Confession time; I, Izzy Rose, 13-year-old, am not too old for bedtime stories. In fact, I would be very upset if bedtime stories were discontinued in my house. They're not as childish as they may sound, and only the finest shall be read to me as part of my nightly routine. A fine collection of old and new, including A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, A Wrinkle in Time, Chinese Cinderella, The Lost Island of Tamarind and Wee Free Men.
It is comforting to be read to at night and often puts me to sleep before the chapter is even done. The elements of the story and the reader must fit a certain criteria tailored for me and my sister's tastes. Criteria:
- The reader must have a comforting voice, and is not allowed to read in a drab monotone. (no offense Dad)
- The book cannot include any blood, guts and gore, especially no vomit.
- If there is a chapter with a suspenseful, uncomforting ending, the reader must let me stay up late, reading with a huge dolphin torch, to see if everything turns out okay.
- Must have a good storyline, and keep me entertained.
- If demanded, reader must read another chapter.
- If book is not liked, reader must switch immediately.
How formidable you are, Ms. Izzy Rose. Yes, yes. You must stick to your quite reasonable and understandably high standards. Always and ever.
ReplyDeleteNow, I must find a reader for "The WeeFree Men." Monotones need not apply.
+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to make bedtime stories a tradition in my own family, and since I'm the only real bibliophile, it's a real struggle.
While I don't know if I have a comforting voice, I at least do all the characters' voices! That should count, I hope!
By accident rather than design, the books my brothers and I have chosen have no gore or guts.
But my brothers couldn't care less about cliffhanger endings. I could keep reading until I feel satisfied, but they think in terms of chapter numbers rather than story lines. So if they think we've done our quota for the night, they won't care if someone is trapped in a burning car that is about to hurtle off a cliff.
And yes, they insist that if a book is not liked, we must change immediately. They won't keep going to see if it gets better. If it's not interesting after three chapters, we change.
Good for you. Reading a bed time story to my kids is the highlight of my day - every day.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ManOfLaBook.com
If it is fiction, I have sometimes continued reading after my boys have fallen asleep...I have to know!
ReplyDeleteBut my boys don't care about cliffhangers. They actually prefer non-fiction about dinosaurs and other meat-eaters...sigh...
I hope my little girl will be different!