This past weekend, while selling my Gracie books at Sunnycrest Mall in Gibsons, BC, I had many heart-warming conversations with grandparents. (I was part of the Christmas Craft Fair, the featured writer of Woods Showcase.) They told me how much they enjoyed sharing the act of reading with their grandchildren and witnessing the youngsters’ pleasure in discovering words, language, and storytelling.
This gave me renewed hope that the intimate act of sharing a book aloud will not die in this era of ebooks and Kindles. It also reminded me of how much I enjoyed having my mom read aloud to me when I was young. That’s how I learned to love books. I think that might have sparked my desire to become a writer.
I was surprised how many grandparents bought a book for their grandchild who was only a few months old. One grandmother even bought a book for her unborn grandchild! One doting grandfather bought the book to keep at home when his four grandkids visit; I signed the book to all of them, as he requested.
When a mother asked me to sign the book for her daughter Gracie, I shared a story about my niece Elizabeth. As a young tot, she was thrilled when my sister read her Robert Munch’s The Paperbag Princess because the name of the main character was Elizabeth. What a thrill for a child to have the same name as a book’s hero. I hope that my book gives the little girl Gracie similar pleasure.
Overall, I heard and experienced how much parents and grandparents can love their little ones. That, too, gives me hope for humanity.
Thanks to everyone who bought my book and to The Local for a wonderful review.
