Passing Down Books

When he was four, he taught himself to read.

Sure, I named and sounded out letters with him,

but really, he taught himself to read.

And, since he was so young and eager,

he read everything,

EVERYTHING

he could.

He read fiction, nonfiction, magazines, books, newspapers.

He read it all.

We were sure to preview and approve his reading choices.

A boy of four has very little discernment.

When he asked for dinosaur books,

I knew the local library would not have many

which we would want a four year old reading.

Shifting through evolutionary ideas

and old earth theories is a bit much for a four year old.

We researched and bought him books we knew taught the truth.

All these years, almost nine, he has kept these books.

At times, he would read them again.

Sometimes, he would refer back to them.

Other times, he would read them to his younger sisters and brother.

But now, now on the cusp of teenage years,

he is ready to pass these books on to his younger brother

who at age five loves them just as much as the older did at four,

and probably will love them for many years to come.