Raising readers

Each week I fill my arms with as many books as I can carry from the library, so many that I recently bought a piece of furniture to store them.

Okay, so it’s really supposed to be a gardening bucket, but I’m not taking this adorable piece out to my filthy garden.

New library books on Fridays means that every Shabbos my kids are permanently glued to the couch reading. I can’t say for sure that I can take all the credit for their love of reading, but I do know this much: every kid, from age 3-18 who comes to our house heads straight for the library books. Play dates whose mothers say their kids never like reading become readers when they spot our books. Teenagers even flip through the picture books. And my friends who check out as many books as often as we do have children who also love to read.

For Chicago residents, the only place to find as many books one can carry, week after week (that aren’t about Christmas or Kwanzaa),  is the Morton Grove Library. It’s located only 5 minutes west of my kids’ school, and they allow Chicago residents to check out unlimited books. Plus the librarians are actually friendly and helpful, forgiving of fines when you have a good excuse and happy to help you renew books and videos over the phone.