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The "Grown-Up" Section of the Library

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Ever since before Finn was born, I've been constantly tweaking his library. At first, it was totally display. He H-A-T-E-D books. I think he just thought, "Stop putting that thing in my face- you're blockin my view! So, when he was really young, I just had a lot of picture books face out for color and I had all the board books that I *thought* he might like someday on one shelf. As he started enjoying books as food, I moved the chewiest ones to a basket for him to eat. And now that he actually likes the subjects, rhythms, and words in others, I've moved those to the bottom shelf and scattered more all over the house. But in all that time, what was I doing with my own books? Squat! Well, not squat. I was shoving them horizontally, vertically- however they would fit, onto my overflowing bookshelves. And now that I think of it- this needs to be remedied quickly. Think: weekend project.

Thinking Paris for Dummies needs a separate shelf from Twilight...
Putting lots of time and care into our child's library is an admirable use of our time. But, as I mentioned in yesterday's post, children value what we value. And since that's the case, what message do we send them if their library is a beautiful celebration of literacy while our own is a heap of magazines and half-read books by our bed stand? (Read on, teachers... this involves you too!)


If we want our children to buy what we're selling- we have to be happy customers ourselves! It's like anything else. We don't get them to eat vegetables by piling a heap on their plates and then taking none for our own plates. Likewise, once our kids have a home library, we're halfway there. We need to make sure the "grown-up" section (Notice- I didn't call it the adult section!) is just as carefully planned.

Having our own books all over your house- on the bed stand, desk, back porch- is an excellent way to demonstrate the habits of a reader for our kids. (I'm good on this front.) So making a grown-up section doesn't mean having all our books put away all the time- that's not how readers usually operate.  

NOT my house. But these bookshelves would do
very well for my purposes. Found this on Pinterest.
Instead, I think we should be creative and think about designing our own section of books in a way that works for each of us. For example, I read a lot of teaching books, tons of YA fiction, some poetry, some adult fiction, and some random nonfiction. I might sort my books into those categories. Or, I might sort them by when I finished them (or will read them). I'm a compulsive book buyer, so my purchases usually get ahead of my ability to keep up. On a table near my library, I have propped up my somewhat large "to read next" collection. It may even be nice to take a cue from our child's library and display a few books cover out.

Another important consideration: where should our books be? Even though Finn's only 8 months, I'm quickly learning that a house with children is ruled by their stuff (if we let it). There aren't too many sacred places left, but I feel that if any place should be protected- let it be the place where our books live. Instead of feeling compelled to shove our books in a crate in a forgotten corner of the basement or the old college dorm room bookshelves, let's put them out in the open. Let's put them somewhere where our kids will see them and KNOW: my parents are readers. Hey- books are interesting to look at anyways! If you don't want them out for your children, at least put them out as a component of your interior design.

Teachers- don't think you're getting out of this! What about having a small section at or around your desk? Obviously it wouldn't be practical to display books you are reading, but what about bringing in the books you read over the summer? Or adding books to your display throughout the year? Many of us share our reading lives with our students, but if you're like me, it was during a one day minilesson in which I pulled books out of a bag and shared them one at a time. Perhaps having a more permanent display would help cement the idea that "we are ALL readers here." 

Like I said once before, enticing children to read seems simple, but it's actually quite complex. And while I don't have all the answers, there is one thing of which I am sure: Growing readers doesn't start with the reader. It starts with the grower.






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