My kid is a bookworm. Even at 3-years-old and unable to read, he’ll sit for an hour in one place and just “read” books to himself. And if you have ever had a 3-year-old, you know that any amount of time sitting in one place is uncommon. An hour in one place counts as divine intervention.
Plus it makes my heart happy to watch him “read” and to read to him. I am a bona fide bookworm, known to devour classical fiction – both children’s and otherwise – in very short periods of time. I can't think of anything happier than seeing my kid love it too.
What I am not well versed in, however, are books specifically written for military kiddos. I know they’re out there – I’ve seen them in the base library. But I don’t know what’s good, what’s great and what’s best. Let’s face it, there’s no Caldecott Medal for military kid’s fiction.
Two neat military kid’s books have recently landed on my desk. One, “H is for Honor,” was a gift from a friend and goes through the alphabet.
The second is the brand new book “Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops,” released today. Written by Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, it tells the story of a little girl, Natalie, saying “goodbye” to her daddy and waiting for him to come home.
I firmly believe that reading not only helps kids open up their imagination but is also critical in helping them realize that they are not alone in whatever confusing and scary feeling they are having at the moment. That was important to me as a child and a teen -- and I know it's going to be important to my timid little boy.
So tell me -- what is your favorite book for military kids? And help me build up my library.