By Elizabeth Van Auken, Mother and MindOH! Grant
Writer
We know that reading to children is good for them. But it's
also good for parents. One story made my daughter a little
kinder, and me a little more open minded.
Hannah is in preschool and loves everything about it: the
books, the projects, the stickers, the friends, the teachers.
They had a field trip to Old McDonald's Farm, a local petting
zoo, and pumpkin patch. She talked about the upcoming field
trip every day. She talked about pumpkin pie and Jack O'
Lanterns. She couldn't wait to pick out her very own and carve
it.
When I picked her up after the field trip, all of the
children had their coveted pumpkins sitting on the table.
There were fat ones, tall ones, big ones and little ones.
Hannah excitedly went to the table and handed me hers. I was
disappointed. This was no carving pumpkin, it was well, more
like a tangerine. "Hannah, why is it so little?" I asked. She
just shrugged her shoulders. Her teacher pulled me aside.
"You know, she searched and searched for that pumpkin. I
was so proud of her. She did it because of a story we read.
She really understood it." The teacher continued, "It was
about a little pumpkin that doesn't get picked for Halloween,
and feels really sad and lonely."
Evidently, Hannah had found the littlest pumpkin at Old
McDonald's farm, to make sure it wasn't sad on Halloween.
Sometimes books teach us to be kind and loving in unexpected
ways. Sometimes children teach us about character in
unexpected ways. I'll never think about pumpkins in quite the
same way. She won't either.
