Still a Pest, After All These Years

by Beverly Tjerngren

I've been an avid reader as long as I can remember, something I inherited from my mother. I've hardly ever seen my mom without a book close at hand, and she passed her love of books on to my two younger brothers and me. When we were growing up she read to us on a daily basis, even recording herself on cassette for us to listen to on the nights she was away from home, attending evening classes toward a degree in English.

One of my greatest wishes as a mother is to instill in my own children the same love of reading and learning that I got from my mom. To that end, my husband and I have filled our house with books--fiction and non-fiction, English and Swedish, books for babies, books for adults, and everything in between. Nobody ever lacks for something to read in our home.

The packages my mother sends to us from the States always include books, and recently she has begun sending chapter books for my daughter and me to read together. Being a thrift shopper extraordinaire, she has unearthed a number of my childhood favorites, paying only a dime or a quarter apiece for these treasures of my early years.

A few weeks ago, Lydia and I read Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary, and each nightly chapter was like a trip back in time for me. Reading about Ramona, her sister Beezus, their neightbor Henry, and Henry's dog, Ribsy, was like spending time with old friends, and I loved introducing them to my daughter. When a package came last week with Ramona the Pest tucked inside, we both exclaimed with delight at the prospect of more Ramona adventures.

It's such fun to see my daughter get so excited about books and to watch her establishing relationships with characters I've known and loved for so long. We've already got Charlie and the Chocolate Factory lined up for when we finish our current Ramona book, and I am eagerly anticipating sharing the wacky world of Willy Wonka and Charlie Bucket with her.