A summer walk

Have you ever been with a young child and watched them take in the world around them? I was recently reminded that the world and everything in it is new to each child as they encounter it.

I walked while my young niece, Michaela, pedaled furiously on her tricycle. She suddenly stopped when she noticed a pinecone on the sidewalk. She picked it up, examined it from all sides, and then put it in the basket to take home. Along the way, we picked up a yellow flower, followed by a purple flower, then a white one.

All the way, she sang the song that we’d shared while reading the Gunniwolf, (opens in a new window) a book we’d shared about a little girl who sings while collecting flowers for a bouquet for her mother.

A little squirrel we saw reminded her of Scaredy Squirrel, (opens in a new window) another book character that we’d met earlier. (In some ways, Scaredy is like Michaela, who sometimes needs encouragement to leave her comfort zone but can laugh at the similar behavior of another small creature.)

Interesting to note that books Michaela recalled were just as fresh and new to this precocious four-year old as what we saw on our walk. One story was quite old, based on a folktale; the other book is very contemporary in its approach as well as in presentation.

A simple walk reminded me that books — like the world — are new to each and every child that comes to them. So, I’ll continue to share books that I’ve shared a million times as well as the new ones.

I just hope that I will approach them all with the freshness of children like Michaela. She gave me a fine reminder.