Reading My Own Books Is A Mood Lifter
There’s a John Denver song, Sunshine On My Shoulders makes me happy. Sunshine does make me happy. But reading my own books to kids elevates my mood more. On every occasion of sharing my books, I come away with feelings of exuberance and gratitude that I’ve had this chance.
Working with children on a daily basis, as I did as a public school teacher, has its high highs ??? and some discouraging and exhausting lows ??. Reading my own books and sharing them with children always creates highs. I come away from these experiences walking on air and being ever so grateful to the many, many people who have helped me.
Why do I feel so grateful?
Publishing my own books takes a lot of interaction with a lot of people, and I love it!
- First, I must organize the myriad of ideas in my brain that are competing for recognition and permanence. Usually that involves talking to all those around me about these ideas. (Thank goodness my world is filled with patient people.)
- Then I put those ideas into words, with innumerable revisions and edits.
- And meld those words with an illustrator’s concepts. (Too short a sentence for the effort this really takes.)
- Then work with a printer to make these words and illustrations into a real book.
- And, of course there are ISBN’s, and copyrights, and marketing plans, and more.
So, when I actually have a hold-it-in-my-hands, finished book, that I can read and share, I am grateful to all those who helped me along the way.
This sharing has more than an immediate reward. It fills my brain with memories of scenes that make me smile, like the following: ( I originally had down many more than those below. But my son, who helps me tremendously on all things involving social media, said I should only have three. So I cut it to four.)
People showing me photos they took of pelicans. “I thought of you when I was at the beach,” they might say. I like being the “Pelican Lady”!
Three young girls reading and singing The Counting Book.
A boy discussing with me how pelicans look like dinosaurs.
A mother telling me how she and her little daughter giggle when they read the pelicans’ names. 
Sunshine does make me feel happy. But sharing my own books with people is a mood lifter that rates right up there near the top!
I think it’s a wonderful gift to read to your children. I really liked this. My mother was too busy and probably too tired to read to us. But it’s also a wonderful way to build a child’s imagination and spend some quality and emotional time with children. Thank you for sharing this post.
Thank you, Isabella. Reading to children regularly definitely is rewarding to adults and children. It can also be extremely difficult to find the time to do that. I certainly understand that. Thank you for your comment.
Good insight! Reading opens worlds and futures. Being able to read your own stuff to kids is wonderful ‘
Thank you, Judy, for your comments. Reading to children is definitely joyful to me. When it is my own books, it is fantastic.
I remember when my parents read to me and have always read to my children, even as they outgrew my lap. Being able to read your own books to children must be an amazing feeling. Thanks for sharing.
Yes! You are right. Actually being able to read a book that I thought about and anguished over and took through the steps to get to a real book is an amazing feeling. I have been blessed to have so many who have encouraged and helped me do it.
Way to jump in to blogging again, Shirley! One reason I loved your post is because I share that feeling when reading to kids of all ages. Yes, even my middle schoolers loved to listen when I read stories aloud to them. This year I’m planning to participate in Read Across America again.
I agree, older children like stories, too, and adults. The fun of reading to multiage groups is to see if you can capture them all. I, too, plan to do Read Across America. Thank you for your comment. The pace of 26 posts in 13 weeks for the challenge will really take some getting used to. But, I think it will be fun.
As an old classroom teacher of the high school age, I appreciate your efforts and success with the Pelican Books. Congrats.
Thank you, Brent! I really feel very fortunate that I have been able to do this Pelican Book project. Writing children’s books had been a dream for a long time. Fortunately, I am now able to self-publish and continue this project. I set a goal of 11 books in the Pelican Family Series. I have 6 series books published, and one out-of-series. I hope to be able to finish all 11of the series. It is fun.