Always Remember to Read

I often joke that Maile has more books than toys, but the thing is ... it's not a joke. Maile has more books than toys. Books, books, everywhere, books. In corners, in drawers, on and under tables. In cabinets, on chairs, in the bed, in the bath. Maile loves to read. And though she can only recognize a few letters, and can't truly read yet, we always, always encourage books. Reading makes up a large part of our day, whether it's Maile chatting away and turning pages, or Mama or Dada reading one of her zillions of books to her. Reading is so very important to us.

After reading about Andrew Lapham Fersch's poetry over at Yellow Finch, I was over the moon when Andrew contacted me, wondering if we'd like a copy of his collection, The Rough Draft of My Life Story. Growing up, my parents read me poetry, from Milne to Whitman. In this digital age, poetry, like handwriting, is fast becoming a lost art, and I can't tell you how much we're enjoying Andrew's poems. The book's unique illustrations are the work of the talented Phillip Ashworth. In an email, Andrew encouraged me to let Maile color in the book's pages; I can't tell you how much this touched me -- only an author/illustrator team with Barrie-esque imagination and whimsy could wish their work clumsily embellished by a toddler.

So maybe I haven't let Maile color in the pages just yet, but we are taking in every clever word.

One of my favorites goes like this ...

Two Peas in a Pod

We were so close

We turned into two peas in a pod

Considering yesterday we were people

That does seem quite odd

Now we roll around town

And have so much fun

And return to our pod together

When we are done

Andrew has also embarked on this amazing project: If you send him an illustrated poem, he will send you a personalized poem in return, free of charge. All it takes on your end, is a little time ... Write and draw yourself. Even better, encourage your littles to write and draw! Perhaps pen a poem inspired by your child's artwork. The possibilities are really endless, and what an amazing keepsake!

You can send your illustrated poetry to:

Andrew Fersch

PO Box 738 

Epping NH 03042-0738

Happy creating. And happy reading.

While we were sent a free copy of The Rough Draft of My Life Story, this post was not required of me, and is not a sponsored post. The author asked for nothing in return; his only request was that if I enjoyed his work, I pass it on in some way. Additionally, Andrew is currently in collaboration with artist Penn Sultan, for his second work -- a story called There is a Field. Please consider contributing to that project!