoral work. The chair of his department told him he was the best writer he had ever had among his math students. When I asked our son to what he attributed this, I thought he was going to credit his AP English teacher, but instead he said (and I'm paraphrasing), "Mom, it was because you always read to us. Even before I needed to know how to write, I knew what good words and sentences were supposed to sound like."
Reading to your children is one of the best gifts you can give them.
Hi Gina. Love this blog post! Newberry Award books are the gold standard for me. I loved "Out of the Dust" Please reach out to me! I may have an opportunity for you at one of our conferences.
Well said, friend. The wisest people are the ones who know when pivot when their plan doesn’t sit right! And, it’s clear that you didn’t change your mind without plenty of reflection. Your journey led you right back to the starting point, which is poetic in its own way! Enjoy your Newberry adventure. Can’t wait to hear more about it! Xo
Thanks for the shout-out, Gina. I love this post (even if inadvertently made you question your idea to write about the bans!) I suspect something will still come out of your Reading of Age project in the future. And agreed — reading old, beloved books with my kid has been such a joy.
As a child of about 6, I received as a gift the 1949 Newberry Medal-winning book King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry. I loved it and read it over and over. It started my lifelong love of horses. I would hate to think that I would be denied the opportunity to read that book due to a book ban.
I am so proud of you. One of my favorite moments with your family was story time. You so beautifully summarized a problem that I have trouble understanding. Happy spring break from Austin.