Dear Jackrabbit,
You’re four weeks and a day old. Still with us?
Good!
(I did’t really need you to answer. i can see you from here as I type this.)
What to write about this week? Tough to choose. I have a huge list of topics ranging from food and tech to schools and politics. Yeah, I’m going to talk about politics from time to time. Relgion, too. It’ll happen.
But we’re in no rush. At one letter per week, we’re looking at 52 per year. Neither of us are going anywhere.
Today we’re going to talk about books.
If you look around, you’ll see a lot of them. You may not know what they are yet, but you will. You’ll have lots of toys growing up, but I guarantee you that you’re going to have a lot more books. I’m not going to apologize for that. I will say, “You’re welcome.”
You’ve been born into a book reading family. I read. Your mother reads. We could both read by kindergarten (which, now that I think of it, may be an expectation now. It wasn’t always.). In any case, we could both read at early ages because our parents encouraged us, and we’ll encourage you.
You’ll love it. Books open your world in a way like nothing else does–not TV, not movies, not video games. You look around our house and there are a number of tall bookshelves stuffed with books featuring everything from science fiction to ancient history. We have books about art, politics, religion, and humor. Fiction genres hit all the big ones–science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, and even a little bit of horror, plus a decent supply of classics. You’re going to be exposed to JRR Tolkien, Somerset Maugham, Harper Lee, Ursula K. LeGuin, Graham Greene, Fran Lebowitz, and a whole lot more. Your dad knows a lot of writers and you’ll likely be reading stuff from them, too.
But we’ll start you off easy. Before you were born, we held a baby shower and encouraged books in lieu of cards. You’ve netted probably one of the largest starter libraries in babyhood. Add to this all of the books your mother saved from her own childhood to share with you eventually. And add to this the pile of books dear old dad has set aside for you.
Yeah, we’re going to have to get your room a bigger bookshelf.
We’ll read to you. (We’ve already started, actually.) We’ll help you read for yourself eventually. Reading is going to be a big part of your life.
Warning: Your dad works in publishing, and he grew up in a bookstore. There is going to be no escape from this.
I’m actually a little envious of you. There are going to be all sorts of great books you’re going to read for the first time that will blow you away. Sure, you can always reread a good book, but there’s nothing like reading one for the first time.
Welcome to it.
Cheers!
— Dad
